The smell of cigarette smoke makes even the cleanest homes feel stale and unhealthy. Tobacco smoke leaves behind sticky residue that penetrates walls, furniture, fabrics, and your air system. Creating a clean, healthy living environment requires a thorough, multi-step process that goes much deeper than surface cleaning. Professional smoke remediation is just one of the many services SERVPRO® provides.
Why Cigarette Smoke Odor is Hard to Eliminate
- Smoke is made up of thousands of tiny chemical particles that cling to surfaces and settle deep into porous materials.
- Over time, tar and nicotine leave yellow stains on walls and ceilings.
- Upholstery, carpets, and draperies absorb the smell, often becoming discolored.
- Heating and cooling systems spread smoke throughout the house, making it difficult to treat just one area.
- The longer smoke exposure occurs, the deeper it infiltrates, making removal more difficult.
- Without proper cigarette smoke removal, odors usually resurface after temporary solutions.
Why is Cigarette Smoke Removal So Important?
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, some of which are associated with cancer. Inhaling the smell can cause health effects, particularly for those who are pregnant, young, or elderly. In addition, cigarette smoke leaves behind a residue that can damage furniture, walls, flooring, and discolor fabrics and other materials.
If you’re getting ready to sell your home or simply preparing for guests, cigarette smells leave a very poor impression. It’s worth calling SERVPRO to ensure the smell of cigarette smoke is expertly remediated.
Steps in Professional Smoke Remediation from SERVPRO
To remove the smell, you have to tackle the penetrated smoke itself. There are several steps SERVPRO takes when removing cigarette smoke from a property:
1. Assess the level of contamination. By evaluating the severity of contamination, we can determine the type of cigarette smoke remediation needed.
2. Air purification. Air purification is used to remove airborne particles from the air through the use of air scrubbers and air filters.
3. Deodorization. Once the air has been purified, deodorization is used to eliminate the smoke smell. This is achieved with ozone generators and other specialized equipment, as described in the next section. You may consider replacing furniture or other items that have been heavily saturated.
4. Cleaning. All surfaces affected by the smoke must be cleaned. This includes walls, floors, furniture, fabrics, and other materials. Our proprietary disinfectants, masking agents, pairing agents, filtration agents, and/or enzyme digesters may be used in this step, depending on the severity of the smoke damage and what’s required for your specific situation.
5. Restoration. Depending on the level of damage, restoration may be necessary. This includes repairing any damage1 done to the walls, floors, and other materials. If needed, SERVPRO also provides construction services, so you don’t need to worry about using multiple companies to complete the cleanup and restoration process.
Removing the Smell: Deodorizing
Once we’ve removed the cigarette smoke, we will follow the process below for deodorization. These are the steps we follow for both cigarette smoke smell and other offensive odors. You can review this process in detail on our Odor Removal page.
1. Locate and remove the cigarette odor source. Otherwise, the odor may continue to emit.
2. Clean the surfaces of any residue. If this step is not completed thoroughly, leftover cigarette odor particles may continue to emit.
3. Reproduce the conditions that caused odor penetration in the first place. This is handled by distributing a deodorizer to a surface, similar to the way the odor-causing materials enter the surface or air.
4. Seal surfaces exposed to disagreeable odors.
Our team may use an ozone or hydroxyl machine to assist with cigarette smell remediation. However, keep in mind each situation is different, so you should contact your local SERVPRO so they can inspect the affected area and determine a customized plan.
DIY vs. Professional Cigarette Smoke Remediation
Basic cleaning and ventilation may help with light odor, but homes with years of smoking history usually need more advanced solutions. Professional cigarette smoke remediation uses specialized cleaning agents and equipment that penetrate where household cleaners cannot. Getting the smoke smell out of a house by SERVPRO professionals ensures the odor is gone for good, not just hidden temporarily.
Benefits of Quick Remediation
Remediating cigarette smoke quickly is essential for protecting the health of the occupants and restoring the property. The longer the smoke is allowed to linger, the more it will penetrate the walls, furniture, and fabrics, making both the smoke and smell harder to remove. Our Fire Damage Restoration Process and Fire Damage Emergency Tips pages provide additional information regarding fire and smoke restoration.
SERVPRO is Here to Help Around the Clock
SERVPRO is available 24/7 year-round to assist with removing cigarette smoke smells, smoke remediation services, fire remediation services, and more. We’re experienced in cleaning, restoring, and repairing homes and businesses that have been affected by cigarette smoke. Whether it’s new or old, our team is dedicated to providing quick and effective smoke remediation services. With over 2000 franchises across the United States and Canada, rest assured there is never a SERVPRO far away. We service 90% of all US zip codes within two hours and are dedicated to arriving onsite within one hour of your call. Remember to review our FAQ and Glossary pages for additional information.
No matter when require the removal of cigarette smoke smell we are always here and ready to work to restore your property to pre-loss condition, “Like it never even happened.” Give us a call today.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2099323/