Removing Cigarette Smoke Odors - Help for a Reader

Hi Christina,

You've probably had this question before, but I can't find anything about it, so perhaps you have a good remedy for cigarette odour. I have a guest staying with me who smokes in the bedroom (I feel I can't ask her to stop as she's old and very sensitive and hasn't been here for 26 years), and when she goes I'll need to get rid of the foul smell. Apart from washing all the linen, I can't do the mattress, is there anything else I could use.

Many thanks,

Dee


Hi Dee,

:) Thankfully, it's not quite as difficult as you might imagine to get rid of the smokey smells once your friend has left. Here are some of my favorite ways to get rid of smoke (and other nasty) odors:

• Leave out a bowl of vinegar - We are all huge fans of vinegar, but did you know that one of its uses is also as an effective air cleaner/purifier? It helps to suck out nasty odors from the air. Just leave a small bowl of it in the room that your friend was in.
• Open all the windows - Sure, it's obvious, but used in conjunction with some of these other odor-removing tips, nothing works better than good old fresh air.
• Wash down the walls with...you guessed it! Our Very Vinegar cleaner is great at washing down the residue of smoke left behind on your walls. Just about 1 part vinegar to 4-5 parts water in a bucket should work great. Use a sponge to sponge down the walls and you won't need to rinse after either.
• Other odor suckers: Bowls of baking soda or charcoal briquettes left out will also naturally suck nasty smoke odors from the air. You'll be surprised how well this works.
• Wash down surfaces and linens: Any linens or surfaces will also need to be cleaned right away to get rid of the odors.
• Fight fire with...nicer odors - A little spritz of your favorite perfume or essential oil blend around the room AND a little spritz on light bulbs in the room will help fight the scent with nicer scents.
• Suck up odors from the carpet - Plain baking soda, or a little baking soda mixed with your favorite essential oils sprinkled on the carpet will naturally absorb odors. Sprinkle this mixture on the carpets and let sit for about 20 mins before vacuuming the baking soda, dirt, and stinky scents away.

I think this multi-pronged attack should really help, Dee! :) Let us all know which of these techniques works the best.

Hugs,

Christina