How to remove cigarette smoke smell from a house

Why it lingers

Tobacco smoke leaves a yellow-brown film of tar and nicotine on everything it touches. In a home where people smoked indoors for years, that film is on walls, ceilings, windows, light fittings, inside cupboards and through the heating system. It also soaks into porous materials: carpet, underpad, curtains, upholstery, drywall and unfinished wood.

This residue is sometimes called thirdhand smoke. It keeps releasing odour, more so in warm, humid weather. Air fresheners, candles and opening the windows do not touch it. Painting over it with ordinary paint fails too. The stain bleeds through and the smell returns.

Check how bad it is

• Wipe a wall with a damp white cloth. A yellow or brown stain on the cloth shows residue.
• Look for clean rectangles where pictures hung.
• Look at ceilings, especially above where people sat.
• Check window coverings, light fixtures and the tops of door frames.
• Take out the furnace filter and look at it.

Light residue may only need thorough cleaning. Heavy residue needs cleaning, sealing and replacement of soft materials.

The order of work

Work from the top of the house down and from the least permanent things to the most.

1. Remove what holds the most smell

• Curtains, blinds and fabric shades
• Carpet and underpad. In a heavy smoker’s home these rarely come clean.
• Upholstered furniture and mattresses left behind
• Lampshades and soft furnishings

2. Ventilate

Open the windows and run fans to exhaust air outdoors while you work.

3. Wash every hard surface

• Ceilings first, then walls, then trim and doors
• Use a degreasing cleaner. Products sold as trisodium phosphate substitutes work well. Follow the label and wear gloves and eye protection.
• Change the water and cloths often. They turn brown quickly.
• Rinse with clean water
• Include windows and frames, light fixtures, switch plates, radiators, closet interiors and shelves
• Clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets inside and out
• Wash hard floors

Textured ceilings cannot be washed. They are usually sealed and repainted, or removed. Test older textures for asbestos before disturbing them.

4. Seal

After cleaning and drying, prime walls and ceilings with a stain and odour blocking primer. Shellac-based and oil-based primers are the traditional choice for nicotine. Some water-based products are made for the purpose. Ordinary latex primer does not hold nicotine back. Ventilate well and follow the safety directions, because solvent-based primers are strong.

Then repaint.

5. Floors

• Under old carpet, the subfloor may smell. Wash it, let it dry and seal it with the same type of primer before new flooring goes down.
• Hardwood can be cleaned. Heavily affected floors may need sanding and refinishing.

6. The heating and cooling system

• Replace the furnace filter, and again after the work is finished
• Have the ducts cleaned, including the blower compartment and the return air side
• Wipe registers and grilles, or replace them
• Clean bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans

7. Everything else

• Replace light bulbs. Residue on a hot bulb smells.
• Wash or replace switch plates and outlet covers
• Clean inside closets and wardrobes
• Wash windows, including the tracks
• Clean appliances, including behind and underneath

What usually has to be replaced

• Carpet and underpad
• Curtains and fabric blinds
• Acoustic ceiling tiles
• Heavily affected upholstered furniture
• In severe cases, drywall and insulation that have absorbed years of smoke

Professional treatments

Where the smell persists after cleaning and sealing, restoration contractors use:

• Hydroxyl generators, which break down odour molecules and can run over several days
• Ozone treatment. Effective on odour, but ozone is a lung irritant. The house must be empty of people, pets and plants during treatment and aired out afterwards. Health Canada advises against the use of ozone generators in occupied homes.
• Thermal fogging

These are finishing steps. Used without cleaning, they give a temporary improvement and the smell comes back.

Things that do not work

• Air fresheners, scented candles and plug-ins
• Bowls of vinegar, coffee grounds or baking soda, beyond a slight short-term effect
• Painting without cleaning and sealing first
• Portable air purifiers alone. A unit with a good carbon filter helps with what is in the air but not with the residue producing it.

Buying a house a smoker lived in

Budget for it. A realistic allowance covers washing and sealing every painted surface, repainting, replacing carpet and window coverings, and duct cleaning. Visit on a warm day with the windows closed to judge the smell properly. Recently painted walls and strong air fresheners at a viewing can be a sign that an odour is being covered.

Apartments and condos

Smoke also travels between units through gaps around pipes, electrical outlets and shared ventilation. If the smell is coming in from a neighbour, sealing those gaps and speaking to the landlord or the condominium corporation are the starting points. Cleaning your own unit will not stop it.

Health

Residue from tobacco smoke contains substances that are harmful, and young children are the most exposed because they touch surfaces and put their hands in their mouths. That is a reason to remove the residue, not just mask the smell.

More: smoke odour removal.