Want to know how to get rid of smoke smell naturally? Well, you’re not alone. A smoke smell is probably one of the most difficult things to get rid of. Fortunately, there are still a few good solutions to this stubborn problem. Here we have listed 1o home remedies for cigarette smell.
How To Get Rid Of Smoke Smell In Clothes, Room and Car Fast
1. Thorough General Cleaning
Before you try any natural or chemical-based odor removers out there, the first thing you should do is to thoroughly clean your car or home. You have to clean and remove all potential hiding places of smoke. So, let’s get started.
Cleaning Your Car
Let’s be clear here. Removing smoke, especially cigarette smoke, from your car is going to be a tough job.
Why?
Aside from the upholstery, carpet, and other interior accessories, you also have to clean the air duct system and heater, which is going to be difficult and expensive. No worries, I’ll be giving a couple of effective smoke absorbents and removers later.
- For now, pull out your car’s lighter. Use a dry brush to remove cigarette residues from it.
- Dispose all of the garbage inside, and then vacuum and wipe the interior with your choice of cleaning agent. Steam cleaning is also a good idea.
- When using an odor neutralizer, make sure your car windows are tightly closed and the air conditioning system is in full blast for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Do this in a well ventilated area. Don’t forget to also spray directly on the intake screen of your car’s front fender.
Cleaning Your Home
- First, vacuum and steam clean your carpets and upholstered furniture.
- Wash the curtains, throw pillow covers, rugs, and other washable pieces in your home that reek of smoke.
- Wipe your furniture with a gentle cleaning solution. Let them air dry outside where they’re exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays for several hours.
2. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are popular and effective smoke smell remedies. If you think about the benefits, I’m sure you won’t feel bad about parting with the best coffee grounds.
The price doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that coffee grounds are fresh, dry, and strong (in terms of smell). However, wet coffee grounds will often lead to mold problems.
There are really no scientific evidences, but there are a lot of theories as to why coffee grounds help with odors. For one, it may have to do with its strong smell, which overpowers the smell of smoke. Another belief is that they’re good odor absorbers.
Regardless of how they work, many people use coffee grounds because of their effectiveness.
How to Remove Cigarette Smell with Coffee Grounds
- Pour fresh, dry coffee grounds to several plastic bowls. Place them in different parts of your home. In your car, place at least one bowl on the back seat and another on the front seat. Don’t forget to pour some on the ashtray. Leave them overnight or for days, with all of the car windows tightly shut.
3. Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal, also called as activated carbon, is often used in water and water purifiers as a detoxifying agent. What’s great about it is it’s relatively inexpensive. You can purchase this from your local industrial supply stores and pet shops.
It works through adsorption, which refers to a process where molecular particles of liquids, gases, and other substances are attracted and accumulated on the surface of activated charcoal. Just think of a gas mask. The person wearing it is able to breathe in safe air because its harmful molecules are accumulated on the activated charcoal’s surface.
How to Get Smoke Smell Out of House With Activated Charcoal
- Pour powdered activated charcoal on moistened ashtrays or small bowls. Then place it around your home, like in the fireplace, kitchen, the boiler, smoking area, and car interior.
- Clothes: Put several activated charcoal bricks in an old panty hose or leggings. Next, put that and your clothes inside a sealable garbage bag. Leave it for several days or a week, before taking your clothes out.
Tip: If you don’t have access to activated charcoals, you could use ordinary charcoals. Just don’t forget to crush them into a fine powder before using them.
4. White Vinegar
Well, it looks like the vinegar is not only good for cooking, but it’s also a natural and cheap odor eliminator. You can use it alone or combined with other substances, such as water and ammonia.
Just like others, white vinegar works by absorbing the smoke smell. The only downside is vinegar tends to have a powerful scent, which to some people may be hard to tolerate.
Tip: If you dislike the smell of vinegar, you can mix 1 to 2 drops of your favorite essential oil, like lavender oil with the vinegar solution.
How to Use it
- Pour ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to different containers and then place them on the front and back seats of your car.
- For home use, mix 2 ½ cups of white vinegar to a half gallon of tepid water. Use this solution to wipe down the surface of your fireplace, walls, floors, etc. Pour some in small containers and leave them for a couple of days around your home.
- You could also pour a small amount of white vinegar on a slice of white bread. Make sure to throw the white bread away after 24 hours.
Warning: Concentrated essential oils are irritating. Make sure to dilute them with a carrier oil, such as the olive oil and coconut oil. Dab a thin layer on your lower inner arm’s skin. Wait for at least 30 minutes for an allergic reaction.
5. Black and White Newspapers
Sorry, colored and glossy comic books and magazines are not going to do the job. So I really hope you haven’t thrown away all of your old newspapers.
Many people usually use the black and white newspapers to absorb bad odors from shoes and a fridge. It turns out that the carbon ink in newspapers is odor absorbent.
How to Use it
- Simply crumple the newspaper sheets, and then place them under your car seats and parts of your home that smell heavily.
Reminders: Don’t place the newspaper sheets in ashtrays, near fireplaces, or other areas where they can catch on fire.
6. Baking Soda
Baking soda is another natural smoke-absorber agent. It’s ideally used for enclosed spaces, such as cabinets, but it also works pretty well in open spaces (floors). A lot of people like this remedy because it’s really effective in eliminating different types of odors in a considerable amount of time.
The baking soda can be used dry or wet. I’m not so fond of using it wet because it can be tough to clean on certain surfaces.
How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell in Car and Home
- Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over your dry furniture, carpets, floors, car upholstery, etc. Leave it for 30 minutes to a couple of hours before vacuuming the remaining baking soda. Pour some in small containers and place them around the house.
- Clothes: Lay your clothes on a flat surface. Dust the clothes with baking soda. Again, allow it to absorb the smoke smell by leaving your clothes undisturbed for a day or two.
Warning: Baking soda may possibly react with some surfaces, like furniture made from leather. Do a spot test first before using it.
7. Essential Oils
Essential oils can be pricey, but you really don’t need much. A little bit of each goes a long way. Since they’re concentrated, essential oils should always be diluted with any carrier oil to prevent allergic reactions and skin burning. Examples of these oils are lavender essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, and peppermint essential oil.
How to Use Essential Oils to Remove the Smoke Smell
- Home and car: One way to use these is to get a diffuser. This works by dispersing the essential oil in the air, where it’s broken down into ultra fine mist particles. These micro-fine mist particles remain floating in the air for a long time, thus your home also stays smelling fresh for longer periods.
- If you don’t want to spend for a diffuser, pour a tiny drop of essential oil on cotton balls. Then strategically place them in your home’s air ventilation system and air conditioning units.
- For your car, place the cotton balls in the clean ashtray and under the car seats. Use peppermint oil. It doesn’t only smell good, but it’s also a mice-repellent.
How to get rid of smoke smell in clothes
- Put 2 to 3 drops of tea tree essential oil (TTO), which is also antiseptic, fungicidal, and antibacterial, to a cup of water. Spray the solution all over your clothing and then let it air dry outside. Or you could directly add a few drops of essential oil to your wash.
Warning: Make sure to do a spot test and skin patch test first. You really don’t want to end up with an irritated skin or damaged furniture by not doing these tests.
8. Fabric Softener
Sometimes, all you really need to do to remove smoke from your clothes is to thoroughly wash them and use a good fabric softener (also called fabric conditioner). You can use whatever brand you want. For instance, Downy has released a line of fabric conditioners infused with different perfume-like scents, which you could mix and match to suit your liking.
You could use a fabric softener alone or in combination with other natural odor removers. Some people use a fabric softener with baking soda when washing their clothes.
Disclaimer: I’m not in any way affiliated with the manufacturing company of Downy.
9. Febreze
A lot of people swear by the effectiveness of this odor eliminator product, especially when it comes to getting rid of cigarette smoke. What’s its secret ingredient?
Febreze contains an odor-absorbing chemical compound known as cyclodextrin. This compound belongs to a category of complex cyclic (occurring in cycles) sugars, which are produced by the enzymatic breakdown of starch.
How to Use it
- Febreze is usually sprayed on areas or objects with smoky odors and then allowed to air dry for up to 20 minutes.
10. Wind and Sunlight Exposure
Well, if you absolutely don’t want to spend a single cent, this is the solution for you. It’s believed that the sun’s ultraviolet rays will help break down the molecules of smoke, while the air will force out the smoky odor every time it passes through the fabric.
This should be done after you’ve cleaned the furniture, clothes, curtains, pillow covers, and other movable stuff. Wait for several hours, 5 to 7 hours would be a good time frame, before bringing your items inside.
The only downside to this method is that it can be tiring to carry things in and out of your home or car. Plus, leather could form fissures if exposed too frequently or too long under the heat of the sun.
Final Thoughts
Always remember that there are no magic solutions to removing stubborn smoky odors. Expect that you may have to repeat some of these methods a couple of times before achieving the results you want. Of course, if nothing really works from the above tips, feel free to seek professional help, like from car dealers and laundry shops.
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