How to get rid of cigaratte smell?
Question:I have a new roommate moving into my house. He agreed to only smoke outside. His move in date isn't for a couple of weeks but he has been storing some stuff in my garage. The garage reeks! I can even smell the smoke smell coming into the house through the garage door. I am so afraid that when he brings his stuff into the house not only will it be an unpleasant odor but all my things will smell as well. I feel like I can't ask him to spend the money to prof clean everything. It's not so much furniture that smells either. Right now it's mostly boxes in the garage. I feel like I have made such a mistake allowing him to move in now but its too late. How can I deal with this other than frebreeze or similar products?
Answers:
Commercial air fresheners only mask odors with an artificial scent and don't provide a long-term solution. Instead, try to prevent and neutralize odors. One of the most effective ways to deal with the smell of cigarette smoke is to air out the room for a short time every day. This will also help prevent new odors from building up. To neutralize the smoke smell, place saucers of white vinegar around the room and near affected furniture. Charcoal or baking powder has a similar effect. Leave it in the room overnight or for several days, preferably with the room closed off. Then thoroughly air out the room again.
To remove the smell from fabrics, such as furniture upholstery, sprinkle the fabric with baking soda. Leave it for a few hours, and then vacuum it off. If you're concerned about baking soda messing up your fine materials, test it first in an inconspicuous area of the fabric. Upholstery shampoo, either a commercial brand or a one you make yourself using liquid dish or laundry detergent and warm water, can also help remove smells from furniture. Be careful that you don't get the furniture too wet while you're cleaning it, and speed the drying by keeping windows open and using a fan. Don't forget the carpets. These can suck up smells too. Sprinkle the carpet with a mixture of 1 cup Borax and 2 cups cornmeal, wait an hour, and then vacuum.
If the odor has really sunk in and these tricks don't help, you'll need to wash all the surfaces of the room thoroughly. Smoke can leave a residue that causes the smell to linger, so you need to wash it away. For painted walls and ceilings, try a solution of 1 gallon of warm water, 1/2 cup plain ammonia, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 1/4 cup washing soda (which can be found in the laundry additives area of supermarkets). Refresh this solution frequently while washing, and you won't need to rinse. Start at the bottom of a wall and work your way up. How you clean wallpaper will depend on the specific type of paper. Newer vinyl papers can be washed with water, but older papers may be more delicate.
If you have machine-washable curtains or other fabrics in the room, try washing them with heavy-duty, phosphate-based detergent plus 1 cup water conditioner and 1/2 cup bleach. Other fabrics may need to be professionally cleaned.
The only thing I have found to take care of it is the new arm and hammer carpet nad fabric spray you can use it once and it kills the odors.
If you are so concerned with smoke smells why on earth did you agree to share a room with a smoker?
Unfortunately the tobacco smell will always invade the home in some ways but if you are strict and he or she only smokes outside then the clothes will not be exposed to as much smoke as when smoking inside a room.
Fabreeze is really the only way to deal with it.I used to deal with is...by telling my room mate that she could smoke in one of two places.either in her room with the window open, or out on the balcony. It worked for a while...but then she got tired of it.Informed me that since she too was paying half the rent that she would smoke in the house...because who was I to make all the rules..Well I came home one day from work with my 8 month old little girl...To an apartment filled with smoke..pot...I cld the cops and that ended that friendship! Hopefully your situation won't end like that. Anyhow good luck and yeah fabreeze works!
Please talk to him...Never forget that the root of all problem are communication gap..and its still not late.
seriously? Just tell her you have changed your mind. What do you want, a fight now or a really bad fight later, resulting in you hating to go home every day? Home is where the heart is, and the only place you can relax. So you were too quick to judge the situation and now you wish you hadn't made the choice. Just tell her the truth and move on. It's no worse then breaking up with a boyfriend. Life is yours to live how you want to live. You deserve your happiness first. Let every one else worry about themselves.
P.S. I was totally nice to all my roomates and none of them talk to me today. That is how it goes. You gain a roomate and you loose a friend. Find some one you don't consider a friend and let them move in. Lay down the rules and tell them exactly what to expect. Be professional and you will enjoy roomates a lot more.
do you have a lease with him...if you do not you are not obligated to rent to him.if you do the best way to approach it is together...and find a solution either on the internet...some rug cleaning companys are a good resource to get what you need to remove smell of smoke...get your agreement in writing about smoking outside only.you can ask him to clean his stuff...it is your house that he is renting in.but have these things in writing...do it after he moves in will cause more tension.he may deside that its not worth his effort...and move elsewhere
keep your garage door open whenever you can, to air out his stuff. as long as he doesnt smoke in your house then the smell will go away if you keep it well ventilated. my mother-in-law smokes like a chimney, whenever she gives us gifts on birthdays and christmas, they STINK lol. but after being in fresh air for awhile the smell does go away. just febreeze the crap out of the furniture and the big stuff, and open all the windows to let them air out. good luck.
I agree with the suggestions that taja m made I might add one more thing put out dryer sheets. My husband is a nurse and works the ICU floor and it gets smelling sometimes they hang dryer sheets in the rooms. Keep changing them often.
Dryer Sheets ( FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS)
cut a lemon and keep it in the room corners which have the tendency to absorp toxic or odured gas in it .but dont use the same lemon to put a juice ha ha
Unfortunately nothing but Febreze really does anything, if all that stuff is in boxes, the boxes need to be opened so the stuff can air out. Fresh air will take care of some of the problem.
Someone else mentioned charcoal - I found the perfect product that I've used for years and know dozens of other people that use it. It is a product called FRIDGE IT carbon odor absorbers. It is a little purple cube with an incredible activated carbon filter inside that is really, really, great. The carbon literally absorbs and eliminates the odors and works for a long time. It works so much better than all those sprays and fragrances that just cover up smells and doesn't get rid of them. Also, alot of sprays have warning statements about being eye irritant. and gels and oils that say keep away from fabric, etc. and just don't eliminate odors. Just put a few of these around the garage and other areas. You may need to get a bunch - they are only 2 - 3 dollars each. I use this product everywhere including car(smoke and pet smells), storage, closets, my fridge and also under sinks, near trash and have friends that use it on cat litter box and also diaper pails - it's that good. I really recommend it. You can buy it in kitchen gadget sections in stores like walmart and linens and things. I also think camping world sells it. Definitely worth trying
arm and hammer baking soda.. or better yet just start smoking
Pinesol and hot water! fill the sink with it and let it sit for a few hours. Works better than anything! Trust Me i know this one!
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