If you can smell smoke in your house, it’s first important to find the underlying cause of the smell. This will help you understand the steps you need to take to remove the smell, and it could also help you prevent a smoke smell from ever taking hold in your home again.

Why Does My House Smell Like Smoke?

There are numerous things that might cause a smoke smell in the house:

• Smoking cigarettes or cigars indoors.
• Outdoor fires or BBQs near to your house.
• Burning fuel indoors.
• Cooking food.

And of course, a fire in the home can leave its mark in more ways than one. The smell of smoke can remain long after the fire’s been extinguished.

Also, the actions of previous tenants can cause a lingering smoke smell. If they were heavy smokers, for example, then you may still smell their second-hand smoke even after they’ve vacated the premises.

Why Do Smoke Smells Stick Around?

When you burn certain materials, such as wood or charcoal, it creates particulate matter – tiny smoke particles, not all of which will be visible to the naked eye. Some of them will be microscopic. But even if they’re effectively invisible, you’ll still be able to smell them.

These airborne particles can then attach themselves to surfaces in your home. They can stick to hard surfaces like walls, floors, and your household appliances. But they’re particularly difficult to remove from soft surfaces including carpets, rugs, couches, and curtains.

Can Candles and Air Fresheners Remove Smoke Smells?

You could use scented candles and spray air fresheners, of course. But this will just mask the smell of smoke. If you want to permanently remove the smell of smoke from your house, you need to remove these tiny smoke particles from the various surfaces in your home.

How to Remove a Smoke Smell in the House

Open as many windows as and doors as possible to create a good flow of air in your home. At the same time, run any extractor fans in your kitchen and bathroom. You could also try leaving tumble dryer sheets around the house, and even a cup of dry coffee grounds, to absorb the smell of smoke while you air your house.

This alone can help remove the most overpowering smoke smells. But to entirely rid your home of the smell of smoke, you’ll need to do a deep clean of any affected areas.

How to Remove the Smoke Smell From Your Furniture

Wash any fabric in your home that you think might be affected by smoke particles. If possible, take items of furniture outside, to allow the smoke particles to dissipate in the fresh air.

If you can’t remove the fabric from your furniture for a wash, you can use a steam cleaner to destroy any deep-rooted smoke particles in the fibre.

How to Remove the Smoke Smell From Leather

Make a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Mix them in a bowl, then wipe your solution over the surface of the leather with a soft cloth. Aim to apply a thin layer, but not so much that you saturate the leather. Let it soak in then leave it to dry, and you may remove the smell of smoke. There may be a lingering smell of vinegar. But unlike the smell of smoke, this shouldn’t last very long.

Alternatively, you could use rubbing alcohol in place of the white vinegar in your solution. A couple of drops of washing up liquid in warm water can also make a difference. Again, apply an even layer with a soft cloth or a sponge, and leave it to dry.

How to Remove Smoke Smells From Carpets and Rugs

Hoovering alone may not remove the smell of smoke from a carpet or rug.

First, apply an even layer of baking soda, and let it sit overnight. This can help absorb or break down any tiny smoke particles that may be lingering in the carpet. The vacuum cleaner you use is also important. Ideally, your vacuum should have a HEPA filter, so that it can trap any smoke particles it picks up from your soft surfaces.

You may have to repeat this process a couple of times to entirely remove the smell of smoke.

How to Remove Smoke Smells From Your Walls and Other Hard Surfaces

First, make a dedicated smoke smell removal solution:

• 5 litres warm water
• 200 ml white vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons of washing up liquid.

Apply this to any hard surfaces in your home you think might be harbouring smoke particles. This might include the walls, ceiling, floors, counters, stairs, bannisters, windows, mirrors, and appliances. If there are any cupboards, cabinets, or drawers in the room, remember to clean the inside as well as the outside.

Apply the solution with a spray bottle, let it sit for 30 seconds, then wipe it off with a soft cloth or a sponge.

Purify the Air in Your Home

Finally, introducing a reliable supply of clean air into your home can help remove any lingering smoke smells. And at the same time, through effectively removing smoke particles from the atmosphere, this can help prevent smoke smells from ever taking hold again.

Our powerful yet unobtrusive home air purifiers can remove 99% of particles from a room in as little as 12.5 minutes, including microscopic smoke particles. At the same time, they’ll remove dust, pollen, mould spores, and pet dander. So as well as helping to remove smoke smells from your home, they can also help you manage allergies and breathe easier.

Read our short guide for more information about how air purifiers work to improve the air quality in your home.

Browse our full range of advanced air purifiers for the home.