There are many ways that a home can start to smell like smoke. Whether that’s due to a smoker living in the house, something burning in your house, or the fireplace, smoke can quickly make your house smell unpleasant. This can become hard to remove, but it is not impossible. Check out our top ways on how to get rid of smoke smell in your house.
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How to Get Rid of Fireplace Smoke Smell in the House
- Clean/Repair the Chimney – Often chimneys are forgotten about when you clean the rest of your house, but these are one of the most important places to clean. If they are forgotten about, they can lead to fires that burn your whole house down. The best thing to do is remove excess buildup once or twice a year, especially if you use it often.
- Vinegar – Vinegar is one of those items you can use anywhere for cleaning purposes. There are two ways you can use vinegar to get rid of the smoke smell. Either spray a mixture of vinegar and water around the fireplace, or leave bowls around the fireplace to absorb the smell.
- Charcoal – Activated charcoal is great at absorbing unwanted odors, including smoke. Just put a bucket of charcoal and damp newspaper in the fireplace when not in use, and let the charcoal do its job.
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How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell on the Walls
- Cleaning Solution – First dust off the walls in order to get rid of anything that might keep the smoke smell. Then take one teaspoon of all-purpose cleaner, ½ cup baking soda, and a quart of water and mix it together. Start at the top of the walls and use either a sponge or microfiber towel to slowly wipe down the entire surface. Use a dry sponge to wipe off any excess residue.
- Vinegar & Water – Use one part vinegar and three parts warm water to spray on the walls and wipe them off. The acidity in the vinegar will neutralize the high Ph of the smoke, eliminating the odor.
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How to Get Smoke Smell out of a Mattress
- Wash Bedding – Oftentimes our cloth products are the items keeping the most smoke smell in them. Make sure to wash every part of your bedding that you can, even the bed skirt. You will probably have the best results using high temperatures for the water and baking soda to help remove the odor.
- White Vinegar – Again, vinegar is here to save the day. Use equal parts vinegar and water and spray the entire mattress without oversaturating it, and the smoke smell should deteriorate.
- The Sun – Yes, you can get rid of the smell with the sun. The UV rays help neutralize odor molecules and help your mattress get rid of its smells. Try to leave it out as long as you can in order to get the best results.
- Baking Soda – Another one of those all-purpose cleaning products is baking soda. All you have to do is sprinkle the baking soda over the bed and leave it on for around eight hours and then vacuum it off. The soda eliminates odors and keeps your mattress from smelling like smoke.
How to Get Smoke Smell out of the Couch
- Baking Soda – Once again baking soda is here to save the day for upholstery. First vacuum any dirt on your couch and then sprinkle baking soda over as much of it as you can. Lightly brush it into the fabric, in order to get the deeper smoke smell out. Let it sit in the fabric for four to eight hours, and then vacuum it away. To continue keeping the couch fresh try some natural smelling air freshener like Febreze.
- The Sun – Similar to the bed, you can put your couch out in the sun for a few hours to help kill odor molecules. Though you want to be careful because the fabric can fade in the sun, so be aware of how long you keep it in the sun.
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Tips to Prevent Smoke Smell from Lingering in Your Home
- Air Purifier – Their job is exactly the same as their name – purifying the air in your house. By constantly circulating the air through a filtered system, you will be able to prevent smoke from leaching into the fabrics around your house. These come in many sizes, so buy the best version for your home.
- Air Freshener – Though this product doesn’t really get rid of the smell, rather just masking it, products like Febreze can keep a house smelling fresh for longer. It can also lessen the frequency of having to deep clean all of your house due to lingering smoke smells.
- Windows – In the Summer my windows are always open, and if you have a resident smoker or tend to burn things you should have them open too. Windows help let in fresh air and circulate any smells in the house outside. The only time this may not be as beneficial is if the fires are outside the house, such as forest fires.
- Charcoal – Making a reappearance on the list is charcoal, perfect for soaking up bad odors. Leave a couple of bags of activated charcoal around the house, and the smoke smell will gradually go away and not settle on other spots in your home.
Getting the smoke smell out of your home can be troublesome, especially if the smell has sat for a long time. There are ways to get rid of the smell though, and hopefully our article on how to get rid of smoke smell will give you the tools to finally make your house smell amazing.
