Cigarette smoke is unhealthy to breathe in whether you are exposed to secondhand smoke or thirdhand smoke. Apartments that have smoke residue are a major source of thirdhand smoke, which is, unfortunately, just as harmful as passive smoking.
Fortunately, you can learn a lot about how to get rid of cigarette smell in your apartment. Whether you own the rental unit or are moving into an apartment, you will find tips to help you in either case.
Causes of Strong Cigarette Odor in Apartments
When a cigarette burns, it releases stubborn smoke odors. The chemical particles from the smoke adhere to the surfaces of the apartment. Over time, they form a deep layer of smoke smell. The smoke molecules settle on every surface, including walls, ceilings, furniture, windows, floors, and even inside cabinets. This is why the odor persists no matter how much you wipe your apartment’s surfaces.
Thirdhand Smoke
Getting rid of the smoke smells can be rather tricky because cigarette odor is strong and stubborn. Though it won’t be easy, removing the smoke smell is not something you should skip. If you live in an apartment that reeks of stale smoke caused by nicotine residue, you are basically exposed to thirdhand smoke.
Nicotine Residue
When you are surrounded by a smoker and inhale smoke directly, that is secondhand smoke; but the nicotine residue inside apartments causes thirdhand smoke exposure, which is equally harmful. Believe it or not, thirdhand smoke becomes the source of nicotine, pollutants, and other cancer-causing agents.
How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smell in Apartment
The process of finding an apartment in Michigan is quite easy, but some minor inconveniences may cause hindrances in the process. Cigarette smell can be one such inconvenience nobody would want to experience as they move into their new apartment. Finding an apartment that’s free of cigarette odor can be the best bet here.
Prepare Your Mind to Tackle the Issue
Once you know how to tackle this problem, you don’t have to give up on your dream apartment because of one minor inconvenience. Here is a full guide on how to get rid of the strongest cigarette smell from a rental property.
Be Prepared Beforehand
One thing that varies here is whether you moved into a rental apartment that has cigarette smoke smell or if you are moving out and want to cleanse the environment before you leave. For the latter, you have no option but to go through each step one-by-one to make sure you leave behind no nasty smell.
Plan Before Buying Furniture
One recommendation to make things easier for the future is to choose wisely what furniture you need for an apartment. Go for something that will help minimize the smoky smell instead of adding to your list of deep-cleaning items. However, if you are moving into a new apartment, you should make it clear to your real estate agent to find you a smoke-free space.
What To Do if You are Living in an Apartment with Smoke Smell
For now, let’s solve the problem of the present. Now that you are stuck in a space with the nasty smell of cigarette smoke, you need to go beyond just apartment organization ideas. Here is what you need to do to remove the smoke smell:
DIY Remedies and Essential Oils
The cigarette smell can be treated with a mixture of a few ingredients that most people have in their kitchen cabinets. You don’t need any strong chemicals or cleaners. These remedies will help you in different parts of the cleaning. Whether you want a quick fix or an all-in-one cleaning liquid for deep cleaning, these DIYs are going to be your savior.
Baking Soda
The first DIY remedy is to use baking soda. You will find it in your baking drawer, so there is no hassle involved whatsoever. Sprinkling baking soda all around the apartment is one way to go about this DIY. Another thing you can do is pour baking soda into a small lid-free container and place it in different corners of the home. Sprinkling spreads the product, so it will do a better job, but the containers will work well enough too.
Activated Charcoal
You can also swap baking soda with activated charcoal. It is a stronger alternative, but activated charcoal will not be as readily available as baking soda. Either way, both ingredients are good adsorbents that will soak up the odor of the chemicals. Do let the ingredient sit overnight, at least, so it can absorb the bad odors efficiently.
Mixture of Vinegar and Baking Soda
If you are looking for a cleaning agent instead of a scent absorber, you can mix vinegar and baking soda. Make sure to dilute the mixture with water before you spray it on any surface. Also, do a patch test since this DIY cleaner may not be suitable for all surfaces.
Purify the Air
Being able to breathe in clean air is a luxury valued by those only who have to survive in a stuffy apartment with an overpowering cigarette smoke odor. Here is how you can help purify the air around you while eliminating the cigarette smell from your apartment:
Encourage Ventilation
Right off the bat, you need to encourage ventilation. Open all the windows to let the fresh air come in. If your apartment has ceiling fans, turn them on at full speed. This will encourage the process of ventilation so that the stale air is pushed out. Portable fans and exhausts will also help pull in the fresh air. If your area and weather allow, leave the windows open overnight.
Use Essential Oils
Another natural method to make the air smell better is to use essential oils. If you don’t own an air diffuser, that is OK. You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the jar of baking soda or activated charcoal. The strong scent will gradually diffuse all around the apartment.
Take Help from Devices
If you are not willing to go through the manual effort of cleansing your indoor air, you can always go for an air purifier. There are plenty of air purifiers available on the market in varying budget options. Go for any device that offers a strong HEPA purification system. It will do an amazing job of getting rid of the stubborn chemicals from thirdhand smoke.
Use Essential Oil Diffusers
You can leave the purifier on for as long as you think is necessary; but if at some point you think the device cannot get rid of any more odor, it is time to take further steps. Go one step up with essential oil diffusers. These air diffusers evenly distribute your choice of essential oils. The efficient scent diffusion helps take over the strong odor of cigarette smoke molecules while the purifier can continue to cleanse the environment of harmful molecules.
Deep Cleaning
No matter how much ventilation you encourage, eventually you will have to deep clean your apartment thoroughly. From the floor to the ceiling, everything in between will need to be sterilized of the smoke odor. You might need some help in the process because tasks like cleaning ceiling fans and window sills will require safety precautions.
Start with the Furniture
Furniture, specifically the upholstered ones, are great scent absorbers. Bed mattresses, couches, chairs, and sofas will require the most effort. One option is to hire professional furniture cleaners. They will wash and dry everything, leaving your furniture not just smelling good, but also looking good as new.
Try DIY Techniques
The second option is to put the DIYs to use. Sprinkling baking soda on cloth furniture does wonders. Leave it on for a few hours so it can absorb the strong scent of cigarettes. You can easily vacuum it off. Leather furniture is easier to deal with. Wipe it with whatever cleaner works best for you.
Do Not Forget the Windows
It is time to wipe all the windows now. If you can get your hands on a window cleaner wiper, that will prove very handy in this step. Otherwise, a damp, lint-free cloth is the way to go. You can mix a half cup of white vinegar with the same amount of water to create a DIY window cleaner.
Pay Attention to Both Inner and Outer Surfaces
You can always go for a store-bought, scented option if that is what you prefer. However, that may not work as efficiently to eradicate the deep-rooted smoke odor. While you are working on the windows, also go over the window panes, windowsills, and the outer surface wherever possible.
Move onto the Carpet
Just like cloth furniture, carpets are a tough one to tackle due to their highly absorbent nature. Baking soda and white vinegar, once again, come to the rescue. Sprinkle baking soda for half an hour over the carpet or rug.
The Next Step
Once done, spray the surface with a mixture of half cup of white vinegar and one cup of water. Clean it up with the help of a vacuum. Not only will this get rid of the cigarette smoke smell, but it will also fade any spills or stains your carpet has.
Deep Clean the Floor
The last step to cleaning your apartment and permanently getting rid of smoke odors is to clean your hardwood flooring. This step is only applicable to apartments that do not have fixed carpeting.
The process is pretty simple. Clear the space so you have an open surface to work on. You can always go for the white vinegar and baking soda mixture in this step, too. Just do a small patch test in a corner to make sure that the vinegar isn’t too strong for your specific type of floor.
Use Soapy Water
An alternative is to mix a few drops of dish soap in warm water. Splash the water all over the floor, scrub it with a mop, and dry it out with a wiper. You can mop the floor once again with a scented floor cleaner if you wish.
Clean the Storage Spaces
If you want to eradicate every last molecule causing the smoke smell, do not skip on your storage spaces. These are rather easier to clean. Dampen a lint-free cloth with watered-down vinegar and simply wipe all the surfaces. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to the vinegar mixture to make your storage cabinets smell good.
Use Coffee Beans
Leave a few grains of coffee beans in small containers inside your cabinets. This will help keep the space smelling fresh for a long period. You can also drop halved lemons into the corners of your drawers for the same purpose.
Repaint the Indoors
Your rental unit may not allow you to repaint without permission. Make sure you confirm with your rental property owner before moving on with this step so you don’t lose out on getting your apartment deposit back. Otherwise, you can always request them to get the job done before you move-in.
Follow the Right Procedure
Once you get the go-ahead, focus on sanding all the walls and ceilings. The outermost surface is where the majority of the cigarette smoke is settled, but you need to get rid of all the paint layers. After that, start with an odor blocking primer. As a rental property owner, this will keep the walls from retaining a great extent of cigarette smell in the future. As a tenant, you should still invest in such a primer so that any underlying smells left behind don’t find a way through the new layers of paint.
Hire a Professional
The rest of the job is pretty much the same as a regular paint job, but, of course, it will not be a piece of cake to do it all on your own. Do not worry if you can’t find the time or strength to repaint the apartment yourself. No matter where your apartment is located, you can easily hire some of the top handyman services in your area.
The Takeaway
Even if you have to go through all this hassle to get a purified rental unit, you should. So, if you find a decent apartment in your budget, you should not let it go just because you noticed that it had retained its cigarette smell. The above-mentioned tips will help you get rid of the smell. Once the apartment is free of cigarette smell, you will definitely have your apartment smelling good as new.
