Nothing is more unpleasant than a smoke smell in the home, whether it’s from cigarette smoke, smoke residue from burnt food, or smoke damage from a fire. Unfortunately, carpet fibers and fabric absorb smoke particles readily, filling the room with an insistent smoke odor. Find out how to get smoke smell out of carpet to eliminate this lingering smell.
Smoke appears to float through the air. However, smoke molecules are heavy, eventually settling on the furniture upholstery, carpeting, and other surfaces, which is why your rugs smell smoky after the room clears of smoke.
Opening a window for fresh air or using an air freshener doesn’t wholly eliminate all cigarette smoke smell and other smoky odors from carpet. Luckily, there are ways to remove this foul odor from the carpet.
Ways to Get Smoke Smell Out of Carpet
Since professional carpet cleaning services are expensive, discover DIY ways to neutralize and remove odor molecules in carpets, leaving them smelling clean and fresh.
How to Remove Smoke Smell From the Carpet
The most effective way to remove cigarette smell from carpeting is by deep cleaning with a carpet cleaner. The hot steam and cleaning solution lifts the cigarette smoke odor, leaving the rug odorless. Make your own DIY carpet shampoo solution or purchase one ready-made. Here is how to remove smoke smell from the carpet with a steam cleaner.
Start by moving as much furniture from the affected area as possible to make the job easier. Fill the water tank with the appropriate amount of hot water and cleaning solution, and start cleaning the carpet by working from one end to the other.
Press the handle trigger to spray cleaner on the rug as you pull the machine across the floor, and release the trigger to suck up the liquid. Go back and forth over the carpet with overlapping strokes until the entire rug is clean. Let the floor air dry before placing the furniture back in the room.
Getting Smoke Smell Out of the Carpet
If you don’t have a steam cleaner, baking soda is a good option for quickly getting smoke smell out of the carpet. The powder has exceptional odor-absorbing abilities.
Start by pouring baking soda into a salt dispenser with large holes. Shake the powder evenly over the entire carpet. You can even apply the powder to furniture upholstery. Let the soda sit overnight as it works to absorb the bad odor and vacuum up the debris in the morning.
How to Get Smoke Smell Out of Carpet
For a fast remedy for removing cigarette smoke smell out of carpet and clothing, try white vinegar. The cigarette smell will last on clothes and carpeting until it’s removed with a deodorizer. The low pH of vinegar attacks the higher pH of smoke molecules, neutralizing the bad smell. Learn how to use vinegar as a cigarette odor remover.
Mix two cups warm water with one cup distilled white vinegar in a glass spray bottle. Consider adding several drops of your favorite essential oil to give the spray a pleasant scent. Shake the container gently and spray it liberally over the entire rug to make carpets smell fresh and eliminate unpleasant odors. Let it dry completely, and vacuum the carpet to remove residue and fluff the fibers.
Follow the same recipe and procedure to get cigarette smell out of furniture. Vinegar mixed with water is safe for most materials, including leather.
Use Activated Charcoal to Remove Smoke Odor From Carpeting
While activated charcoal doesn’t remove stains from carpeting, it works well for removing a foul odor. Activated charcoal has millions of pockets and pores that catch and lock the smells in place. Discover how to remove smoke smell from the carpet with charcoal.
Activated Charcoal Smell Absorbing
Place the activated charcoal in containers and set them in smelly areas of the room. While this method takes some time, the charcoal eventually soaks up odor, leaving the room smelling clean. Depending on the charcoal size, it may take 15 minutes or 24 hours, or more, for the smell to dissipate.
Tips for Preventing Carpet Smoke Odor
It’s a great idea to prevent smoke odors after getting smoke smell out of the carpet to save you time and energy. Follow these tips for keeping your home smoke-free.
The best way to eliminate smoke from a room is to install an air purifier. The typical air cleaner uses a filter to remove odor-causing contaminants and will easily get rid of smoke smell in the house. In comparison, an ozone generator produces the gas ozone to remove air pollutants.
Another way to lower smoke in the house is to ensure your HVAC system is working correctly. Replace the air filter every three months and clean the air duct every two to three years. Consider replacing the old filter with a HEPA filter, which removes more dust, pollen, smoke particles, and other particulate matter.
Turn on the stove exhaust fan when cooking to suck the smoky smell out of the kitchen. If you accidentally burn food while cooking or have a smoker in the house, turn on fans and open windows for air circulation. Create a cross-draft by opening more than one window or placing a fan facing outward in one window and a fan facing inward in another.
No one enjoys the lingering odor of cigarette smoke or burnt food when it absorbs into the carpet and furniture. Luckily, carpet and upholstery cleaning and odor absorbers like baking soda and activated charcoal are excellent ways to eliminate this bad smell.
Now that you’ve learned how to get smoke smell out of carpet so that your home smells fresh, why not share our tips for eliminating smoke odors in rugs with your friends and family on Pinterest and Facebook?