How to Remove Smoke Smells from your Home

How to Remove Smoke Smells from your Home

The smell of smoke is one of the HARDEST smells to get out of furniture, carpet, furniture, even the walls of your home.  It touches EVERYTHING.

If you were previously a smoker or bought a home (or piece of furniture) from someone who did smoke, there are some good methods to get the smoke out. Without having to just tear down the entire house.

Each of these methods can remove the smell (or at least lessen the smell), but you may have to try several attempts and different strategies to get your home smelling fresh and clean. But it can be done!

White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar 

Each of these have neutralizing properties that may help you to clear the air.  You can boil one or the other and allow it to diffuse throughout the house. The smell will be strong at first but should lessen and remove the smells throughout the house. 

You may also mix 2 cups with a gallon of water and wipe down any surfaces that may have a smoky smell. This includes walls, ceilings, door knobs, ceiling fans, light switches, furniture. Be sure to test a small spot on your furniture before tackling the entire piece.

If you have fabrics that can fit in the washing machine (drapes, curtains, pillow covers), wash with white vinegar instead of your regular detergent and let air dry if possible.

White vinegar is VERY inexpensive and can be found at most stores. Costco usually carries two huge jugs for around $5 or $6.

RELATED: Mix vinegar with cream of tartar to clean porcelain or check out what NOT to do with vinegar

Baking Soda  

If you have carpet in the room, sprinkle baking soda throughout and allow to sit for 24 hours. Vacuum the area well and the smells should go away.

This can also be used on couches or other furniture that has a cloth cover.  You can repeat this process until the smells are completely gone.  It can help to steam clean your carpets when you’re done, to remove any lingering bacteria or smells. You can either rent a machine or have a professional take care of it.

Air Purifier Machine

You can run a machine in the room which deodorizes and purifies the air to make it as fresh as can be.  These can be found in home improvement stores or online.

These basically remove particles from the air (dust, pollen, odor) and filter out the yucky stuff. Depending on the model you get, you may have to move it from room to room if your entire home smells of smoke. A model like this hOmelabs Air Purifier on Amazon can run up to 2100 hours on one filter and covers up to 194 square feet.

To this point, make sure your home HVAC air filters are replaced according to their specs. These can be a great help in removing odors, but do need to be consistently replaced.

Coffee Grounds or Charcoal  

You can place bowls of either unused coffee grounds or charcoal in rooms that need freshening up, both will absorb smells over time.  You will need to replace these with fresh coffee grounds/charcoal every few days until the smells are gone.  

You can use regular old charcoal briquettes or an activated charcoal powder.

Vanilla Extract

Place several drops of vanilla extract onto cotton balls.  Place these throughout the house where you need a sweet, strong aroma.  The vanilla extract is strong enough it should help to get rid of the stale, smoky smells.  

Pure vanilla extract is VERY expensive right now, so you can start with just a few drops if you’d like or try an inexpensive vanilla blend.

We’d love to hear from you if one of the methods above worked well for you!

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These Activated Charcoal All Natural Air Freshener Bags from Olivia & Aiden (Amazon) look interesting! They work in smaller spaces like small rooms, closets, your car. You just place the bag in the space and they absorb odor and moisture. Reactivate by placing them in the sun and they say they last up to 2 years.

Has anyone tried these??

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