How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell in a Room

Co-authored by Mark Spelman

Last Updated: September 16, 2024 Approved

A smoky smell in a room can be off-putting for guests and isn't a pleasant environment to live in, especially for young children. It can be difficult to get rid of, especially if the smoker has lived in the room for a long time. Try simple methods to mask or neutralize odors. For stubborn smoke smells, try deep-cleaning your home and any items with a lingering odor. Filtering the air can also help create a cleaner, better-smelling atmosphere in the room.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Simple Solutions

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Ashtrays and other smoking materials are the main sources of the smoke smell, apart from the smoker him/herself. If you want to get rid of the smoke smell, you'll have to get rid of the source.
This won't be enough to get rid of strong or old smells, but it may help get rid of less obvious odors. If you can, place a fan inside the window, with the fan turned inwards. This will help bring a breeze into the room.

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There are many sprays that make your room smell nice. These sprays can be effective, as long as they are the right type. Not all of these sprays have odor busting abilities. When buying a room spray, look for something that says "eliminates odors," or "odor eliminating." These sprays will your room smell nice and get rid of the smoke smell.^{[1]
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The musky, spicy smell of burning incense can mask the smell of smoke. You can get incense in stick, powder, or pellet form. Make sure to burn your incense in a non-flammable holder, and supervise it as long as it is burning. When you are done, extinguish the incense by running water over it.^{[2]
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Set out a bowl of white vinegar. Vinegar may not smell great, but it absorbs odors, including smoke smells. You should notice a difference by the end of the day. After a couple of hours, pour the vinegar out. Unlike smoke smells, vinegar smells do not linger.^{[3]
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- You can also use baking soda, cat litter, or pieces of activated charcoal.^{[4]
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  Research source} All of these absorb smells. Keep in mind that you will need to replace them every few days.
If the smells lingers after you have aired out the room, the smell might have sunk into your furniture. Move your furniture outside for a day or two. The UV rays from the sun will kill the odor causing bacteria, and neutralize the smoke smell.
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Sprinkle baking soda onto carpets and upholstered furniture.^{[6]
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Research source} Leave it on there for up to 72 hours, then vacuum it up. Baking soda is great at absorbing smells.
- You can also spray white vinegar onto furniture, and then wipe it off.
- This may not be effective on very strong smells.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Deep Cleaning Everything

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1
Wipe down the walls and ceilings with an ammonia based cleaner. Smoke settles on everything. You may not be able to see the smoke, but it is still there. This "film" is often responsible for that smoke smell, long after the smoker has left.
- In more drastic cases, you may have to repaint the walls and ceilings. The fresh paint will cover up the old paint, which has absorbed the smoke smell. Use a sealing primer first, behind the new paint. It will keep the bad smells in.^{[7]
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- If you can't repaint the walls, use a matte, polyurethane sealer instead. It will seal the smell in without changing the color of your walls.^{[8]
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- If your walls have wallpaper on them, wipe them down with vinegar first. If the smell lingers, you'll have to remove the old wallpaper, and install a new one.
This includes window sills, mantels, furniture, and floors. It also includes cabinets, closets, drawers, and dressers, both inside and out. For this, you can use an ammonia-based cleaner, or white vinegar. Don't worry about the vinegar smell; it does not linger and eventually goes away.
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Steam clean the carpets. You can do this yourself by renting or buying a steam cleaning machine for carpets. You can also hire a professional carpet cleaner. In extreme cases, you may have to replace the carpet. Carpets are very difficult to get smells out of.
- If you do replace the carpets, make sure that you scrub the floor beneath them to get rid of all traces of the smoke odor.^{[9]
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- Add a deodorizer to your carpet steamer to power through stubborn smells.
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Clean your clothes, upholstery, pillows, and blankets. For machine-washable items, add 1 cup (240 milliliters) of white vinegar into the wash cycle. The vinegar will help get rid of the smells. For all other items, take them to a dry cleaner. Keep in mind that you may need to clean these items a few times to get rid of the smell.
- In some cases, you may need to replace the pillows and blankets. You may also need to reupholster your furniture.^{[10]
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- If machine washing does not eliminate smells in your clothes, take them to a dry cleaner.
Take down all window coverings. If the curtains and drapes can be safely laundered, do so. If not, take them to a professional dry cleaner. You can clean the blinds in the bathtub using white vinegar.
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Don't forget the windows and mirrors. Smoke leaves behind a thin residue on everything, including windows and mirrors. You can't always see this film, but it is there. On very hot days, this film heats up, and makes the smell come back. So fill a spray bottle with some white vinegar, get out a paper towel, and start wiping the windows and mirrors down.^{[11]
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Research source} You can also use a regular, household glass cleaner instead.^{[12]
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- It might be a good idea to get the light bulbs in your room as well, since those heat up as well. You can also just replace the light bulbs with new ones.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Filtering the Air

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1
Get an air purifier. Air purifiers actually pull the odor-causing bacteria and chemicals out of the air itself. They leave the air smelling fresh and clean.^{[13]
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- Air purifiers also get rid of other allergens in the air, making them suitable for those with allergies and asthma.
These tend to trap odors. If the smell in your room is very strong, and keeps returning no matter how much you clean, there is a good chance that it might be trapped in the filters.^{[14]
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Try an ozone generator. Ozone generators produce O3, which oxidizes organic molecules (a common cause of smells). Many people find this an effective way of getting rid of smoke smells. Place the generator inside the room and set the timer. Make sure that all of windows in the room are closed. Vacate the room and close the door behind you. This will allow the ozone to fill the room. After the generator shuts off, wait at least one hour before going back into the room.
- Ozone generators may irritate the throat. They are not recommended for those with asthma. They can actually make things worse.^{[15]
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- Turn on the fan in the air conditioner in the room, if possible. This helps to circulate the air as well as clean out the air conditioner.^{[16]
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- The stronger the smell, the longer you will have to set the timer. For example, if the smoker used the room for a few days, you'll need to run the generator for a few hours. If the smoker lived there for several years, you'll need to run the generator for a few days.
- Ozone generators can only remove the smoke smell to some extent. If the smell has sunk into the walls, floors, curtains, and furniture, you may not get the smell out all the way.

Expert Q&A

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Question

A specific drawer in a jewelry box of mine smells heavily of smoke. I've put it in front of a fan in hopes it'll air out. Any other remedies for it?

Mark Spelman
Construction Professional
Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.

Mark Spelman

Construction Professional

Expert Answer

Get some jewelry cleaner from a jeweler, and try cleaning it with that. Ask the jeweler for advice.

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Tips

Air out your room after you are done smoking. Open up a window and place a fan in front of it. This bring fresh air back into your room.^{[17]
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Look around for air fresheners that remove odors rather than ones that simply add nice smells.

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Place candles in your room. Some people find that candles not only make things smell nice, but that they also absorb odors.

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Warnings

Do not use an ozone generator if you have asthma.

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Keep a window open when working with household cleaning products, especially if they are ammonia-based.

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Don't use room sprays around pets, especially birds.

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