Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Smoke and nicotine can be found on walls, window blinds, fabrics and carpets in the home, thereby causing unpleasant odors throughout the home. Tobacco odor is caused by residual tobacco resin and it is difficult to remove. To deodorize tobacco in your home, you need to clean the whole house, filter the air, even change carpets and repaint the walls if the smoke is widespread.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Preparing for indoor deodorizing

1. 

   Open all windows and doors to keep indoor air out. Do this regularly during cleaning and deodorizing.
   • You can turn on an extra fan to increase the deodorizing effect. Directing fans into corners of the room lacking air, thereby helping to expel contaminated air from the room. Besides, you should also turn on the fan facing the doors and windows so that the wind pushes the smoke and polluted air out of the room.

2. 

   
   
   Buy a deodorant. Some products are marketed as helping to tame or eliminate odors. However, you should use products that contain detergent inside. A simple smelly product will not be able to deodorize tobacco. Find products that contain:
   • Baking soda. Baking soda is a natural odor neutralizer by introducing odorant acidic and basic molecules to a more neutral pH state or environment.
   • Activated carbon. Coal is often used to filter dirt and particles that form in water. Besides, coal also acts as deodorizer, helping to absorb odors and smoke odors.
   • Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide can deodorize by sending oxygen to a contaminated, smoky area. However, this chemical behaves like bleach, so be careful and only use it on certain surfaces.
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Part 2 of 5: Eliminate odors on carpets, fabrics and towels

1. 

   
   
   Collect all your clothes, blankets, and curtains. Pick up any items made of fabric, linens, or washable material and take them to wash.
   • You may not be able to smell the smell on an item, but actually it's because you've lost the sense of the smell on it. This means that you are too familiar with the smell of tobacco, so you cannot distinguish the smell of medicine from the smell of normal air. It is best to treat all household items with a cigarette smell, even if you only smell tobacco on some items.
   • Wash in water or dry clean all items. It is recommended that you wash the fabric and towels thoroughly before you start cleaning the rest of the house. Fabrics and towels can absorb odors more than other materials. Cleaning these items will make cleaning other surfaces easier.
   • Consider washing and storing linen and clean towels outside. If you bring washed items back into your home, you can cause them to absorb the smell of smoke left over in your home.

2. 

   
   
   Be sure to clean, wash, or replace curtains or blinds. Many people forget to clean curtains and blinds - two things that stick to and absorb the smell of tobacco tar in the home. You should remove curtains or blinds and take them to wash. Or, you can buy new curtains when your existing ones are too old and smoky.
   • Some wall objects can also be made from fabric or burlap. Remove these items and clean with mild soap, water and cloth. Just clean these items and bring them outside until the deodorizing is complete.

3. 

   Check the carpet. If your carpet is particularly dirty and smokes a cigarette, you should consider replacing it immediately. If not, you can clean the carpet by:
   • Wash the carpet. You can rent a carpet cleaner by steam and clean the carpet yourself. In addition, you can also hire a professional service to help you clean the carpet.
   • Sprinkle with baking soda. Spread a lot of baking soda on the surface of the carpet and leave for 1 day. Baking soda will absorb the cigarette smell and moisture in the carpet. Then, you can use a vacuum cleaner to absorb all the baking soda. Do this a few times a week until the smoke goes away.

4. 

   Sprinkle baking soda on fabric-covered furniture and carpets. You can also choose a chemical with a strong cleaning effect like OdoBan. This is the product that experts use to deodorize the house after the fire.
   • If the upholstery can be removed, wet it and wash it by hand or machine with a baking soda mixture. Let it dry a little, then cover it while the mattress is still slightly wet. This will help the mattress stretch to its maximum size without producing mold.
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Part 3 of 5: Eliminating cigarette odors on indoor surfaces

1. 

   Use vinegar or diluted bleach to clean surfaces with other materials. Bleach, especially vinegar, can break down cigarette plastic odor molecules. The smell of bleach and vinegar may be a bit unpleasant at first but may go away after a while, unlike the smell of tobacco.
   • Mix white vinegar with warm water in a 1: 1 ratio to make a cleaning solution.
   • Mix 1/2 cup (120 ml) of chlorine bleach with about 4 liters of water to clean surfaces like sinks, showers, bathtubs, kitchen counters, ceramic tiles, vinyl surfaces and floors. Do not use on surfaces that have been cleaned with vinegar mixture. Always rinse the surface with clean water after cleaning and before using.

2. 

   Wash floors, ceilings, windowsills, walls and other fixtures. You may need to use a ladder to get to surfaces that need cleaning in your home.
   • Don't forget to scrub the inside of wall cabinets, cabinets, as well as basement walls, hallways, kitchen cabinets and drawers.

3. 

   Wipe wooden, plastic and metal objects and appliances with distilled white vinegar. Put the vinegar in a spray bottle and wipe it off with a rag. Next, rinse with water and dry the delicate items with a rag.
   • Add a few drops of lavender or citrus essential oil to drown out the aroma of vinegar. However, if you do not choose this option, the smell of the vinegar will also disappear after deodorizing your household items.

4. 

   Clean or wash small decorations. Simply wipe or wash it with mild soap. You will need to take the items out until all surfaces in the house are cleaned and deodorized. advertisement

Part 4 of 5: Paint the wall again

1. 

   Scrub the wall. You can use a variety of wall cleaning products or solutions to remove dust, grease, and odors.
   • Most professional painters use TSP, also known as Trisodium Phosphate, to clean walls. Just mix 1 cup TSP with 20 cups of water or buy TSP spray to spray on the wall using a clean towel. Be sure to use gloves when using TSP.

2. 

   Use deodorant paint after cleaning the wall. Products such as Zinsser Bullseye and Kilz are essential to eliminate long-lasting tobacco odors. If you just repaint the wall, not only will the cigarette smells not get rid of, but it will also be trapped inside the paint.

3. 

   Consider repainting other parts of the house. For example, if an item smells of smoke, scrub it, paint a deodorant foundation, and then paint it over again to remove the smoke. advertisement

Part 5 of 5: Air purification

1. 

   Change the air filter, heater filter, and air conditioner filter. The air circulating indoors often smells of cigarette smoke, so you'll need to change all filters for appliances to purify the air and bring clean, smoke-free air into your home.
   • You can clean the filter with TSP solution. Wear gloves, soak and invert the filter in TSP solution for no more than 1 hour. Use a brush to remove any remaining dirt or odors. After washing, you will have a clean filter.

2. 

   Buy an air purifier. You can choose to install the air filter for the indoor air circulation system or purchase a single room air purifier.

3. 

   Place bowls of activated carbon around the house. Activated carbon works by gradually absorbing odors. Place the charcoal bowls in places where air is stored indoors such as windowless rooms or in kitchen cabinets. After a while, the charcoal can absorb all the odors. advertisement

Advice

• Practice daily or weekly hygiene to get rid of bad odors.For example, open doors and windows a few hours a day, vacuum every day, and wash linen weekly.
• Spray the product on the interior of the house to smell the smell temporarily. These products, while not completely eliminating odors, can temporarily improve home odors.
• Consider cleaning some outdoor locations like patios, wooden floors or backyards. Anything that smells tobacco or is in danger should also be considered and deodorized to prevent it from staining again.

Warning

• Read and follow the cleaning product's instructions carefully to avoid damaging the items. Some surfaces should only be cleaned with certain products.
• Always wear protective gear such as gloves and goggles when using chemicals such as bleach and TSP.