How to Expel Smoke Smell from Your Rental Property

Make Your Walls, Carpets and Furniture Odour Free

Smoke smell in a rental property might be caused by a small house fire, the smoke from an open fire, or – most commonly – by cigarette smoking. Even vaping can leave a nasty odour behind. Your landlord rights allow you to ban smoking or vaping in your rental property. However, if you have allowed tenants to smoke – or of they have done so without your permission – the chances are you will be left with a rancid-smelling property. Furniture and walls are likely to reek. In this article, you’ll learn how to get rid of smoke smell from walls and carpets.

Get Rid of Smoke Smell from Furniture in a Rental Property

Here are four steps to get rid of the smoke smell from the furniture in your rental property:

1. Dump the Air Fresheners

Air fresheners do no more than mask the underlying smoke smell. You can fill a room with air fresheners, but they won’t get rid of the smoke smell. Indeed, if you are showing to potential new applicants, the existence of air fresheners on every surface will probably make them question what you are trying to hide. So, dump the air fresheners.

2. Get the Air Circulating

Get that air circulating. If it is possible to do so, move your furniture outside (undercover, of course) for a few days. If you have ceiling fans or extractor fans, turn these on, too. Open your windows.

3. Remove All Cushions

Take all the cushions off your furniture and stand them upright so that air can circulate around them.

4. Use Some Baking Soda Magic

Baking soda is a great ingredient to tackle smoke smell. It sucks up nasty odours. Sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on all your soft furniture, and:

• Take a break. Pour yourself a cup of tea. Read a newspaper or magazine.
• After putting your feet up for 30 minutes, hoover up all the baking soda.
• You may need to repeat this a few times – that smoke smell could be embedded deep.

If your furniture stinks of smoke, it’s likely that your walls and carpets do, too.

Get Rid of Smoke Smell from Furniture in a Rental Property

To clean smoke stains from walls, use a solution of half white vinegar and half water. Work slowly and steadily to gently rub the wall with the solution. The paintwork will remain undamaged as the stain disappears. After around 24 hours, the vinegar smell should disappear, too – help this by keeping the room ventilated. Don’t neglect your air conditioning system. It is probably circulating the smoke smell. You should remove and clean the filters and all grills, too.

Get Rid of Smoke Smell from Carpet in a Rental Property

If your carpets stink of cigarette smoke, use a similar technique to the one you used for the furniture – reach for the baking soda again! Then:

1. Sprinkle the baking soda on the whole carpet.
2. Leave overnight.
3. In the morning, start at one end of the room and systematically hoover up all the baking soda.
4. Leave the room for five minutes, return and sniff.
5. If it still smells, then repeat steps 1 to 4.

Our Final Tips to Get Rid of Smoke Smell from Your Rental Property

There are three final tips to help you get rid of smoke smell from a rental property:

1. Keep Those Windows Open

Air circulation is essential to get rid of smoke smell. Keep the property’s windows open for as long as possible – ideally overnight. If you have fans, use these to help air circulation and move air out of the property.

2. Vinegar and Lemon Are Your Friends

White vinegar acts a little like baking soda – it sucks smoke smell out of the atmosphere. The trouble is, it also smells bad itself. By adding lemon juice, you neutralize the smell of the vinegar. So, place a few bowls of vinegar and lemon juice around your property, especially in the rooms where the smoke smell is worst.

3. Use Professional Cleaning Services

If you still can’t get rid of the smoke smell after trying all the above, then call in the professionals. They’ll have the experience, tools and techniques to tackle the worst cases of bad odours caused by smoke, small house fires and vaping. We always ensure that properties are cleaned properly and professionally between tenancies – ensuring that your property is most attractive to the best tenants. Clean and odourless properties tend to get the best rental price, too. For more information, contact Ezytrac today at +44 0 1522 503 717.  Live with passion Brett Alegre-Wood