Find out how to clean your fabrics, refresh your furniture and floors, and purify your air, all according to the experts.
When you see a stain, no matter if it's sticky, greasy, or just set in, you probably know what tools to use to get rid of it. But what about cleaning stains you can't see? smoke. Odors can be tricky to deal with because you can't actually see the improvements made, but there are specific ways to erase the foul smell from your home, even if it's as tricky as smoke. The first step? Open your windows to ventilate. "You can even install two fans, one to draw in fresh air from one end of your home and the other to exhaust air," says Mary Gagliardi, also known as the name "Dr. Laundry", the inner scientist and cleanup of Clorox. expert. She notes that depending on how long the smoke is in your home, this step might be all you need.
clean laundry in a wicker basket
However, if there's a lingering smell of burnt food, smoking, or a nearby wildfire, you'll need to do more. Fortunately, Gagliardi says there are a few additional steps you can take to freshen up your space. .
Wash your clothes and fabrics.
"If you've aired out your home and at first everything seems fine, but later you start to notice a lingering smoke smell, then the smoke is on your fabrics," says Gagliardi. prepare your washing machine for a load of laundry. She recommends including a laundry sanitizer, like Clorox Laundry Sanitizer ($9.75, target.com), in the rinse cycle to freshen your clothes and textiles of any odors smoke and cigarette." If you have a single item you want to treat (perhaps a shirt worn while enjoying an outdoor fire), you can use Clorox Fabric Sanitizer Spray to spray the fabric just before washing,” she explains.
Don't forget to also clean neglected fabrics in your home, such as curtains and drapes." These are often machine washable, which is great news if your curtains need a deep clean due to smells of smoke," adds Gagliardi, also noting that steam cleaning is a more temporary option. "Fabrics that are not machine washable or not suitable for high steam temperatures should be dry cleaned - always follow the care instructions.”
Restore your furniture and floors.
When it comes to upholstery, Gagliardi recommends steam cleaning, but be sure to test a hidden area (like under seat cushions) with pre-treating products to check for color changes. The same rule applies If you are using fabric sanitizer on furniture, either alone or in conjunction with a steam cleaner, spray some on and wait five minutes. Once your test area has air-dried, make sure the color is the same as before. If all is well, spray fabric sanitizer on as many pieces of furniture as you could clean in five minutes, then steam clean. "After three minutes, start cleaning with the steam cleaner,” says Gagliardi. “Repeat with another small section until the entire surface (including cushions and armrests) has been cleaned.” Finally, air dry.
You can also follow this exact process to steam clean your carpets, or you can also try baking soda as a cleaner - this can also clean your furniture and carpets. Sprinkle it liberally on your carpets and let sit for 24 hours. Then vacuum and you're done." If the smell returns (not uncommon with years-old cigarette smoke smells in the carpet), it could mean odors have penetrated through the mat to the pad," says Gagliardi. "In this case, replacement of the pad and mat would likely be necessary."
Cleans walls and hard-touch surfaces.
Walls are the most common smoke-absorbed areas in your home. Gagliardi says mixing TSP (trisodium phosphate) powder, such as Sunnyside TSP Heavy Duty Cleaner ($32.06, homedepot.com), with l water will combine for a cleaning solution that fights "the greasy component of cigarette smoke and soot." After cleaning with this mixture, repaint your walls if stubborn smoke odors persist.
