How to remove smoke smell
The smoke from a lit cigarette has a distinct smell which most people find unpleasant. The cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemical substances which together with the burned tobacco creates the unmistakable odour. The best way to avoid the smoke smell is simply to stop using burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes.
In this article, you can read more about how to get rid of smoke smell indoors and from clothes, as well as what you can do to avoid smoke smell in the future!
How do you remove smoke smell?
How to best get rid of the smell of smoke depends on where the odour is. If the smell is on textiles, you can try to wash them in the washing machine a few times. If the smoke smell is inside of your home, there are several hacks you can try. Unfortunately, if the cigarette odour has permeated the interior for a long time there is a risk that you will not get rid of it.
When you smoke, the cigarette smoke permeates your clothes as well as the clothes on people around you. This odour usually does not go away by itself and will linger all day, which many will find unpleasant. The best way to remove smoke smell from clothes is to to let them sit out in fresh air and then wash them according to the instructions. If this does not remove the smell, try putting the clothes in a mixture of 1 decilitre of vinegar and 5 decilitres of water. Leave for approximately half an hour and then wash the clothes as usual. This hack should, however, be used with some caution as delicate fabrics can get damaged.
To remove smoke smell from walls or other parts inside the home, more work might be required. You can try using an odour blocking paint which prevents nicotine- and smoke smell from seeping through. Before doing this, you can try placing a bowl of vinegar in the room with the smoke smell and leaving it there for a few days. Then put a bowl with lemon water to get rid of the last odours.
Removing the smoke smell from furniture and textiles can be a little bit more complicated. The best is to try getting rid of the smell with vinegar. Use the same method as with the clothes. If the upholstery is removable, you can take it off and wash it. Alternatively, you can take a damp cloth with water and vinegar to clean the furniture. If this does not work, your only option might be getting rid of the furniture.
Removing the smell of smoke from furniture is not always easy and requires patience. How to remove the odour depends on the type of furniture. If you have upholstered furniture, such as an armchair or a sofa with removable upholstery, you can start by removing the upholstery and letting it soak in a mixture of 1 decilitre vinegar and 5 litres water. Leave for approximately 30 minutes and then wash the fabric in the washing machine according to the instructions.
If the upholstery is not removable, you can try to get rid of the smell of smoke by putting vinegar on the furniture. Mix vinegar and water, soak a cloth in the mixture and gently wash the furniture with the cloth. You may have to repeat the process several times to get rid of the smell of smoke from the furniture. Let the furniture dry and open the window for a few hours to get fresh air into the room.
If you have large carpets that are damaged by the smell of smoke, you can either wash the carpet with a mixture of cold water, soap and vinegar or try to sprinkle bicarbonate or baking soda onto the carpet to remove the smell. Let the powder sit for a couple of hours and then vacuum thoroughly.
Both vinegar and bicarbonate are excellent ingredients to neutralise and remove bad smells. Vinegar should, however, always be used with some caution to avoid damage to delicate textiles.
To remove the smell of smoke from a room, simply cleaning the furniture might not be enough. You might need to clean the room thoroughly, too. Start by washing the furniture and then put a bowl with vinegar in the room. Leave it for at least one day and then exchange it for a bowl with lemon water to get rid of the previous odour.
In the worst-case scenario, the smell of smoke is just too strong to remove. In this case, you might need to renovate and repaint the walls with an odour-blocking paint, which prevents nicotine and the smell of smoke from penetrating the walls. The furniture is then likely to be unsalvageable and you will probably need to throw it away.
You can try removing cigarette smoke smell by using vinegar. If this does not work, you can hire a professional cleaning service to remove the indoor cigarette smoke smell.
How long it takes for the smoke smell to disappear depends on how strong the odour is. In some cases it might take only a day and in other cases the smoke smell might not disappear at all. In that case it may be necessary to paint the walls with barrier paint.
Air purifiers may prevent smoke smell from getting stuck on the walls and on furniture, but they cannot remove existing smoke odours.
If textiles and clothes are smelling like smoke, you can try placing them in front of an open window or outside in fresh air to remove the smoke smell. After this, wash the textiles according to the washing instructions.
To remove the smoke smell from walls, you can put a bowl of vinegar in the room for a few days. If the smell does not disappear, you may need to paint the walls with barrier paint.
Avoid smoke smell with IQOS
When a cigarette burns a lingering and malodorous smoke permeates the surroundings. IQOS is a smoke-free alternative that uses a HeatControl technology instead of burning it. The tobacco is heated which creates a vapour instead of smoke. This gives you nicotine and the real taste of tobacco but without fire, ash and the problem with smoke smell.
Try IQOS ILUMA for 60 days
Discover a better alternative by heating tobacco instead of burning it.
With IQOS there is no fire and therefore no smoke or ash follows - and no cleaning required, ever, with our latest ILUMA series!
Try IQOS ILUMA for 60 days
Discover a better alternative by heating tobacco instead of burning it.
With IQOS there is no fire and therefore no smoke or ash follows - and no cleaning required, ever, with our latest ILUMA series!
IQOS contributes to a smoke-free society
With new technology and research, we want to contribute to Sweden becoming one of the first smoke-free countries in the world. Therefore, we have developed IQOS which gives the experience of a regular cigarette with real tobacco but completely without fire, ash and smoke. This eliminates the necessity of struggling to get rid of smoke smells in the apartment.