Cigarette smoke odors

[jaysunb]

How do I get rid of them ?

I'm trying to quit after 48 years and a heart attack 10 years ago, and my house smells like an ash tray. Every time I come in and smell this place I want to have a smoke.

Help....with the odor that is.

[Mistress Quickly]

1. Febreze?

[Worst Username Ever]

2. Yes

Buy many, many bottles, douse all carpets, furniture, drapes, etc. Otherwise you will need to get the cleaned. Also helps if you repaint your walls. Anything that has absorbed smoke will need to be treated somehow.

[babylonsister]

3. The only way we got rid of the smell

was to paint the whole place. But it was overdue for a facelift so was well worth it. Good luck!

[Misunderestimator]

8. I threw out all the blinds, carpeting AND repainted...

last year... the house I bought was owned by smokers who chain-smoked indoors... I even had to scrub with bleach all the airconditioning vents, light covers, and switch and socket plates that had been stained brown. Even painted the brick fireplace which was stained a putrid shade of yellow.

I never smoke in my own house... :)

[babylonsister]

14. Yes, we venture outside ourselves!

We also switched from carpeting to tile and painted or replaced whatever we could. So now everyone smokes outside.

[MADem]

4. Steam clean the upholstery

--take down the curtains, send them to the cleaner or run them through the wash if they are washable.

WASH all windows and, if not papered, the walls. Use hot soapy water on your walls, get all the scum off them.

Steam clean the carpets, wash all painted surfaces, such as doors, trim, wainscoting, etc.

Use Fabreze on upholstery fabrics.

That will do it.

[MidwestMomma]

5. Get some Fabreze and spray everything

Furniture, carpet, curtains....

Have you tried that?

[LeftyMom]

6. If it can be machine washed, put about 1/2 cup white vinegar in the rinse.

Sprinkle baking soda on the carpets and upholstered furniture, then vacuum it out. If you need to repaint, use a sealer under the new coat or the smell may come back. Use a citrus based deodorizer.

If the smell in the house is really bad, call a carpet cleaner. They can run an ozone machine in the house for a day or two (you'll need to spend the night someplace else) and that should get rid of the odor. It's a treatment for snmoke damage after house fires, but it works well to get rid of a strong smoke odor.

[AccessGranted]

7. Incense, Scented Candles and as a Last Resort . . .

Buy some incense and keep it lit whenever you're at home. Get an incense burner to make sure it's safe. How about scented candles? If it's really bad, the smell can be embedded in the walls, curtains, carpet and upholstered furniture. Try painting the inside of your place and taking down any curtains and washing them or having them dry cleaned. If you can't afford or don't want to get new furniture right now...then as the other person suggested....spray everything with Febreeze. They have that powdered carpet deodorizer that you can spring on rugs and carpets and let it sit a while and then vacuum it away. Hope this helps! I wish you good health. Take Care!

[TaleWgnDg]

9. Yup. I agree w/ all these responses . . . and besides . . .

.

Yup. I agree w/ all these responses . . . and besides . . . keeping busy while having withdrawal symptoms is vital now! Scrub, wash, paint and deodorize spray w/ Fabreze! Indeed.

And my best regards to you! You can do it. I did. I stopped smoking a few years back and have never looked back.

---

[rasputin1952]

10. If you paint the walls/ceiling, add a few drops of pure vannilla extact to

the paint...knocks out paint odors too!!!

[LisaM]

11. Wait - be careful of Febreze if you have pets

sometimes it can cause seizures.

[benny05]

12. Do You Have Pets?

My mom, who quit smoking years ago but has itty bitty bladder problems, used Frebeze. My sister and I think this chemical combination may have killed her cat because the cat had some kidney misfunctions after 6 months of using it, and died. I would advocate using Frebreeze with caution unless you have a little pet (small dog, bird, cat, etc), then perhaps it doesn't matter as much.

[benny05]

13. Error message

Meaning, don't use it if you have pets; otherwise, it may be ok.

[jaysunb]

15. Thanks...

I was about to respond that I didn't have any pets, and then I remembered my two adult sons who live here.....(it's easier to think of them that way :evilgrin: )

[yellowdogintexas]

16. there are smoke eating paint formulas out there, and the

vanilla extract in the paint makes sense because a vanilla candle will
reduce the smoke smell .

definitely replace your carpets.

you can check in the yellow pages for companies which specialize in after fire cleanup and they can either refer you to companies which handle this type of job well, or they may be able to do it..

also, your homeowners insurance claim office may have information packs on ways to eliminate smoke smell.

on edit: WAY TO GO FOR QUITTING!!!!! that should have been the first thing I typed sorry

[jmowreader]

17. Zep Smoke Eliminator and Zinsser BIN

The Zinsser product is a pigmented shellac primer. Put a coat of this on all of your painted surfaces and it will seal in the odors, water stains and so on.

Zep Smoke Eliminator is just an incredible air freshener. Right after I bought my car the clutch fried. Burning clutch is one of the foulest odors imaginable, far worse than cigarette smoke. I bought a can of this shit from work, sprayed some of it into my car's interior, and the clutch smell disappeared.