Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

Cigarette Odor Removal

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

One of the most common deal breakers when it comes to the sale of homes or automobiles is the presence of cigarette smoke odors. Many people will shy away, believing that these odors are permanent and cannot be removed. Many of us have had experiences where cigarette odor is masked briefly but returns over time.

Can Cigarette Smoke Odors be Removed?

The power of cigarette smoke odor can be very difficult to remove. If you’re a non-smoker and you come in contact with even a cloud of cigarette smoke in a public place, you know how easily this smell can penetrate your clothing. Now, imagine the effect on the carpeting, upholstery and other surfaces in a home or car that belongs to a smoker. Obviously the smell is going to be very difficult to fully remove.

Tobacco smoke not only clouds the air in your home, but it sticks to virtually every surface it comes into contact with. Over time, these surfaces will develop a yellowish stain, and this discoloration can be almost as difficult to treat as the smell. In addition, smoke gets into every nook and cranny of your home, aided in its travels by your home's HVAC system. Every surface – flooring, carpeting, furniture, and clothing – all will be affected by cigarette smoke.

Effective Solutions

There are some effective homemade solutions for dealing with this problem. You can fill bowls with vinegar or activated charcoal and place them in closed off rooms. You can also take small clothing items and place them in sealed bags with a couple of dryer sheets. Filling ashtrays with cat litter may also help eradicate the smell.

When it comes to tobacco smoke, professional services are almost always required, and even they do not possess some magical potion or technique that will do the job in one fell swoop. It is definitely a process, involving a very thorough cleaning of all affected surfaces to get as much of the odor out as possible. Then surfaces are sealed to hold in any leftover odors; these surfaces may then be painted, refinished, or otherwise covered. Professional technicians also utilize units designed to treat those hard to reach areas, such as crevices or the insides of walls.

Softer items in the home such as upholstery, clothing, bedding, or other textiles may be more resistant to odor removal techniques. In the end, many folks opt for just having them replaced. An odor removal attempt that is even 80% effective will still leave you with an undesirable smell, one that you don’t want to sleep on or wear.

Your local damage restoration professionals should offer smoke odor removal as one of their many services. Technicians are trained and certified on the latest procedures and tools, and all work is 100% guaranteed.

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