Area Wide LIVE Hotline (210) 293-6700

How to Remove Smoke Smell From Your House

October 03, 2023

Cigarette smoke clings to walls, curtains, furniture, and window blinds, leaving behind an unpleasant odor. If you're looking for a way to get rid of the smoke smell in a house, you can do plenty of things, from running an air purifier to changing the filters in your HVAC system.

Whether you need to remove cigarette odor from your home or one of the rental properties you own, Jon Wayne is here to help.

In this blog, we’ll explore our top recommendations for removing a smoke smell:

  • Deep cleaning
  • Use baking soda and charcoal
  • Change your HVAC system's air filters
  • Invest in an air purifier

Want professional help with your indoor air quality?

Jon Wayne Service Company has over 20 years of experience helping Texas homeowners improve their indoor air quality. From air purifiers and whole-home air filters to germicidal UV lights and dehumidifiers, we offer a wide range of products to help you breathe cleaner, fresher air. Contact us for a free in-home estimate and find out why customers rate us 5 stars over and over.

Schedule Estimate

Deep Cleaning

Over time, cigarette smoke leaves a sticky residue on walls and other hard surfaces. You may even notice yellow staining in certain rooms of your home. The first step to getting rid of the smoke smell is to clean your home thoroughly. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the doors and windows to let in as much fresh air as possible.
  2. Place a large bowl of white vinegar in each room. Due to its chemical properties, white vinegar is highly effective in absorbing certain odors.
  3. Soak a cloth in white vinegar and then use it to scrub the walls, counters, and other hard surfaces. Once the cloth is covered in residue, replace it with a clean one.
  4. Hire a local cleaning company to shampoo your carpets and upholstered furniture. If hiring a professional isn't in your budget, rent a carpet shampooer from a local home improvement store.
  5. Wash pillows, curtains, blankets, and other fabrics according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you're concerned about damaging some of your more expensive items, take them to a local dry cleaner for professional cleaning.
  6. Discard any items that continue to smell even after you clean them repeatedly.

Use Baking Soda and Charcoal

When you're learning how to remove the smoke smell from a house, baking soda is one of the first things you should try. Unlike air fresheners, baking soda actually neutralizes odors instead of covering them up with another scent. Baking soda makes such a great odor absorber because many smells are highly acidic or alkaline. Baking soda is a weak base, so it cancels out the odor of other substances.

Charcoal also absorbs odors from the air, making it extremely helpful to anyone learning how to get rid of cigarette smell in a house. The key to using charcoal properly is to put it somewhere with good air circulation. As the air circulates, charcoal absorbs the odor-causing particles, making things much fresher.

Change Your HVAC System's Air Filters

It's also important to change the filters in your HVAC system. Over time, these filters collect mold spores, dust, and other types of debris, causing things to smell a little musty. If you or anyone smokes inside your home, your HVAC filters can also trap odor-causing particles.

Worse, as filters become clogged, their efficiency diminishes, causing unwanted smells and strain on your HVAC system. By regularly replacing your air filters, you can avoid this altogether.

Invest in an Air Purifier

If you're wondering how to instantly remove cigarette smell from a room, an air purifier is your best bet. Each model has a fan that pulls in odor-causing particles, leaving the air in your home as fresh as possible.

Portable Air Purifier

Anyone interested in how to get cigarette smell out of a house should be familiar with portable air filters. As the name implies, these machines aren't fixed in one place, so you can move them around your home as needed. You can even buy a desktop air purifier to clean the air while you work in your home office or pay the bills at your kitchen table.

Whole-Home Air Purifier

Whole-home air purifiers are designed for much larger spaces. Like portable models, they contain high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, capable of filtering extremely small particles from the air. Jon Wayne can set you up with a whole-home filtration system designed to get rid of pollen, paint fumes, tobacco smoke, and other allergens.


Ready to breathe cleaner, fresher air?

Experience the benefits of cleaner air, reduced allergens, and improved overall air quality with the help of Jon Wayne’s air quality specialists. Schedule a free in-home estimate today, and we’ll review all your best options for eliminating unwanted odors. You can ask questions, share your concerns, and get top recommendations suited to your needs and budget. All installations come backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Schedule Estimate

Proudly serving the San Antonio & surrounding areas: