So, for things you can't launder, what gets rid of cigarette stink?

July 15, 2024 5:18 AM

Is Febreeze really the shit? I'll pay money to make this smell go away.

We are temporarily storing some things that are contaminated by this noxious, toxic stench (after only two weeks exposure!!!!) and it's killing us. My partner slept with a mask on their face. It's a miasma of fume, creeping out of the little pile of things, prowling through our tiny condo, offending, nauseating, disgusting, revolting.

I might just wrap the computer and monitors in big garbage bags, everything else will get go in Rubbermaid tubs, but there's some stuff that just won't fit, like a computer chair.

posted by seanmpuckett to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Wipe down with vinegar. Put a bowl of vinegar out in stinky rooms.
posted by Miko at 5:29 AM on July 15

Buy/rent a small ozone generator. They are used to get rid of the smell after a fire or treat the cars of smokers.
posted by SweetLiesOfBokonon at 5:47 AM on July 15

I was I was also going to suggest an ozone generator but be aware that using it anywhere where there are other people – like a condo – can be genuinely very dangerous. If there is a storage unit where you can ventilate it well, that’s fine, but anywhere where you don’t have good ventilation and where other people may be is no-go for an ozone generator.
posted by knobknosher at 5:52 AM on July 15

You probably need to try different solutions. Besides the already mentioned vinegar, I've had luck with a mixture of soapy water and lemon juice. It's pretty good at removing smells from plastic, so that at least for the computer stuff. Wipe it down, wipe it down again if you need to do. Obviously don't immerse electronics. Also, sunlight and wind are pretty good-- can you put them out on a balcony or in a yard for a few hours? In a place where they won't get stolen, of course.
posted by seasparrow at 6:04 AM on July 15

I have consistent smoke seepage from the chain smoking dick who lives next to me and here are the two things I find work best:

Expensive solution: an electronic air filter that runs in the corner of my bedroom 24/7. It has a charcoal filter in it, and that seems to be the key to odor elimination. These cost a couple of hundred dollars, though, so you might find that expensive for a temporary situation. Maybe ask if someone has one on your local buy nothing group? You'll have to replace the filters and even those are $60 sometimes, but cheaper than buying the whole unit new. My Levoit air filter has been running essentially non-stop for five years other than for filter changes.

Cheap solution: Dollarama (or any dollar store, really) sells plastic containers of semi-solid air freshener that you open and leave lying around and they suck up and/or mask odors until the stuff inside dries out. I have no idea if this is just masking the odours or actually capturing them, but it makes the smoke smell go away long after I stop noticing the product smell, so I use them anyway. I would be inclined to throw one of these in each rubber maid bin just to keep smell from seeping out.

But my solutions at least partially because my smoke smells are constantly refreshing themselves, whereas you have a static source of smell, for which Febreeze would probably be extremely effective. Febreeze doesn't actually eliminate or break down the thing that smells bad about your smelly stuff, but it does a chemical trip to make it so that as you breath in whatever that stuff is off-gassing, your smell receptors don't smell it. You may have to spray things every few days if smelly shit works its way up through the upholstery, but generally, it should be extremely effective.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:27 AM on July 15

Baby wipe saturated in rubbing alcohol. Wipe it down thoroughly and change the wipe often. (Baby wipes rather than tissues because they don't disintegrate with friction and they create less lint!) Remember that the undersides of things hold the smell too. If you have a computer in the pile then the keyboard is probably the worst offender because the person's fingers would be grinding the smoke smell into the plastic, so make sure to tap the ashes out of the keyboard, wipe it well, and bag it up.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:32 AM on July 15

Doing some extra reading, it seems the ozone generator will solve the problem permanently, which is much better than sealing it up in tubs and garbage bags or masking it with nose anaesthesia just so it will be disgusting to someone else some other time. So I did what I never do and paid to have something shipped same-day.

The problem with sprays and wiping is it won't get the smells out of the electronics, so the best bet is to just nuke it at the source with ozone. Everyone will breathe easier tomorrow because I paid for same-day shipping.

Thank you all for the suggestions. And yes I'll be very careful with the ozone.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:33 AM on July 15

Hang it outside for a day. The stink will go away.
posted by parmanparman at 7:05 AM on July 15

For stuff like computers or electronics and items mostly composed of hard plastics or metals, you might also have some luck with a very lightly soaped damp cloth for getting out whatever surface residue there is; just fill a basin with lukewarm water and a splash of dish soap, stick a soft cloth in (microfiber works well) and wring it out thoroughly before cleaning. It's important that the cloth isn't wet enough to drip water inside any cracks or crevices, especially for monitors, and I'd avoid using anything but a water-damp cloth or a cleaner formulated for LCD displays/screens for the display itself. Definitely avoid any household cleaners, bleaches, rubbing alcohol, acetone or other harsh chemicals, as depending on what you're applying it to, it can damage it (yes, even windex and rubbing alcohol).

I'd recommend doing this even with the ozone generator treatment, as it should help it out even if the internals still have scent clinging to it. Cigarette smoke's persistence is mostly due to the residues it leaves behind on objects, so anything you can do to remove that will help.
posted by Aleyn at 4:30 PM on July 15

You can pop the keys out of keyboards with a flathead screwdriver and wash them separately/ get at gunk underneath. Kind of gross but satisfying. But take a picture first so you remember what keys go where.
posted by emjaybee at 7:29 PM on July 15

Little update. Got the generator yesterday ($80, Amazon, I know, but it was the fastest way to get one), ran it in the sealed room for 30 minutes (windows closed) and left it overnight (window open). Checked this morning, the edge is off the cigarette stink. Ran it for an hour this morning (window closed) and will go evaluate around lunchtime after the ozone and byproducts dissipate.

I didn't breathe while I was in there opening the window and when I came back out my shirt smelled ... aggressively fresh.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:08 AM on July 16

Final update. Ozone is magic. Three hours, in 60 and 30 minute segments, to almost completely remove the stink from a room full of toxins. It definitely would have been quicker if it wasn’t so humid right now. I can still detect faint whiffs but do not feel like we are being poisoned. One of the best uses of $80 plus $12 same day delivery.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:28 PM on July 17