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Don’t live with the stale stench, eliminate it for good

I visited a friend a few days ago, in the apartment he had recently moved into in NJ. As soon as I walked in, the smell of cigarette smoke hit me. “I know,” he said. “That’s why I wanted you to come visit. I need to know how to get smoke smell out of furniture. It’s driving me mad.”

If you have moved into a furnished apartment that was last occupied by a heavy smoker, or perhaps your partner smokes in the home, this article is for you. Just a few days after following these eight steps, my friend’s apartment had lost the awful stench of stale cigarette smoke.

1.     Forget the air fresheners

First, forget air fresheners. You’ll only mask the smell, and only for a few hours at best. As the air freshener dissipates, that smoke smell will return with a vengeance.

2.     Open your windows

The first thing you need is some air circulation. If you have a covered outside area, consider moving your furniture out there for a few days.

If hauling your sofa and armchairs outside isn’t an option for you, open your windows. Turn on those ceiling fans.

3.     Take your cushions off

Remove cushions and stand them upright, so that air can travel around them properly.

4.     Break out the baking soda

Baking soda literally sucks up nasty odors. Sprinkle it liberally on all your upholstered furniture, even the items that you don’t think stink, and then:

  • Go into the kitchen and make yourself a coffee. Sip it nice and slow. Take about 30 minutes before returning to the lounge with a vacuum cleaner.
  • Vacuum all the baking soda away.
  • Repeat this step as often as necessary. If you don’t fancy a second mug of coffee, take a stroll in the park.

5.     Keep the windows open for as long as possible

If your furniture smells of smoke, it’s probable that your room smells, too. So, keep the windows open for as long as possible. If you wake in the morning and can still smell that awful stench, repeat the whole process.

6.     Use vinegar and lemon

To really make sure that the cigarette smell is sucked out of the room, place a few bowls of vinegar and lemon juice around the room. (I’ve added the lemon juice to avoid that vinegar smell.)

7.     Clean your curtains and carpets

There is little point in doing all that work to deodorize your furniture if you don’t treat other fabrics. They will all hold that smoke smell. Have your curtains professionally cleaned. Nix the smoke smell from your carpets – an overnight job, but worth the effort.

8.     Don’t forget the walls

Finally, don’t forget to give your walls the same cleaning treatment. Use vinegar or trisodium phosphate – find out how in our article “Using vinegar on smoke damaged walls”.

For more cleaning tips, or if your home has a nasty odor you can’t get rid of, contact Porter’s Cleaning today – we’ll be happy to provide a no-obligation quote for any clean-up and restoration work that may be needed.

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