How To Clean Smoke Smell Off The Walls
If one or more of your rooms reeks of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or vaping, you’ll most likely be charged extra for cleaning by your landlord when you move out. That odor can also prevent your home from being sold when you put it on the market. Additionally, this smokey residue that produces the smell can also be absorbed via the skin, inhaled, and ingested, which increases the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Fortunately, you can clean the smoke off your walls by following these steps.
Air it out.
Air out the room by opening all windows and vents and turning on any ceiling fans. If you have portable fans, place them in front of the windows facing the outside to blow away any odor. Check to see if your air conditioner has a setting that will move air out of a room, and use that setting to help eliminate odor.
Remove what you can.
Any smoke residue will not only have settled into your walls but onto everything else in the room, including sofas, tables, plants, and light bulbs. You will not only have to remove everything from walls that can interfere with cleaning, such as pictures, posters, nails, and hooks, but you’ll also need to empty the room of everything else, such as furniture and light bulbs.
These items must be cleaned separately before you return them to the room. Instead of trying to clean delicate bulbs, which can be time-consuming, consider replacing them with new ones.
Gather supplies.
You’ll need the following supplies to clean your walls.
- chalk or pencil
- vacuum cleaner
- sponge
- regular or microfiber cloths
- drop cloth
- spray bottle
- one bucket for cleaning solution, one for cleaning water, and one to wringing your dirty sponge out in
- rubber gloves and, depending on the cleaning solution you use, goggles to protect the eyes.
- sandpaper
- odor blocking primer
- paint
You’ll then have to decide on a cleaning solution.
- A search on the Internet for “wall cleaners” reveals many commercial fluids.
- You can also create your own by mixing a gallon of hot water, three tablespoons of dish soap, and a half-cup of baking soda.
- Another option is to put white or apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or ammonia as your fluid.
Whatever you decide on, first test it on a hidden corner of the room, such as inside a closet or behind a buffet. You want to be sure that the fluid does not damage the surface of your wall.
Prep the walls.
Lay down drop cloths to prevent any cleaning solution from dripping onto the floor. Turn off the power to the room to prevent problems if your cleaning solution gets into electrical outlets or bulb sockets while you’re working.
Either wipe the walls with a clean cloth or use a vacuum to eliminate any dust, dirt, or loose residue.
Clean the walls.
Follow the instructions specific to the cleaning solution that you’ve chosen. If you’re using a homemade solution, use these steps.
- Apply the cleaning solution to the wall using a sponge dipped in the solution or a spray bottle with the liquid.
- Rub the area vigorously in a circular motion. You may have to do this several times in deeply stained sections with smoke residue.
- Dip a cloth in clean water and use it to rinse the area.
- Immediately dry the area with a soft, clean cloth. Be sure to catch any drips.
Continue doing this until you’ve covered the entire wall. Change cloths and water frequently to avoid reapplying the smoke residue onto the walls.
Finish.
Wait a day or two for your walls to dry completely. If you still see stains or smell odors in certain sections, sand the area lightly to smooth it out. Then, apply the odor-blocking primer before painting over it. You may have to do this for the entire room. Otherwise, the unpainted walls may look duller than the freshly painted ones.
Don’t forget the ceiling and floors.
Still, smell smoke after your cleaning? It’s probably because the smoky residue has permeated your ceilings and floors. If you have a flat ceiling and floor, you can try cleaning them using the previous steps. However, if you have a textured ceiling or carpet, you’ll need to call in professional help to eliminate the problem.