How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell in House (DIY)

A smoke smell in your Utah home is never a welcome scent. From a cooking mishap, to a poorly-ventilated fireplace or wood stove, or perhaps a more serious house fire, all of these situations (and more) can lead to a strong, lingering smell of smoke in your home. Next thing you know, you’re frantically Googling, “how to get rid of smoke smell in house” to do whatever you can to have fresh-smelling air in your home.

If you’re wondering how to get rid of a smoke smell in your house, you’re in the right place! Here’s a comprehensive list of 15 DIY solutions for Utah residents who are trying to get rid of an unwanted smoke smell.

Smoke wafting through a Utah home. Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash

15 DIY Solutions: How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell in House (DIY)

#1 - Rent a carpet cleaner

Smoke smell in homes tends to cling to fabrics, including carpets and rugs. Renting a carpet cleaner and deep cleaning all carpeted surfaces in your home is a great way to get rid of an unwanted, lingering odor.

#2 - Ventilation helps

If possible, open up the windows in your home and let fresh air in. Turn on any ceiling fans in your home. You can also bring portable room fans into the area affected by smoke to help air it out even faster. Ventilating your Utah home helps get rid of smoky air trapped in the house and allows clean air to come in.

#3 - Using a deodorizing air freshener

Contrary to popular belief, burning candles and spraying most air fresheners only temporarily masks foul smells, including smoke. However, Febreeze is a great air freshener spray option, because it uses ingredients that actually deodorize the air.

#4 - Use vinegar as an odor neutralizer

Vinegar is an excellent odor neutralizer, even for a strong smoke smell. Cleaning the surfaces of your home with vinegar can be helpful in removing the scent of smoke from these areas.. Your best bet is to leave bowls of vinegar out in the affected areas for several days to neutralize the smell. If the vinegar smell is too strong for you on its own, you can add essential oils, such as lavender, to the bowls to give it a more appealing scent.

A box of baking soda next to a bowl of baking soda, which helps absorb smoke smell. Image by Evita Ochel from Pixabay

#5 - Baking soda helps absorb smoke smell.

Baking soda is another great odor neutralizing option. To use baking soda to absorb the smoke smell in your home, sprinkle baking soda on furniture, floors, and other affected surfaces. Then, let the baking soda sit for a few hours before cleaning. You can also set out bowls of baking soda in the rooms that have a lingering smoke scent. You’ll notice the air will start smelling better in those rooms within a few days!

#6 - Wash all walls, counters, and cabinets

Next, you should wash all of the walls, counters, cabinets (inside too), and tile flooring in your home with a mild soap and water solution. Doing so will help remove any particle debris and smoke scent clinging to these surfaces, while also ensuring that you don’t damage your home from harsh chemicals.

#7 - Activated charcoal can neutralize smoke smell

Activated charcoal in powdered form is a powerful odor neutralizer as well. We recommend setting out bowls of activated charcoal powder throughout your home for a few days to clear up the indoor air quality.

#8 - Repaint interior walls in your home

Repainting your Utah home’s interior walls will also help get rid of the smoke smell. Before painting your walls, clean them with a product that contains trisodium phosphate (a heavy duty cleaning chemical). Then, paint your walls with an odor-sealing primer before painting on the final layer of color.

A room with wood flooring in a Utah home. Photo by Beazy on Unsplash

#9 - Varnish wood floors

Applying a fresh coat of varnish to wood floors is another great DIY task you can do to help eliminate smoke smell from your home. Remember to sand your floors and any other wood surface you’ll be varnishing before applying the new layer!

#10 - Wash all clothes, blankets, towels, etc.

As we mentioned earlier, fabrics often pick up the scent of foul odors in your home. So, to fully remove a smoky smell from your house, you should wash all clothes, blankets, towels, etc. Pouring some vinegar directly on the clothes once they’re in the washing machine really helps get rid of the smell, as does using a pre-soak and extra rinse cycle!

#11 - Steam clean furniture, drapes, etc. if possible

If possible, steam clean all of the fabric-covered furniture in your home and any drapes or curtains. Smoke smell in Utah homes often sticks to these items, and a hot steam clean is one of the best ways to get rid of it. However, before you get started, make sure that it is safe to use steam on your specific furniture.

#12 - Use a deodorizing spray for upholstery

If your upholstery can be steam cleaned or washed any other way, use an approved deodorizing spray to clean these furniture items.

The entry way to a Utah home. The kitchen is to the left, with the living room straight ahead. Photo by Random Sky on Unsplash

#13 - Dust and deodorize all items in your home

As you clean all of the surfaces in your home, don’t forget to dust and deodorize all of the little nooks, crannies, and crevices you may have forgotten about. We all have those areas in our home we just forget to clean in our day-to-day lives. Those are the places that need a little extra TLC now. Even little knick knacks and trinkets are easy to skip over, but need to be cleaned to truly eliminate a smoke smell fully from your house.

Areas to remember to clean: loft spaces, ceiling fans, decor, high ceilings, window sills, etc.

#14 - Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter

An air purifier with a HEPA filter is a worthy investment to clean the air in your home of any linger smoke smell. Not only will an air purifier make the air in your home smell better, but it will also ensure that any toxins from the smoke that are dangerous to breathe are eliminated, too.

#15 - Have your Utah home’s air ducts and dryer vents cleaned professionally

The smell of smoke can get trapped in the air duct ways, vents, and filters that work with your home’s heating and cooling systems. To get rid of a smoke scent, it’s super helpful to have your home’s air ducts professionally cleaned. If you don’t have your air ducts cleaned, this smoke smell will be dispersed throughout your home anytime you run your heating or cooling system.

The good news is that the smoke smell in your home doesn’t have to last forever, and air duct cleaning is an important step to make that smell go away as fast as possible.

If you’re trying to get rid of a smoke smell in your home, call us today to set up a free inspection of your home’s air ducts!