How To Get Rid Of Smoke Smell In House (Step-By-Step Guide)

Whether it’s from a blaze in the house or a nearby wildfire, these tips will help you eliminate the smoke smell and put that scary memory behind you. This is how. Fires scare people. Whether there’s a fire inside the house or a scary fire spread across the landscape, the most important thing is to obtain everyone to safety.

But when the flames go out, the proof is still there. The smell of smoke can last a very long time, and every time you breathe in, it reminds you of something unpleasant. But things mustn’t be like that. It’s not hard to learn how to get rid of the smoke smell in the house, but you will have to roll up your sleeves and do a little work. You only need these helpful tips to make it happen.

What Causes Smoke Smells to Persist?

Before trying to get rid of the smoke smell, you should know how smoke works. The smell of a fire comes from the smoke particles left behind. These small particles float through the air and stick to fabrics like couches, drapes, rugs, and hard surfaces like walls, floors, equipment, and windows.

You can create the air smell better by lighting candles and spray coating air fresheners, but this is not a long-term solution. If those smoke particles are still there, you will still smell them. To get rid of the smell of smoke in a house, you must get rid of these particles. Get these things together to help you do the job.

Materials and Tools What You Need:

  • Box fans
  • Laundry detergent
  • Cleaner for steam
  • Baking soda
  • Wet-dry vacuum
  • Bucket
  • Vinegar, or white
  • Soap to clean dishes
  • Can of spray
  • Sponges
  • Brushes to clean
  • Mop
  • Soap to clean dishes 
  • Restoration primer
  • Paint
  • Paintbrushes
  • Rollers
  • HVAC filters

Let the House Breathe

The first thing to get rid of smoke smells is to let in as much air as possible. Open the windows and doors to permit airflow through the house. Put box fans in the windows and let them run for a few hours to help the air move. Let the exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom run is also a good idea.

Just doing this should make it a little easier to stay inside. If the odor is too powerful for you to handle, you might want to call in a service to help. If the smell doesn’t bother you, you can leave the windows open and clean the rest of the house.

Read Also: How to Clean Your Jordans

How to Get the Smell of Smoke Out of Fabrics and Upholstery

Take off and wash everything in the house that is made of fabric. This includes curtains, blankets, bed and throws pillows, bath and kitchen towels, and other fabric items around the house. Don’t forget the clothes in your dressers and closets, because smoke can easily get there.

Use a washer and dryer to clean things that can be washed, but don’t use them inside your home. For delicates, take them to a dry cleaner. Once the fabrics are clean, put them somewhere else until the whole house is smoke-free.

Next, pay attention to the furniture with cushions. It’s best to take these things outside and let them “breathe” to eliminate some of the strong smoke smell. This also keeps these things out of the way when the house needs a deep clean.

If you have to, use a steam cleaner to eliminate these particles. Because smoke particles can get into the cushions, this may need to be done by a professional cleaning company that specializes in getting rid of the smoke. And if you were exhausted from that old couch, now is the time to get a new one.

How to Get the Smell of Smoke Out of Rugs and Carpets

It can be hard, but not impossible, to get the smell of smoke out of carpeted floors. Sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet. The whole surface should look white to ensure you don’t miss any spots.

Let the baking soda perch on the carpet overnight, and then use a wet-dry vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean it. If the smell doesn’t disappear, do the process again and let the baking soda work overnight. If the carpet still smells bad after vacuuming it twice, you may need to call a professional or get a new carpet.

Create a cleaning solution For Smoke Smell

Grab a bucket and blend a gallon of heat water, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of detergent soap. Maintain the bucket handy, but it’s also a smart option to fill a spray bottle for easy use. This will be the most common way to clean up smoke from now on, so you may need to mix up white vinegar and washing dishes soap as you clean.

Walls and Other Hard Surfaces

Use the vinegar cleaning solution you made home to clean all of the home’s hard surfaces. Take care of the walls, ceilings, floors, appliances, cabinets, worktops, stairs, handrails, reflectors, and windows. Most of these can be cleaned with a spray bottle. 

Spray the solution on the cover, let it sit for 30 seconds, and then wipe it away with a sponge. Spray the surface and then use the scrub brush to get into the cracks where smoke particles can hide in the grout among tiles in a bathroom or kitchen. Use the cleaning solution to mop the floors as well. 

Be cautious about rinsing the mop frequently to maintain the solution’s cleanliness. Things like plates, glasses, and silverware need to be cleaned. Most likely, the inside of the dishwasher was not affected by the smoke, so you can run it but leave the meals there until the whole house is free of smoke.

Books and photos are made of paper, so it can be hard to clean them without ruining them. If you have any valuable paper items, take them to a company that fixes up books and photos. Make sure to clean the windows well. Take the screens off and scrub them with a sponge and surface cleaner.

Please remove the window ribbons and clean them inside and out, then spray and wipe down the window jambs. Once the substrates are clean, prime and paint the house again. Probe formulas made just for restoring do a great job of blocking smells and stains.