Natural Ways to Get Cigarette Smoke Smell out of a House

Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Smoke infiltrates every nook and cranny of a house and can leave behind an unpleasant smell that lingers on for a long time after the source of the smoke is gone. If you've moved into a house where the previous tenants were heavy smokers and chose not to take their habit outside, you probably noticed the smell immediately. Here are some natural deodorizing remedies that work well to remove the smell of smoke.

Advertisement

Natural Ways to Get Smoke Smell out of a House
Image Credit: Christoph Hetzmannseder/Moment/GettyImages

Video of the Day

Replace Furnace Filters

Furnace filters can have not just the smoke smell, but also the contaminants of cigarettes embedded in the filter. As the filter gets filled with the contaminants, they will travel throughout the house. Changing the filters will do your environment wonders for both smell and the harmful chemicals.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

Clean Your Ducts

Make sure to clean your ducts. If you follow every tip but leave your ducts untouched, you will be doing all that work for nothing. The cigarette smell and chemicals can get down in the ducts and then just resurface as air blows through them, plaguing your home with the smell of smoke.

Advertisement

Wash Your Walls Down

Smoke tends to leave a residue and an odor on everything it comes in contact with. The walls around your house are one place that can make your home smell of smoke for a long time. You'll have to wash the smoke residue off the walls to get rid of the smell. Repainting after washing will do even more to remove it. First, you'll need to wash the walls completely. You can use a homemade and natural all-purpose cleaner made by mixing eight parts warm water with one part borax, also known as sodium borate. Combine the ingredients in a bucket and use a sponge to dip and scrub the walls of your home.

Advertisement

Vinegar to Remove Smoke Odor

One common household item that is also completely natural is white vinegar. Vinegar can be a useful deodorizer and will go a long way to dissipate smoke odors in the house by absorbing them. You can use distilled white vinegar in bowls. Simply set them around the house to absorb the odors slowly. If you want it to work faster, boil a pot of vinegar on the stove to send the vapors through the house quickly.

Advertisement

Deodorizing Coffee Sachets

Coffee grounds absorb odors while releasing a coffee smell so many people love. Pour fresh coffee into filters and tie them up to make a coffee sachet; hang them around the house in key areas where smoke odors are the worst. The coffee will help deodorize and absorb the smell.

Advertisement

Baking Soda for Odor

One of the hardest places to remove smoke odor from is fabric. Couches, carpets, curtains and other fabric or stuffed materials seem to hold in the smell of smoke for an eternity. You can use baking soda, which is one of the most ideal home remedies to get the smoke smell out of your house to help pull the odor out of the fabric. Just sprinkle the baking soda on the carpet or other smelly surface and leave it there for an hour or so, then vacuum it up. You may need to repeat this task a few times if the smoke has penetrated deep into the fabric.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...