We previously wrote a post discussing how to remove odors from furniture, but many of our customers (and even our own experience) say that it's not always enough to remove a strong smoke smell from furniture.
Unfortunately, cigarette smoke odor is kind of in a league of its own.
Why is it so Hard to Get the Smoke Smell Out of Furniture?
One of the most challenging aspects of removing the smoke smell from furniture stems from prolonged exposure. Typically, the smell will dissipate if, say, your furniture was only exposed to cigarette smoke during an evening gathering with friends.
However, prolonged exposure allows the smoke to penetrate the fabric and, sometimes, even the wood frame. It becomes embedded in the furniture - hence why it's so difficult to remove.
First Thing's First: Get the Smoke Smell Out of Your Furniture's Fabric
Like we said, the smell becomes embedded after prolonged exposure. So, the first step is to help replace it with another scent.
Some people - including many furniture restoration experts - use Febreeze. They'll spray the fabric with a light coating, allow it to settle for a day or so, then spray it again.
Unfortunately, Febreeze isn't always enough to replace the odor. Often, it'll cover the smell for a while, but Febreeze tends to fade more quickly than the smoke smell.
Carpet powder can also be used on some furniture fabric. As with carpet, it will often take repeated cleanings on a consistent routine to fully remove the smell from fabric. However, carpet powder isn't compatible with every type of furniture fabric, and it's not always easy to tell which types are compatible.
Even worse, Febreeze and carpet powder have strong smells of their own. The repeated frequent exposure that would be needed for each to replace the smoke smell will cost a lot and, in the best case scenario, just embed another powerful scent.
We typically recommend baking soda. It's cheaper and less harsh on all types of furniture fabric. It's known to help remove odors without embedding a harsh smell of its own. Baking soda can also be left to settle for some time, then cleaned with ease (although it might take a little more work to remove it from darker colors).
As an added bonus, baking soda also has bactericidal properties. So, its use will actually leave you with cleaner furniture.
Regardless of which solution you use, allow it to settle for at least a day before vacuuming it away. You'll probably have to repeat this process a few times each week for about a month (depending on the severity of the smell).
Washing Your Furniture's Fabric
Chances are, the preceding steps will do more to lighten the smell of smoke in your furniture that completely remove it. If that's the case, you're going to have to wash it.
Hopefully, your furniture's fabric will a zipper that allows easy remove. This is more common with cushions but may also part or all of the frame.
If that's the case, washing it is much easier. Usually, you can just toss it in your washing machine on the delicate cycle, then hang it to dry (never use a dryer). We recommend hanging it outside to also help it air out.
If not, you'll probably have to steam clean the furniture's fabric. We cover how to do that in the previously mentioned blog post.
Air Out (or Replace) Your Cushion's Filling
It's a good idea to allow your furniture's cushion filling to air out while the fabric cover is being washed. We recommend exposing it to fresh air for an extended period of time.
Unfortunately, there is really no easy to way to clean the cushion filling. It might need to be replaced if the smell remains, but doing so requires precise measurements to ensure an even seat. It's often more difficult than it appears.
Cleaning the Furniture's Frame
This is the most difficult part and may not always be possible. If your furniture does have a fabric cover that can be zipped off, it will sometimes expose part of the wood frame.
If this happens, use a wood cleaning solution and microfiber cloth to only cleaned the exposed areas of the frame. Don't try to work around the cushioning, as this could unexpectedly cause an uneven shift.
Alternative: Buying Used Furniture With Smoke Smells Completely Removed
We get it (better than most): getting the smoke smell out of furniture isn't always fast, cheap, or easy. Sometimes, it's better to just replace it with new-to-you furniture. That's where we come in! We professionally clean every piece on our showroom floor and remove even the most stubborn odors.
Even better, our prices easily make up the time and expense of attempting to do it yourself. Just stop by our showroom and see for yourself!
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