How to get rid of cigarette smoke smell?

[Locris]

Recently one of my roommates moved out and was also a chain smoker. So her room smells dank as hell and I've tried almost everything. I tried airing the whole room out, tried the carpet odor eater thing. Air freshners, odor neutralizers.. you name it.

So my dilemma is this.. Next week there are couple of people coming to check out the room and I know for a fact 99% of 'em will be repulsed by the smell.

Any ideas in order to get rid of the smell and potentially gain a roommate? (Also mentioned in the ad that non-smokers only)

[Airley]

I don't know if you live in Aus but if you do, Jim's Carpet Cleaning is a wizard company. Cheap and it removes smoke smell

Source : My roomate used his carpet as an ashtray

[Darkdruidelf]

Cover it up with an even worse smell, I recommend smearing poo on the walls.

Or just steam clean everything. Whatever, be boring.

[Angrybathtub]

The smell of poo (lol) is the only thing that I can think of that can overtake the smell of smoke.

[Larynx]

The smell of poo (lol) is the only thing that I can think of that can overtake the smell of smoke.

Cat pee has you beaten.

[Dakia]

Scrub the walls, then try a fresh coat of paint even if it is the same color. Do everything you can to mask the smell.

Cat pee has you beaten.

Pet urin, especially that of cats, is just about the worst thing ever.

[reverendball]

Paint the walls.

Hire a steamcleaner and pressure wash the carpets.

[Larynx]

Scrub the walls, then try a fresh coat of paint even if it is the same color. Do everything you can to mask the smell.

Pet urin, especially that of cats, is just about the worst thing ever.

Getting off topic, but would in the hypothetical situation where a human would urinate on the carpet and it doesn't get cleaned, would it smell similar?

[Darkguyver2020]

I know one surefire way to get rid of cigarette smoke smells. Don't start smoking in the first place!

[Ashilh]

We had the same issue in my previous house, we tried all kinds of chemical/biological stuff but absolutely nothing worked.

In the end we got some facial masks and a professional steam carpet cleaning machine and we used that on the floor/walls/ceiling and we got rid of it. But this was post removing the carpet and the top layers of wallpaper.

[Tastyfish]

Wet cat farts are the only thing I have ever encountered that kills cigg stank.

[Ghâzh]

Getting off topic, but would in the hypothetical situation where a human would urinate on the carpet and it doesn't get cleaned, would it smell similar?

Of course not, haven't you ever smelled pee in subway tunnels and such?

[Larynx]

Of course not, haven't you ever smelled pee in subway tunnels and such?

I've never even seen a subway.

xD

[Deleted]

Vinegar can remove some of the smell

[Anger78]

Well usually to kill smells in the air you need to use carbon filtration. Does this place have central air? If so try getting a carbon pleat air filter and change it with the air filter currently installed.

You'll probably also want to scrub the crap out of the walls as I'm sure tar / nic from the cigs has probably built up on the walls. As aslo suggested a fresh coat of paint couldn't hurt.

Rent a steam cleaner for any carpets. This should help clean up the smell from the carpet.
Also try placing some open boxes of baking soda (like you would in your fridge) out around the room to try and help absorb some of those odors.

All I can think of right off the top of my head. Let me research it a bit and I'll see if I can find out some other ideas.

Edit:
Talked to a friend of mine who works for a property management company. He tells me there is really no "quick" fix but what he suggested is:
1. sprinkle baking soda on any furniture/carpets in the room. Let it sit overnight and vaccum it up in the morning.
2. Wash any glass in the room (mirrors, windows, ect) with vinegar frequently
3. Set boxes of baking soda / bowls of vinegar around the room to absorb the odor.

[Dakia]

Getting off topic, but would in the hypothetical situation where a human would urinate on the carpet and it doesn't get cleaned, would it smell similar?

IDK. There is just something about the musty smell of cat urin that is on a completely different level than anything else.

[Tribunal]

Start with airing it out as well as you can. Fans into the interior of the house/apt would probably technically help, but I personally wouldn't want to risk spreading the problem. Any windows completely open (blinds as well to let sunshine in) is a good start though. I'd also throw some cans of coffee in there (if you don't mind coffee smell) or containers of activated carbon (get it at a pet store in the aquarium department) to help deodorize.

Steam clean (I recommend soaking the carpet, and I do mean soaking, in some kind of deodorizer first... most of the ones I can think of are for enzymatic odors though, so look for one that specifically mentions smoke if you can find it - I've never had to look personally). Or go with a professional cleaner, but be honest about the problem up front... you might try an after fire cleaning service, although house fire smoke and cigarette smoke are obviously different, some of the same principles likely apply.... apparently there's an "ozone treatment" you could ask for, although again, not sure if it applies to cigarette smoke.

Also, scrub the walls/ceiling/trim/every surface/etc... even if it's not scrubbable paint, it might be worth ruining it, since repainting (prime it with at least 2 coats first) will help to kill the smell... I promise you it's on and likely even in to the walls and especially the ceiling at this point. Prime the ceiling too if you can.

After that, if you DiY it, I'd just go to a professional.. but most people I know have had luck with those kinds of steps with various odors, as long as you put the sufficient elbow grease into it.

Edit: Also, apparently, change the lightbulbs, lol c:

Just found a site that says they attract the smell and can even recirculate it... no clue if that's true (again, I personally haven't had to deal with smoke), but it's a pretty cheap/easy step, so I'd consider it worth doing anyway just in case.

Edit 2: Apparently "ozone treatment" is pretty questionable actually... although I found it on a professional fire clean-up service site, so who knows who to trust.. the point is that a good fire cleanup service may be able to provide a recommendation on actual air cleaning.


Also, I'd close any A/C intake in their room (unless it's the only one) and change out your air filters both right now and after you finish cleaning it. Might be worth trying to check the vents near the room to see if they smell smoky, so you don't just blow it right back in.

Edit 3: Be careful of messing with popcorn ceiling especially if it's an older (pre 80s) building!! Of course, even if it's non-asbestos popcorn there's not much you can do for it unfortunately, other than maybe trying to prime with a sprayer (and I wouldn't put any good, quick dry primer like Killz in a sprayer, considering how bad it gunks up rollers).

[Buryit]

KILZ will seal over old paint and the one coat of paint over that and your done, I have used this in a house where a fire had been and it works. Renting a carpet machine will cheaply take care of the carpet.

[ifrah]

New carpet and repainting the walls works. Not sure if there's an easier way for it.

[Revan Bane]

Basically you'll need to get rid of anything you can't wash - get a good surface cleaner, preferably not scented, good carpet cleaner, and a few bottles of good apple vinegar(white) and baking soda. Do not try masking the smell, it will not work.

First get rid of all the cloth type items from the room, wash curtains, carpets (preferably outside), bedspreads, any upholstered furniture (take the cover off if possible and machine wash - else take it out of the room and clean somewhere else). Clean all the surfaces thoroughly with vinegar (mix in water) or baking soda first (sprinkle and leave overnight), I'd soak all the cloth items in vinegar as well, before washing. Rinse well with warm water. Try evaporating the absorbed smoke from any furniture, especially wooden, by blow-drying it for a while. Then clean it again. You may need to wash the walls too, or even re-paint them. Anything you can leave out in the sun to dry or just sunbathe, leave it there for at least a day (hope you're lucky with the weather).

You will probably need to repeat the cleaning several times, make sure you don't forget anything. If all else fails, try getting an industrial/professional strength odour destroyer (not a masking scent, there are products that actually break down the smell).

Good luck!