7 Tips For Cleaning Your House After Years of Smoking Inside

 

 

Quitting smoking is no easy feat. Unfortunately, the consequences of smoking can persist long after you inhaled your last cigarette. One of the biggest frustrations after you quit smoking is dealing with the nagging stench of cigarette smoke.

You probably didn’t notice cigarette smells while you were an active smoker. You were used to the stench and your sense of taste and smell were depressed. However, your strong, pungent smell of cigarettes becomes more noticeable after you have kicked the habit.

Other people are going to notice too. Realtor Magazine reports that cigarette smell causes home values to decline by an average of 29%. Your guests have probably also noticed for years but were too polite to say anything.

You don’t have to get too discouraged, though. It isn’t too late to start cleaning your home and ridding it of the awful smell of cigarettes.

Cleansing your home of gross tobacco smells

The nauseating smell of cigarettes doesn’t have to hunt your home forever. You can start getting rid of it by following these steps.

Start getting rid of porous surfaces and objects

Some parts of your house are going to permanently trap rank odors. Porous surfaces and objects are prime examples. Curtains, rugs, and Venetian blinds are notorious for retaining nasty smells.

Plastic, granite, and laminate products also tend to preserve strong odors. You might not be able to replace nature household structures made from these materials, such as flooring or countertops, but you might notice a big improvement by replacing smaller and less expensive fixtures that were made out of them.

Thoroughly empty your old ashtrays

You are going to need to do a deep cleanse to remove cigarette smells from your home. You will eventually have to identify every part of the home that may store lingering smells.

However, you are going to need to start with the original source of the smell. When you are smoking indoors, you are producing smoke that can linger for a long time, but ashes and old cigarette butts that you keep in the house will continue producing disgusting odors much longer.

You are going to want to thoroughly dispose of all cigarette butts and ashes that are still in your home. The best place to start is with your ashtrays. Empty them very carefully. You might even want to throw your ashtrays out altogether to ensure ongoing smells won’t continue to permeate the rest of your home.

Ventilate every possible room in the house

One of the easiest ways to reduce cigarette smell is by ventilating the rooms it infects. You won’t get rid of all of it, but it is worth the effort.

You should start by opening windows in every room where the smell is strong. You should also try running a fan on the other side of the room and pointed out the window, so you can flush the odors out of the room.

Clean your home with trisodium phosphate

Trisodium phosphate is a very strong cleaning agent. It is capable of removing some of the most stubborn odors in any home, including the thick smell of tobacco.

This method is very effective. However, it is also hazardous if you don’t do it correctly. It is very important to take all reasonable steps to avoid harmful exposure.

You need to make sure your skin is properly covered. You should wear a plastic coat and gloves. You also should use a surgical mask to avoid inhaling it, because TSP is very destructive to your lungs.

You also need to make sure you don’t use TSP on any materials that it could ruin. It should not be used on glass, metal or porcelain surfaces.

Try using baking soda

Baking soda is not quite as strong as trisodium phosphate. However, it is also good at cleaning cigarette smells. It is also many times safer, so it might be your best option if you are skittish about the risks of using a caustic substance.

You can also use baking soda on metal and plastic surfaces that you could not clean with TSP.

Use tobacco alternatives

If you are still having tobacco cravings, then you might want to try finding other ways to curb your cravings. Smokeless nicotine products from https://blackbuffalo.com/ don’t produce the same pungent smells as cigarettes. Nicotine gum and lozenges are also alternatives that won’t make your house stink.

Consider repainting your ceilings and walls

Paint can store cigarettes smell for a long time. You might be able to cover it up by applying a few new coats.

You can start by using a vinegar and baking soda concoction to wash down the walls. You should apply the mixture three or four times while waiting 15 minutes between each application. After the walls have been thoroughly washed and had a chance to dry, you can start applying new coats of paint.

You don’t need to tolerate disgusting cigarettes smells any longer

The stench of tobacco can fill your entire home for months or years after you quit smoking. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through it forever. There are a lot of steps that you can take to cut down on gross smells.