How to Remove Cigarette Smoke With Ventilation

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Things You'll Need

  • Box fans

  • Baking soda

Removing cigarette smoke from a room is a lengthy process.

If you allow guests to smoke in your home or have moved into a new house in which the previous owners smoked, the first thing you might want to do is remove the tinge of smoke in the air. If the smoke has lingered for a long time and been absorbed into many surfaces, this task will prove difficult. Instead of simply adding more irritants to the air in the form of aerosol cleaners, ventilation is a method to clean the air.

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Step 1

Open as many windows as possible, especially windows facing each other. This will create a cross draft, meaning the fresh air will run through your home from one window to another.

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Step 2

Place a box fan on the window ledge of the window that is receiving the strongest breeze. Position the fan so its rear is to the window.

Step 3

Turn the fan on. The blades of the fan will pull fresh air into the house. If you have a second box fan, place it in the window across from the first box fan, position it with its back to the room and turn it on. The placement of the two fans will work together to pull old air out of the room and introduce new air.

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Step 4

Switch the fans to two other opposite windows after allowing them to run for several hours, and repeat the process.

Step 5

Place open boxes of baking soda around the room, being careful not to put them directly in the path of a fan. The baking soda will absorb the smoke odors the fans push it past the boxes.

Tip

Do not run the furnace or air conditioning until the smoke has been cleared. An ventilation system will pull the smoky air into the ducts and continue to release it into the air.

Warning

It is a common belief that renting an ozone generator is an effective way to clean the air in your home. These generators carry a substantial health risk, as ozone is a gas that can irritate the nose, throat and lungs.

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