Home : Cleaning : Smells : Tobacco smoke. Remove tobacco smoke odor and Nicotine stains

Tobacco smoke. Remove tobacco smoke odor and Nicotine stains

I have had quite a few questions asked about dealing with the residue from smoking. Lets start with the smell

Cigarette smoke odour

To diminish the smoke smell from cigarettes burn a few decorative candles. It should lift the smoke.

Another idea is to place a few saucers of vinegar in strategic places around the room.

Also charcoal will absorb stale smoke odours. As with the vinegar place the charcoal in saucers around the room.

If your furnishings are suffering from smoke odor then sprinkle baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) over armchair/sofa/mattress/carpet. Leave for a few hours and then vacuum off. The baking soda will absorb the smell. The baking soda should not mark your furniture but you can always test in an inconspicuous area.

To make cleaning your ashtrays easier try waxing them with a thin coat of floor wax after cleaning before setting out for use again. Some air fresheners also work and also add a fresh scent.

Submitted by Barbie

Nicotine stains

Remove them from your fingers with lemon juice, and scrubbing with pumice stone. Then add hand cream.

Nicotine stains on ash trays can be removed by rubbing with heated salt.

Nicotine stains will accumulate. They are a very greasy stain so I have a few ideas.

Vinegar on a cotton cloth should make the nicotine stains come right off

If the stains will not come off with just vinegar recipe for an extra strength household floor and wall cleaner that works well at removing nicotine stains.

1 gallon hot water
1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent (Dawn cuts grease and would work well for the stains)
1 tablespoon ammonia

Use gloves because it will be a dirty job. The nicotine stains will come off as a greasy slimy residue. Rinse your cloth in clean water before dipping back into the cleaner. Rinse the wall well after cleaning

Another thing that works is straight rubbing alcohol on a sponge but because it is a large job I wouldn't recommend it except for stubborn spots.

If you decide to repaint instead of cleaning, first paint with a sealer to stop the stains from bleeding through the new paint. It will seal in the stains so they won't bleed through the new paint job

You can buy commercial products that will work well. One I have heard of is Greased Lightning. I think that it is only available in the US.

Sugar soap is also very good at shifting Nicotine stains.

Visitors comments

Nicotene stains on fingers Comments By: mark on 2007-12-15

I tried various methods before (like lemon juice etc) and these stubborn stains were driving me nutty.
Here is my solution- Try & ordinary band aid (or sticking plaster). As long as
you're not allergic, clean the stained area of skin with a nail brush & washing up liquid first. Dry your fingers and wrap an ordinary PLASTIC plaster over the areas that are stained. It need to be plastic so that your skin sweats underneath it. Peal the plaster off 24hrs later- stubborn stains are nearly always gone. At the very least completely faded. If not, simply repeat for a further 24 hrs. Works everytime for me.

HELP ME! Comments By: Dawn Kincaid on 2008-09-01

PLEASE HELP WITH RESOLUTION ON HARD CIGARETTE STAINS! CAMPER WALLS ARE COVERED!

TipKing says:Try sugar soap available at hardware stores

Nicotine stains Comments By: kept Trying on 2008-12-02

Try Oxiclean,I had tile grout stained brown with nicotine tryed all the cleaners that I could find finely tryed Woolite HD with Oxiclean now have white grout and clean tile

tobacco odour in leather Comments By: Valentina on 2009-04-14

How do I get rid of smell of cigerettes from a leather chair I have just bought second hand? Help please

OLD SCROLLED HARD PLASTIC FRAMED MIRROR Comments By: LORRAINE on 2009-07-15

YEARS OF NICOTINE BUILD UP HELP!!!

Nicotine removal ! Comments By: simon@piratespost.co.uk on 2009-12-29

use a strong mix of soda crystals in fresh boiled water and wipe down walls/surfaces (wear rubbers) the enzymes eat the chemicals down. wash down after with soapy water

Thank-you Comments By: Little Turtle on 2010-05-09

I've been looking at different sites; but, this one gave me several options for clean-up. I used a strong cleaner that had bleach in it; then, let the hot water in the shower steam the bathroom. It took several layers of tobacco smoke build-up. I rinsed the wall and the tobacco stains run were lightened.