Smoke is a combination of solid, liquid and gaseous particulates. It is generally a by-product of any burning/combustion activity. At homes, smoke is generally produced by cooking and burning tobacco products. In such homes, the residents get used to the smoke smell, a newcomer may asphyxiate. So how does one get rid of this smoke irrespective of its source. One just needs two ingredients, baking soda & vinegar, and a resolve to get rid of smoke.

Generally, in a home, smoke gets trapped in the fabrics of your carpets, sofas, cushions, curtains and walls. In most cases, the baking soda and vinegar should do the trick.

Let us see how:

Step 1: Wash the cushions covers, beddings, bed linens and other washable fabric material in your washing machines. Along with the regular detergents, add a cup of vinegar to get rid of the smoke. Follow the fabrics washing instructions no matter the strength of the smell. Let the laundry dry as per the fabric instruction, but keep this load separate till you have cleaned the rest of the room. For larger or bulkier items you may have to enlist the help of a professional laundry cleaner.

Step 2: Fill up a colander with baking soda and sprinkle it over the entire carpet and other areas which cannot be removed for cleaning. When you are done, the room(s) should look as if there was small round of snowfall. While doing this, ensure that you wear socks and don not walk on the ‘snow’ bare feet. Ensure that the baking soda is not sprinkled in areas where the fabric is wet, or the paste so formed will be difficult to remove. After an hour, use the vacuum cleaner to suck off the baking soda from the room(s). You will soon find no trace of smoke in your room(s).

Step 3: Prolonged exposure to smoke leaves a smelly, greasy residue on the walls. Smoke has tendency to settle first on the upper portions of the wall, ceiling etc. However, longer exposures cause it to be deposited on vertical wall surfaces too. To remove such greasy deposits, fill up a bucket with a mixture of water and vinegar in the proportion 1:3. Dip clean rags/towels and rinse it to remove most of the solution out of it. The rag/towel should then be used to clean the entire wall surface one by one starting from one corner. At regular intervals, the rag/towel should be ‘re-fuelled’ with the water vinegar solution. The ceiling should also be treated with this solution in the same way. The agenda is to form an extremely thin layer of vinegar on the wall surface so that the smoke is absorbed and removed by the vinegar.

In most cases, this combination of baking soda and vinegar should be able to get rid of the smoke. However, if the smell still persists, it is time to call up a trusted professional cleaning service provider.