Getting the cigarette smoke smell out of a room?

[swimmermom3]

A family member recently stayed in a spare bedroom. Actually, it was more that they parked primarily their clothing in the room. They have been an occasional smoker, but also lived with someone who smoked routinely. After three weeks, we finally had to move everything to the garage. Even with no one actively smoking in the room, it smelled like an old ashtray. I have used a fabric freshener on the carpet and it's been airing out for two weeks. I can still smell the smell. We are a rabidly non-smoking family with asthma. I have a family member coming to stay with us in a couple of days. Is there anything else I can do?

[kroe1]

Repainted and recarpet is all I have found which works. Also, drapes have to be thrown out as well as bedding. It sounds like you do not have that much time.

 

Try to wash the walls down, steam clean the rugs, and launder every piece of fabric. If there is any upholstered furniture, just move it to the garage.

[plansrme]

I had the door get left open on a freezer full of frozen elk meat.  Yowza; I thought I was going to have to blow up my basement.  It smelled like someone had died down there.  Everyone online said to use white vinegar, so I sprinkled and steamed enough vinegar in that room to pickle California's entire cucumber crop.  Baking soda, too--only a minimal effect.  And neither of them worked.  What finally worked was OdoBan, a spray from HomeDepot (I used an aerosol can, eucalyptus scent, but you can buy it in concentrate) and another product from HD that I don't remember the name of, but it was a mesh bag full of little white pebbles.  It was for sale at HD with the other odor-removing products.  Surely your secondhand smoke is not worse than my rotten elk!  A couple of days of OdoBan and the pebbles solved my problem, and I have a very sensitive nose.

 

Good luck.  

[TammyS]

To get rid of smoke smell you'll have to wash everything.  The walls, ceiling, and carpets.  Fabrics will need to be washed or steam cleaned.  Furniture will need to be wiped down.

 

Because they weren't there long, that should work.  With longer term exposure the only thing that truly works is to repaint, priming with BIN (a shellac based primer that will seal everything behind it). 

 

Basically, there is stuff left behind.  It's not a vague odor, it's actual solids of smoke residue.  Until you get rid of them, you'll have odor.  It can be done. It's just a lot of work.

[Mimm]

We had to air out the room for weeks and bleach the floors, walls, and ceiling when my grandmother moved out of my parent's house. There was a little grandparent apartment on the other side of the garage and my grandmother lived there for over a year. The floors weren't carpet so they didn't replace them. After we scrubbed everything with bleach, we repainted. There was nothing left in the room that was there previously. She took all her clothes, furniture, decorations. We got rid of the drapes and whatever else she left behind.

[gardenmom5]

have you washed all machine washable items in hot water?  or try the dry cleaners. every scrap of fabric. get a carpet cleaning guy who is capable to getting cig. smoke out.  steam clean the walls.

 

cig smoke penetrates walls and floors.  anything remotely pervious.  our neighbors had to replace sheetrock on the main level of a smoker - and used four coats of kilz before repainting on the bedroom level, as well as replace all carpet just to get rid of the smell.

[Sunshine State Sue]

When we moved ds into his <rental> townhouse last May, the previous renter was a smoker.  His bedroom was the worst.  Luckily there was no furniture.  We washed the walls with vinegar and water in equal parts.  We sprinkled a large box of baking soda over the carpet and vacuumed it up the next day.  We left a couple of bowls of vinegar in there while he returned home for 2 weeks.  It made a huge difference.

[Lady Marmalade]

Do you know anyone with an ozone machine that you could borrow?  A few hours with one of those and the room will be fresh as a daisy.

[StephanieZ]

Nature's Miracle works great for getting pet urine stink out of fabrics and carpet, so I'd imagine it might work.

[Moonhawk]

I had a house guest smoke inside a bedroom not too long ago.  They didn't think I would notice.  I thought something in the kitchen caught fire before I figured it out.  Ha.  Carpet and curtains and bedding were all pretty bad.  I found "Zero Odor" at Bed Bath and Beyond and it worked like a charm.  It didn't actually take that many sprays to be effective.  If you do overspray, just open a window and give it a bit to clear (unfortunately I had multiple chances to test the method).  The smell of the spray is strong for the first few minutes but then clears up and no smell is left (including no scent from the spray, which is huge for me since I usually can't handle spray smells like Febreeze, etc).  I have also used the spray after kid accidents, works in that situation too.  It was kind of expensive at $13, but I was desperate at the time and it will last me a long time.  

 

Good luck!

[Anne in CA]

I had the door get left open on a freezer full of frozen elk meat.  Yowza; I thought I was going to have to blow up my basement.  It smelled like someone had died down there.  Everyone online said to use white vinegar, so I sprinkled and steamed enough vinegar in that room to pickle California's entire cucumber crop.  Baking soda, too--only a minimal effect.  And neither of them worked.  What finally worked was OdoBan, a spray from HomeDepot (I used an aerosol can, eucalyptus scent, but you can buy it in concentrate) and another product from HD that I don't remember the name of, but it was a mesh bag full of little white pebbles.  It was for sale at HD with the other odor-removing products.  Surely your secondhand smoke is not worse than my rotten elk!  A couple of days of OdoBan and the pebbles solved my problem, and I have a very sensitive nose.

 

Good luck.  

I was also going to suggest Odoban which works WONDERS in the restaurant. Wonders, I tell you.

[Pippen]

Do you know anyone with an ozone machine that you could borrow?  A few hours with one of those and the room will be fresh as a daisy.

 

 A friend who manages apartments says once a renter is out, 24 hours with an ozone machine helps the most.

[kitten18]

I was also going to suggest Odoban which works WONDERS in the restaurant. Wonders, I tell you.

I was also going to recommend Odoban.

 

Like a pp said, you can get a spray bottle at HD and you can get a gallon jug at sam's.

[Lara in Colo]

I also recommend Odoban--- I use it mainly to remove cat pee from carpet-- but it is wonderful-- I also think the ozone machine will work, but the Odoban is easier to find/buy.

[The Girls' Mom]

I used OdoBan to get rid of ferret smell.  It worked, but I found the smell of OdoBan to be almost as offensive.  

[Mama Geek]

An ozone machine is what is used in apartments.  We had our apartment flood and a friend had a fire at their house.  It is what was used both times and works great.  I am not sure how much they cost to rent and I know you can't be in the house while they are in use, but that is what I would do.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Did this person smoke in the room or was it just their possessions that were contaminated?  If they did not smoke in the room, then I think everything is salvageable by a good cleaning and airing out.  Wash all linens and window hangings.  Wash all walls and floors.  Clean any carpets and rugs.  If they actually smoked in the room, then the smoke itself may have penetrated everything and you may need to replace items. 

[Artichoke]

Another vote for OdoBan.  We did an emergency DCS placement this past summer for an infant.  Everything the child had reeked of cigarette smoke.  OdoBan was the only thing that worked.