This is a question for all of you ex-smokers out there. I recently quit and am now noticing how much my apartment still smells of cigarette smoke. It seems that most products that I have tried only work for a very short time.
Can anyone offer some suggestions on how I can eliminate or greatly reduce this odor. Any help would be appreciated.
I was speaking with an apartment manager once and she told me that when a smoker moved out of one of their apartments they would call the local fire department and schedule them to come by and “treat” the apartment. Appears they have something that works fairly well and I think she said the bill was about fifty to a hundred bucks.
Might be worth a phone call to your fire department to find out if this service really is available.
Try a couple of shots of a spray called Ozium, then leave your apartment for a few hours. Might need to repeat it several days in a row.
Congrats on quitting!!!
Febreze works pretty well for getting smoke smell out of fabric. (eg: upholstered furniture) Things like drapes are better off being washed. Carpets will need a good cleaning also.
This, like the Ozium, will most likely need some repeating.
Leave a bowl, the shallow pie plate works well, of white vineger, in a protected place. You do not want to bump it. Heloise said it better.
Paint? It’s a little drastic perhaps, but it’s likely the tobacco smoke discoloured things anyway and it gives you a psychological fresh start. Remove a wall hanging to see. The yellowing can be disgusting.
In addition to the bowl of vinegar, you can use the stuff diluted in water as a rinsing agent on carpet and upholstery (test first) or walls. Heck, even dampen rags or towels in it and hang them. Vinegar is virtually free, so that’s a plus.
Congratulations on becoming an ex-smoker. 
Everyone, thank you for the advice so far.
I’ve only lived here for 4 months so things aren’t really to the stage of being discolored. I’ve also limited my actual smoking to one room, which is good for the rest of the place but bad for the one room. I think it is time to go out and get some supplies.
And I’m still all ears for more advice that has worked for others. I’ll take all the help I can get.
Thanks again!
I'm for paint as well. I recently moved into a new house (well, new to me) and it was lived in by two pack-a-day smokers for about 10 years. Some of the rooms were pretty gross. We have already painted several rooms, this really helps out!Nothing I could add here that hasn’t been said. Febreeze for cloth-types that can not be washed - watch out for colorfastednessity (new word I just made up). Vinegar works great too. You can also always hide a box of arm & hammer baking soda somewhere in a few of the rooms. Fresh paint is always nice, plus it gives you a “clean” start.
If you find your apartment is still smoking I suggest calling the fire department 
I recently had a fire and let me tell ya…the smell of smoke is some really difficult stuff to get rid of. However, I found this stuff called “OdorNix” and it beats Febreze all to hell.
Supposedly it is used in autopsy rooms :eek: but all I know is it got all the smoke smell out of our mattresses (something we were told was impossible to do). It also gets smells out of carpets and drapes, as well. It’s kind of expensive, compared to Febreze ($9.99 as opposed to $3.79) but well worth it. It doesn’t mask the odor, but eliminates it.
Works great on getting cat pee odor out, too. But I found that out before the fire. The cats have been perfect about using the litterbox since we’ve moved back in, thank God.
If you do end up painting, which definitely eliminates odors, wash the walls thoroghly, then use “Kilz” before painting. I promise that will be the end of a cigaretty-smelling house.
Find an herbal specialty store and buy yourself some genuine pieces of frankincense and myrrh. They should also have the little gunpowder laced self lighting charcoal cakes for sale.
Find a dry metal surface (an old tin can will do) and place the charcoal cake upon it. Make sure that the heat will not damage anything underneath as this little devil will get quite hot.
Light the edge of the charcoal cake in several places and permit it to burn completely through. You’ll hear when it stops sizzling. Wait for the cake to begin glowing a bit. You can tell when it’s ready as it will begin to radiate a good bit of heat.
Place some granules of frankincense and myrrh on the cake. Periodically flip over them over to promote complete burning. Exchange them as needed for so long as the cake continues to burn.
This will release copious clouds of smoke. It smells a bit strong at first but this is the nature of the beast. There is a specific reason why burning these various resins was used to purify temples.
It really works!
Ozium is a good product, but it will only remove odors that are airborne.
The problem is, it’s everywhere air can get to; Carpet, drapes, walls, clothes; everything. A good indicator would be to wipe a window with a white cloth and you’ll see exactly what has created a yellow film over everything.
I’d suggest Kilzing and then painting the one room too, if nothing else works. First try some Nature’s Miracle. I’ve seen it at Wallyworld and Petco. It has a light orange-y scent that fades fairly soon.
Use full strength on floors, wash any window treatments if possible. If not possible, buy new ones. Dilute nature’s miracle for fabric furniture if it’s washable. Try cleaning with dry cleaning solution or pitch it if you can’t clean it very well or have a pro do it.
Finally, expose your room to LOTS of fresh air while it’s still cool enough to be bearable.
This is what I had to do when I quit a while back.
Also, if you just quit, the best treatment may just be time. Right now you are very sensitive to the smell. Soon it will just fade on it’s own, given the short time you’ve been there.
Congratulations on quitting!
Any advice for current smokers on keeping the stink down?
Lissa, I smoke cigars so this is a concern of mine, too. I try to open windows and mask the stale stench with Nag Champa incense (I always want to say incest–I hate that) and citrus or ‘smoke eater’ type aerosols when expecting company. I think incense while burning is too strong and somewhat uncool but the residual odour is pleasant.
You might want to try smoking outside as much as possible. It’ll cut down on your consumption, too (especially if you live in a cold climate). I know it’s obvious, but it’s something a lot of people do only after giving it some thought.
An air filter might be a worthwhile investment. Anyone have experience with room-size models?
Yeah, I tried that. I found them noisy, and it seemed like every time I bought one of the damn things, they’d immediately stop making the replacement filters for that model.
I do burn a lot of candles. That seems to help somewhat.
I rented an ozone machine (not an ion generator – ozone is totally different) and it worked. Hotels use these things to get rid of odors.
The device I rented used tiny electric sparks to create the ozone, but some machines use an ultraviolet light (only a certain frequency of UV creates ozone though).
It cost me about $30 to rent for a day, or about $500 to purchase. The machine had a dial to set the level of ozone production. I put it in my room and let it run for several hours. It worked, though my cat was frightened by the slight zapping noise it made.
The smell was gone – though the tart smell of lingering ozone took half a day to dissipate. I also used it when I had a moldy smell from the summer humidity. Again it worked.
I would use ozone again rather than febreeze or other sprays and scents.
Someone told me to buld a fire in the fireplace to get rid of that kind of smell & sure enough, worked just great.