Banish the Stink: How to Remove Smoke Smell from House and Furnishings

If you are wondering how to remove smoke smell from house items, this guide provides a thorough, easy-to-follow process to extract those stubborn odours. By the end of this routine, your home will smell crisp, clean, and welcoming once again.

We have all experienced a friend lighting up a cigarette indoors and suddenly, your living room smells like a giant ashtray. Smoke particles are microscopic and highly stubborn. They cling to your curtains, seep deep into your carpet fibres, and coat your walls with an invisible, foul-smelling film.

Masking the odour with a standard air freshener will not solve the problem. The scent will simply mix with the smoke, creating an even more unpleasant environment. To truly reclaim your space, you need a targeted, deep-cleaning approach. You must eliminate the particles trapped in your home entirely.

Effective Methods for Neutralising Smoke Odours

Before diving into the heavy scrubbing, it helps to understand your options. Getting rid of a lingering smoke scent requires a combination of different cleaning methods. You will need to use a few different strategies to effectively clear the air.

These include:

• Increasing natural ventilation and cross-breezes.
• Deep-cleaning porous fabrics and soft goods.
• Scrubbing hard surfaces with odour-neutralising solutions.
• Setting out natural odour absorbers to trap airborne particles.
• Upgrading your home’s air filtration systems.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Smoke Smell from House and Furnishings

Here’s how you can start thoroughly deodorising your living space.

Step 1: Ventilate the Space

Your very first line of defence is fresh air. Open all the doors and windows in your home to allow trapped, stagnant air to escape. To speed up this process, set up a cross-breeze. Place a box fan in one window facing inward to pull fresh air inside. Place another fan in an opposite window facing outward to push the smoky air out.

Turn on your bathroom vent fans and the exhaust hood over your stove. Getting the air moving is crucial. If the climate allows, leave your windows open for several hours. Sunshine also acts as a natural disinfectant, helping to break down odour-causing bacteria.

Step 2: Wash All Soft Fabrics

Porous materials absorb smoke like a sponge. You must wash all your soft goods to remove the trapped particles. Strip your beds, take down your curtains, and gather any throw blankets or removable cushion covers.

Toss these items into the washing machine using a heavy-duty laundry detergent. Adding a half-cup of distilled white vinegar to the wash cycle will provide an extra punch of odour-fighting power. Once the cycle finishes, try to hang these items on a clothesline outside. Drying them in the fresh air and sunlight will naturally deodorise the fabrics even further.

Step 3: Tackle Carpets and Upholstery

You cannot throw your living room sofa or your wall-to-wall carpeting into the washing machine. Instead, you will need to rely on the power of baking soda. Baking soda is highly alkaline, meaning it easily absorbs and neutralises acidic smoke molecules.

Start the cleaning process by:

• Sprinkling a generous layer of dry baking soda over your carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture. 
• Then use a dry scrub brush to gently work the powder down into the fibres. Let the baking soda sit for at least four hours. Leaving it overnight yields the best results. 
• Last, thoroughly vacuum the powder away. Make sure to empty your vacuum canister or replace the bag immediately so the smell does not linger inside the machine.

If the odour persists, you may need to hire a steam cleaner for a deeper wash.

Step 4: Scrub Hard Surfaces

You might not realise it, but smoke leaves a sticky residue on hard surfaces. This film traps the smoke smell inside your rooms. You will need to wipe down your walls, ceilings, windows, and floors.

Here’s a simple cleaning solution:-

• Create a simple, highly effective cleaning solution by mixing equal parts warm water and distilled white vinegar in a bucket. Add a tiny drop of dish soap. 
• Dip a microfiber cloth or mop into the solution, wring it out well, and gently wash your walls and ceilings. Work in small sections and rinse your cloth frequently.

For glass and mirrors, use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. This will cut through the oily smoke film.

Step 5: Replace HVAC Filters

Your heating and cooling system actively circulates air throughout your home. If your house is filled with smoke, your HVAC filters likely caught a massive amount of smelly particles. Running your air conditioner with a dirty filter will simply blow that smoky scent right back into your freshly cleaned rooms.

Remove and clean your HVAC filters. If you are looking to replace them, look for high-quality, HEPA-rated filters. 

Step 6: Neutralise the Air Naturally

Even after a deep clean, a faint scent might hover in the air for a few days. You can safely absorb these remaining odours using common household items.

Place small, shallow bowls of distilled white vinegar in the corners of your affected rooms. As the vinegar evaporates, the acetic acid binds to volatile smoke compounds, neutralising them. If you dislike the smell of vinegar, fill small bowls with dry coffee grounds instead. The nitrogen in coffee acts as a fantastic, earthy odour absorber. You can also simmer a pot of water on the stove with fresh lemon peels to act as a natural, refreshing room diffuser.

For heavier smoke from cigarettes or a fireplace backup, it may take several days of deep cleaning, washing, and neutralising before the scent fully fades.

If you have scrubbed your walls, washed your fabrics, and replaced your filters but the smell remains, it is time to call an expert. Simply Spotless has a team of experts that can help you remove the smoke smell for good, get an instant quote now.