How to Get Cigarette Smoke Smell Out of the House - Richardson Odor Removal

8/19/2020 (Permalink)

If you are struggling with the stubborn smell of cigarette smoke in your property, contact the experts at SERVPRO of Richardson.

Most Americans don’t smoke cigarettes. The CDC reports that in 2018 only 13.7% of the population were found to be smokers. With smoking becoming less common over the years, when we do encounter cigarette smoke it’s more noticeable and often offensive.

While it’s become a common practice for people to smoke outside, some will still smoke indoors. Someone might side-step the rules and smoke inside an Airbnb property or a leased apartment. When this happens, smoke odor elimination is needed in preparation for non-smoking occupant accommodation. 

SERVPRO is committed to promoting a healthy and comfortable environment for Richardson, Texas properties. We’ve put together our top tips to help you get rid of the cigarette smoke smell from your property below. If you’re still having trouble with particularly stubborn odors, we offer professional odor removal services to get the smoke smell out of the house and make any space neutral again.

5 Steps to Get Cigarette Smoke Out of the House

The longer someone smokes within a confined space, the more the odor is absorbed by its contents. Daily smoking penetrates surfaces and leaves layer upon layer of ash deposits behind. So a space that has been exposed to just a weekend of smoking would be much simpler to rehabilitate than a space that has been smoked in for a year or more. 

No matter how long an area has been smoked in, these following steps can make the air fresh again. Here’s how to get the smoke smell out of the house.

1. Air Out the House

A lack of ventilation is what causes air to be trapped in a space. Trapped air also traps odor. You can undo this by letting in fresh air to cycle out the old stale air.

Open up the windows and set up fans in spots that will get the most air moving. A day may be sufficient for the air to completely cycle out. It depends on the size of the property.

2. Clean Surfaces

Porous surfaces like walls, furniture, electronics, and other fixtures also trap cigarette smoke odor. Vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent that neutralizes odors. Use ammonia or vinegar solutions to wipe down surfaces that have been affected by cigarette smoke. (Don’t forget the ceiling fans and light fixtures!)

3. Fresh Fruit

Citrus fruits (especially lemons) are also excellent for neutralizing odors. You can cut up fruit and let it absorb odors or add lemon juice to a cleaning mixture (lemon and vinegar work nicely together).

Tip: Use baking soda as another natural odor neutralizer.

4. Air Purifying Plants

Plants beautify any space, but did you know that some plants also purify the air? NASA did a Clean Air Study to find out which plants are effective at cleaning the air. They did this by testing plants aboard the International Space Station. Here’s a list of the winners.

• Dwarf Date Palm
• Boston Fern
• Kimberly Queen Fern
• Spider Plant
• Chinese Evergreen
• Bamboo Palm
• Weeping Fig
• Devil’s Ivy
• Flaming Lily
• Lilyturf
• Broadleaf Lady Palm
• Barberton Daisy
• Cornstalk Dracaena
• English Ivy
• Variegated Snake Plant
• Red-Edged Dracaena
• Peace Lily
• Chrysanthemum

If you expect that smokers may return at some point, you might invest in plants that filter the air. For example, a short term rental owner might find that tenants frequently disregard non-smoking policies. Indoor plants would help mitigate the remaining cigarette smell.

5. Clean Air Ducts

Again, the longer someone has been smoking in an enclosed area, the more smoke odor will have settled throughout the space. In this case, air duct cleaning is needed. This will both clear out the odor and allow better air circulation for keeping the air fresh. 

For those who have air filters as part of their HVAC system, you’ll want to replace the filter (perhaps with an odor-fighting brand like Arm & Hammer).

Odor Removal for Clothing and Furniture

If you’ve ever been to a smoky bar or inside a car with a smoker, you’ll notice how fast clothing absorbs cigarette smoke odor. It gets in your hair, on your skin and is locked into clothing until it’s laundered. Even tossing a smoky shirt into a hamper makes it rub off onto other clothes. Thankfully a tumble in the washer and dryer usually takes care of it.

Since you can’t throw furniture and carpet into a washing machine, how do you get smoke odor out of these fibers? Again, odor-fighting cleaners like vinegar and lemon blends do a good job of neutralizing odors. For real wood furniture, use lemon-scented furniture cleaner or polish.

Cleaning can be a bit tricky when smoke penetrates deep into furniture, upholstery, and drapes. SERVPRO of Richardson uses our professional cleaning equipment to carefully yet effectively clean furniture and porous fibers. We offer professional carpet and upholstery cleaning, plus we have the Esporta Wash System for complete textile cleaning.

How Much Does Professional Cigarette Odor Removal Cost?

SERVPRO is committed to providing the best solutions on a case-by-case basis, so we encourage you to reach out to us for an estimate so you’ll have the most accurate figures. The information below is not necessarily reflective of what we charge.

Property owners will typically spend between $2,300-$6,300 on professional smoke odor elimination services. 

Cost Breakdown:

• Carpet removal & replacement: $700 - $2500
• Indoor painting: $900 - $2700
• Duct cleaning: $200 - $500
• Furniture cleaning: $100-$200

Not all of the above remedies are necessary for a given situation. Our priority is to restore rather than replace which may save on expenses in some cases. For example, when it comes to carpet absorption of cigarette odor, we’re in favor of cleaning over replacement whenever possible.

Reach Out to SERVPRO Richardson for Odor Removal

If you’ve done everything you can to get rid of cigarette smoke and it still lingers, or if the space is too big and pungent to handle on your own, SERVPRO can help. We know how to get the smoke smell out of a house or property. We have the advanced cleaning and odor removal solutions to make it like it never happened. 

Our professional services in Richardson include:

• Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning
• Air Duct Cleaning
• Odor Removal (HEPA vacuums and air scrubbing)
• Esporta Wash System

Non-smoking occupants shouldn’t have to live with the smell of cigarettes. SERVPRO of Richardson has the right solutions to rid the space of cigarette smoke odors so the air is fresh and neutralized. 

If you have a cigarette odor problem on your hands, we’ll come out to the property and put together a complimentary estimate of the expected costs. We’ll determine the primary sources of the odor and let you know what treatments we have available to address each factor.

Call (972) 690-1414 to set up an evaluation or with any questions you have about odor removal.