My House Had a Smoker Living in It. What Do I Do?

Lingering smoke odor isn't only smelly but also dangerous to your health. Otherwise known as thirdhand smoke, pollutants in cigarette smoke can easily cling to your hair, skin, clothing, furniture, and every other belonging on your property. So, whether you are buying a house with a tobacco smell or renting one, getting rid of the persistent smoke odor should be the first concern on your list. In this article, we will be discussing the steps that you must take when moving into a smoker's house. So, without further ado, let's begin.

Step 01: Throw Out Smoke-Damaged Items

The first step in renovating a smoker's house is to throw away anything that smells like tobacco. The simplest way to do this is to look for items with a porous surface and remove them from the property, such as furniture, carpets, and fabric. Furthermore, you might also need to get rid of hard-surface items like doors, trim, floors, HVAC units, and appliances.

Step 02: Open Up all the Windows to Improve Air Circulation

Opening all of the windows immediately is a good place to start if you want to remove the smoke odor from household items quickly. So, before you begin cleaning, it may help to open the windows to ensure enough ventilation to protect you from the harsh cleaning agents.

You can also install ventilators to not only boost air circulation but to speed up the smoke odor removal process as well. In order to push away the stubborn smoke smell, place one ventilator near the window and another one inside the room.

Pro-Tip: If you cannot afford to rent air ventilators, make a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and hot water and spray it onto hard surfaces, including kitchen counters, decorations, light fixtures, fan blades, and frames.

Step 03: Clean the Property

Use a mixture of hot water and baking soda to wash all the remaining items in the house, especially the walls, doors, windows, floors, and ceilings. Baking soda will help neutralize the smoke odor. You can also dry-clean all kinds of fabrics, such as sofa covers, curtains, pillow covers, and bed sheets. Once everything is cleaned, use a deodorizing agent to neutralize the smell.

Step 04: Repaint All Surfaces

Last but not least, apply an odor-blocking primer and two coats of fresh paint throughout the property. Re-painting all the surfaces will enhance your house's curb appeal and seal off the smoke odor.

Hire the Best Smoke Damage Restoration Company in Spokane

While all the aforementioned smoke odor removal steps might seem doable, they aren't as easy as you might think. You need full face masks and industrial equipment and may even need to perform some demolition to efficiently remove the odor from a smoker's house. Therefore, we recommend hiring STOP Restoration of Spokane for the job. With over four decades of experience in the industry, our team of certified professionals will use industry-approved smoke cleaning and deodorization techniques and industry grade cleaners to make your house liveable and healthy again. For more information, give us a call today!

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