The smell of cigarette smoke clings to walls, stick on your carpeting and to almost everything in your home leaving a strong odor. And if you’re quitting, the smell of cigarettes can be a tough trigger. So it’s important that you get rid of the smell to make it easier and more comfortable for you to go on with your quit. There are several ways you can get rid of cigarette smell from your home.
A bowl of vinegar. Place several bowls of vinegar in the room where the smell is the strongest. This will help neutralize the air particles in your room. You can also use ammonia instead of vinegar, or you can boil orange or lemon peels. However, you need to make sure that you deal with the source (i.e. ashes that had accumulated in your carpet, old curtains, etc.), otherwise the pungent odor will be back in a few days.
Get rid of ashtrays, cigarettes butts, and anything associated with smoking. If you’re really want to quit smoking and keep your home free from cigarette smell, the best thing to do is to remove everything associated with smoking. Throw the ashtrays, and get rid of the cigarette butts lying around your home. The mere sight of these things can trigger you back to smoking. So to avoid slip ups, it is best that you throw away these things first.
Clean the carpets. Your carpet traps most of the cigarette odor. You can use baking powder or activated carbon (available in most pet shops) to get rid of the cigarette smell. Spread some baking soda on your carpet and let it sit for a few minutes before vacuuming. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you can try scrubbing your carpet and wash it with a carpet shampoo, or you can either replace the carpeting or hire dry carpet cleaners to get rid of the odor.
Wash the walls. Clean your walls using an all-purpose detergent. When cleaning your wall make sure to clean it only with thin layer of the detergent and water as it may damage the drywall. You can use a hair dryer to dry excess water on the drywall. If there are yellow stains caused by cigarette smoke, you can simply repaint the walls of your home. Applying a gloss or sealant can help prevent the cigarette smell from sticking on the new paint.
Clean draperies, replace pillows and curtains. Cigarette smoke easily sticks to cloths and other porous surfaces. Clean or throw old pillow cases, draperies, and curtains.
Keep your air filters clean. The air filter helps regulate the air in your home. But some people often forget to clean their air filters. Filter cigarette smell more efficiently by keeping your air filters well maintained.
No smoking. If you want to keep your home free from cigarette smell, don’t allow smoking inside your home. If you’re living with someone who smoke, encourage him or her to smoke somewhere else. Also impose a no smoking policy for your guests. This both limit your exposure to cigarette smoke and the possibility of triggering your urge to smoke.
