How to Get Cigarette Smoke Out of Carpet

If your guests turn up their noses whenever they enter your home because of the strong smell of cigarette smoke coming from your carpet, it's time to do something about the problem. Whether you are a smoker or the previous owners of your house or apartment smoked, you need to be proactive about getting rid of the cigarette odor from your carpet as soon as possible. The longer it has a chance to set in, the harder it is to remove.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Allergen carpet powder Rug shampooer Baking soda

1. Sprinkle the surface of your carpet with a penetrating, allergen-reducing deodorizing powder (see Resources). Leave the powder on overnight and then vacuum it up the next day.

2. Pour baking soda on your carpet and allow it to sit on the surface for a few hours, then vacuum it up as well. Baking soda is a strong deodorizing agent that you can use in most home-cleaning situations in which you are hit with an offensive smell.

3. Purchase or rent a professional rug and carpet shampooer. Create a solution of carpet cleaner, hot water and a little bit of vinegar to insert into the shampooer. Vinegar is effective at neutralizing strong smells. (Your carpet may smell like the vinegar for a while, but a fresh, clean scent should soon take its place.)

4. Spray your entire carpet with Febreze or a similar spray deodorizer that not only covers up the smell, but absorbs and eliminates it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to effectively deodorize the carpet, don't smoke in the house during the process of performing these steps. There is really no point in getting the smoke out of the carpet if you will continue to smoke in the house; the problem will only get worse. Purchase an air purifier to help eliminate some of the cigarette smoke before it has a chance to be absorbed into your carpet. You might believe that your carpet is the only source of the cigarette odor, but it is most likely every cloth surface in your home that smells like smoke. You have to treat all of those items to get rid of the smell. Open a window in your home to release the odor while deodorizing.

Resources

• More Cigarette-Odor Tips
• Allergen-Reducing Carpet Powder
• Air Purifier to Help Get Rid of Cigarette Smoke