If you’ve ever had a smoker visit you in your home, you know that nicotine from cigarettes can leave a bad odor behind. Over time if the area is not cleaned from cigarette smoke, the odor can seep into various porous materials and damage them permanently. This is a very difficult smell to get out of your home, however, it is possible to do so. Here are some tips on how to do it:

• Clean all surfaces:

Make sure to clean every surface, such as walls, windows, light fixtures, and everything else. If you miss any spots, it will be difficult to remove the smell permanently.

• Clean your walls:

Cigarette smoke will seep into your walls and ceilings as the smoke travels in the air. The best way to get rid of the cigarette smoke smell is to clean the walls and ceilings with sugar soap. You can also try cleaning them with vinegar, baking soda, and citrus. You need to give the soap enough time to work so soak it for 10 minutes first, then wash it off.

• Stains from nicotine work like clothes stains:

If cigarette smoke has created yellow stains in your home, treat them like stains from ketchup on your clothes. It is important to soak the stain or smelly area with vinegar before cleaning. Once you’ve cleaned it, repeat the process a few more times. This will ensure that your items no longer smell like cigarettes in the next couple of weeks when the scent of the cleaner wears off.

• Wood needs special treatment:

As wood is porous, it absorbs smells easily. To get cigarette smoke out of wood, you will need to use citrus and vinegar. You will also need to revarnish, and re-stain all treated wood pieces. Make sure to talk to an expert before attempting to varnish or re-stain the wood surfaces yourself.

• Use coffee grinds:

You can use coffee grinds to get rid of any bad odors on your furniture. Just be sure not to stain the surface. It is always best to leave it in a container to absorb the smell.

• Use old newspapers:

Newspapers are great at absorbing smells. Once you are done with them you can use them to clean windows.

• Air out your furniture:

If you can, put the furniture piece in direct sunlight. The fresh air will help air the smell out.

• Paint the item:

This is a great way to help suppress the cigarette smell. Make sure to clean surfaces and sand them first before painting.

• Use hydrogen peroxide:

Mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water in a spray bottle. Spray all areas of the furniture piece and wipe it clean.

• Use an ozone machine:

Run the machine for several hours. Make sure that there are no people or pets in the room while you are running the machine.

• Get the piece professionally cleaned:

If all of the above-mentioned methods do not work, get the wood item cleaned professionally.

The Steps to Remove Cigarette Smoke from Wood Furniture

If you’ve purchased a piece of wood furniture that has a lingering cigarette smoke smell that you would like to remove, or the furniture in your home smells like cigarette smoke, here is a process you can follow to remove the odors.

The supplies needed to clean wooden furniture that smells like cigarette smoke include Murphy Oil Soap, a sponge, old towel, bucket or container for water, essential oil, and a microfiber cloth.

Here are the steps to follow:

The ideal time to get the cigarette smell out of your furniture is during a sunny day. However, you can also do this indoors, but just make sure to protect the surface under the wood piece with a drop cloth and old towels to catch any drips.

1. Wipe down the piece with a mild household cleaner. If that does not seem to help, make sure to wash the piece thoroughly.
2. Fill a bucket or container with 1 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of Murphy Oil Soap. This is a specialized soap for removing smells from furniture.
3. Wet your sponge and create a lather. Then scrub the wood surface in all sections. Next, dry the surface with a towel and keep repeating until you’ve washed the whole thing. Keep repeating this process until you can no longer smell the cigarette smoke on the surface of your item.
4. Once you’ve cleaned and dried the furniture piece, you can put a drop of essential oil on a microfiber cloth and rub the entire affected area. This will help absorb any smoke odors and make it smell nice as well.

Please note: The cigarette smell may come back to the surface of the wood again if the smoke really got into the finish and grain of the wood. Make sure to repeat the cleaning process again as many times as you need to. However, if it has been a couple of days and there is no odor, that’s a great sign that you’ve cleaned it properly.

Professional Fire Damage Restoration and Smoke Odor Removal

Have you experienced a fire at your home or business? Make sure to call a professional right away for fire damage restoration after a fire has occurred to start the restoration process. Leaving fire damage unattended for too long can create structural damage and even mold growth. Professional technicians will clean, deodorize, and restore your property quickly and efficiently with the proper methods and equipment.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.