How To Get Rid of the Smoke Smell in Your Home - Escarosa

Your home is your castle. Having your home smell fresh and clean makes us happy! Having a smoke odor, whether strong or faint, can take away from being comfortable in your own home. Masking the smell isn’t usually effective. And sometimes makes it worse!

Whether it’s from cigarettes, marijuana, past fire damage, or thirdhand smoke, the smell can be challenging to get rid of.

Fortunately, however, it’s not impossible.

In this blog, we’ll share our top tips for eliminating smoke smell in your Pensacola home or rental property.

Why is Smoke Smell so Persistent?

Of all the unpleasant odors, smoke is an especially tough one to get rid of.

But why?

What makes this odor so hard to combat?

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Smoke odor is made up of a variety of compounds, including 3,5-trimethyl pyridine, 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine, and 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl pyridine. 

The human nose is highly sensitive to most of these compounds, so we detect them more than other odors.

Additionally, fabrics and other materials absorb the compounds in smoke odor. When someone smokes indoors or there’s been fire damage in a building, the molecules in the smoke sink into textiles like carpets, drapes, furniture, and clothing. 

Over time, these textiles release those compounds back into the air, which is why smoke odors can linger for so long and be difficult to eliminate. 

How Long Does Smoke Smell Last?

When a person smokes indoors, the smoke can linger in the room for several hours before it dissipates. This means all the compounds that make up the smell have ample time to soak into fabrics, walls, and other porous materials. 

If the smoke comes from a cigarette (which contains tar), the problem is especially bad. Because tar is thick, it coats surfaces and will, eventually, cause walls, tables, and paint to turn yellow. 

As a general rule, the smell of cigarette smoke can take at least six months to dissipate. The timeline is even longer if the walls and furniture have absorbed the smell. 

If the smoke smell comes from fire damage, it can take weeks or months to disappear. Until it does, the smoke odor will reduce the home’s indoor air quality and pose a health hazard for all building occupants. 

How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell: 5 Professional Tips

Want a home that smells fresh? Try these five tips to remove smoke odor:

1. Deodorize the air

The first step to eliminating the smell of smoke is to improve air circulation in your space. Start by opening all the windows and doors in the home. 

This creates a cross-breeze that sucks dirty air out and fills the space with fresh, clean air. 

For faster results, add a HEPA air filter and a dehumidifier, which will “scrub” the air as it moves.

To get a jump start on the freshness, make a DIY deodorizer. Here are a few options:

• Place a few bowls of white vinegar or ammonia in rooms where the smoke smell is especially bad

• Boil a pot of orange or lemon peels and water on the stove

• Place bowls of baking soda in stinky rooms

• Boil a potful of vinegar on the stove and let it simmer for 1-2 hours

While these tactics may temporarily make the house smell like ammonia or vinegar, they neutralize the smoke compounds in the air and leave your space smelling clean and fresh. 

2. Clean the walls and ceiling

Next, remove surface odors by scrubbing the walls and ceiling with a cleansing solution, like two tablespoons of ammonia mixed into two cups of water. 

You can also use 1 part white vinegar mixed with 1 part water. Once you have your cleaning solution, use a soft rag to scrub the walls and ceilings. 

3. Invest in professional carpet cleaning

Again, smoke odors linger in textiles. Because of this, professional carpet cleaning is one of the best ways to get rid of musty, funky smells. 

Because most professional carpet cleaners use steam cleaning equipment and odor-neutralizing cleaning solutions, they’ll help remove set-in smoke smells. 

As a bonus, carpet cleaning also removes the toxic compounds in smoke odors, which improves your home’s indoor air quality. If you can’t clean them, throw away any area rugs that smell heavily of smoke. 

4. Have your upholstery cleaned

Once your ceilings, walls, and carpets are clean, hire a professional to clean your upholstery.

Ideally, this will be the same company that cleaned your carpets. 

Upholstery cleaning removes set-in smoke odors in furniture, drapes, and other items and removes stains and discoloration. 

5. Clean your hard floors and windows

Last but not least, clean your hard floors. Use a mop, warm water, and soap with a neutral pH to clean all wood floors. 

When you’ve cleaned the floors once, dump the mop bucket, mix up another batch of soap, and go over them again.

For laminate floors, use a water and vinegar mixture to get rid of lingering smoke smell. If you have tile or grouted floors, scrub the nooks and crannies with ammonia and a stiff scrub brush. 

Once the floors are done, use a window cleaner to wipe down all the window sills, curtain rods, and window frames in your home. 

Do You Have Smoke Smell in Your Home? Escarosa Cleaning and Restoration can Help!

Are you tired of living with the musty odor of smoke? Don’t worry – our team is here for you. We provide professional carpet and textile cleaning and comprehensive smoke damage restoration services for commercial and residential customers in the Pensacola area.

Whether you’re dealing with odor from cigarettes, marijuana, thirdhand smoke, or previous fire damage, our expert team can provide the cleaning services you need to breathe easy.

Ready to learn more? Contact us today!