How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smells in Your House (Updated for 2025)

Knowing how to get rid of cigarette smells from your home has benefits. The lingering stench of tobacco can make any space unwelcoming to nonsmokers, which can hurt you financially when selling your house. If you sense the funk, you can bet it’s even worse for nonsmokers. Since air fresheners and purifiers only mask the unpleasant odor and don’t remove them, follow these tips.

1. Change Your Air Filters 

Tobacco smoke residue can spread around the house through the air ducts. This pollutant can circulate indoors indefinitely, exposing nonsmokers — including pets like Scottish terriers— to this hazard involuntarily.

If you haven’t been changing or washing your HVAC filters regularly, now is the time to start. When you do, examine the noticeable gray color on the fabric. If the side effects of nicotine use can do that to bleach, imagine what it does to your lungs.

The smell of stale cigarettes can creep into your central heating and air conditioning equipment’s coils. Wipe the HVAC surfaces you can reach thoroughly, but leave more challenging areas like the ductwork to professional cleaners. Although the jury is on whether unclogging air ducts improves health, removing thirdhand smoke and other trapped contaminants can inspire peace of mind.

2. Clean Smoke-Stained Surfaces With Borax

This natural remedy can disinfect and deodorize tobacco smoke-riddled surfaces. Mixing borax with a gallon of hot water makes a powerful all-purpose cleaner.

Add a few sprigs of your favorite aromatic plant to lend fragrance to your solution. Let the stems soak for a while, then strain them. Allow your solution to cool before bottling it up in a spray container.

3. Paint Over Smoky Walls

Cigarette smell can seep into your walls. The good news is you don’t have to rip out your drywall. Instead, you can cover and seal the odor with a fresh coat of paint.

The pervasive tobacco smoke can bleed through the paint, so prepare your walls for a paint job with these steps.

• Wash walls with a strong cleaning solution. Use the above borax blend or a diluted distilled white vinegar solution.
• Spackle and sand the walls to create a smooth surface. Apply painters tape where needed.
• Use a paint system with a stain-blocking primer.

Traditional paints emit chemicals called volatile organic compounds, which can negatively impact indoor air quality for years. Coat with an eco-friendly product to minimize the amount of harmful substances your drywall may emit.

4. Replace Carpeting With Stubborn Smells

Thirdhand smoke can spread through HVAC systems, but it’s also present in the fibers of carpeting and furniture throughout a home.

The smell of cigarette smoke can leak into your carpeting. Additionally, moisture accumulation between the rug and foundation allows bacteria to flourish.

Save your stinky furnishing by covering it with baking soda for 15 minutes or more or hiring a professional carpet shampooing service. If either fails, replace your old carpet with a new one.

5. How to Get Cigarette Smells Out of Furniture

If your wood, leather or upholstered piece reeks of tobacco smoke, washing it can remove the foul-smelling odor. While cleaning your furniture is straightforward, some steps may vary by material.

How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smells From Wood Furniture

Whether you have a wooden side table or bed frame, you can conveniently remove cigarette smells. Although you can’t eliminate the funk overnight, it should stink less after every cleaning session.

To get started, prepare these supplies:

• Baking soda or coffee grounds
• White vinegar
• Wood cleaner
• Water
• Cloth
• Vacuum cleaner

Sprinkle the baking soda over your furniture and let it sit for hours before vacuuming. The substance helps neutralize the tobacco odor but may damage your piece, so start small first. If your wooden furniture and baking soda don’t mix, use coffee grounds as a milder alternative.

Clean your piece gently with diluted vinegar and air-dry indoors. If there are any drawers, remove them before applying wood cleaner with a cloth to the entire surface. Dry your furniture completely before putting everything back together.

How to Get the Cigarette Smell Out of a Leather Couch

Getting the cigarette smell out of a leather couch also requires ventilation. If you can’t do this outdoors, open the windows and run a fan to move the air. Ready the following:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Water
• Two cloths
• Vacuum cleaner

Remove all cushions and pillows to let the leather can breathe. Leave it alone for a day. Dip a cloth in vinegar and water and wipe down the furniture. Afterward, dry with a fresh cloth. Allow the air to dry the remaining moisture completely.

Dust your piece with baking soda, and allow the substance to sit. Then, suck up the baking soda using a vacuum cleaner. Repeat the steps until the stench is gone.

How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smells From Upholstered Furniture

As you would with leather furniture, let upholstered furniture air out entirely before removing cigarette smells with these supplies:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Water
• Spray bottle
• Vacuum cleaner

Powder the furniture with baking soda. Cover every nook and cranny. The longer you want the substance to rest, the more you should sprinkle. Then, vacuum every speck. Blend vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Mist the furniture without drenching it, and let it dry.

As with the others, you may unsuccessfully deodorize your piece in one attempt. Redo the process until you’re satisfied. If you can’t eliminate the cigarette odor, consider using a professional steam cleaning service.

6. Buy Some Houseplants 

Greenery detoxifies the air. Displaying houseplants around your indoor space can neutralize secondhand or thirdhand cigarette smoke.

Some plants need more maintenance than others. If you don’t have a green thumb, consider less demanding species. Succulents like Lace Aloe are great candidates. Lace Aloe only needs to drink 2-4 times monthly, so it’s a set-and-forget plant.

How to Get Rid of Cigarette Smells From Your House

Smoking kills the appeal of an otherwise inviting home. If you can’t kick this habit, removing traces of tobacco inside the house is the least you can do to keep others healthy and comfortable. Cigarette odor removal requires intervention, so apply these tips to breathe fresh air indoors.

Original Publish Date 1/30/2020 — Updated 11/26/2024