Supreme Air Duct Cleaning Phoenix receives calls from landlords, real estate agents, and apartment managers who want to eliminate the cigarette smell from their home. The ability to do so, depends on how long smoking has been going on in the home. This is one of the most difficult smells you can get rid of and takes a lot of elbow grease.
There are a few things that you can do to remove the cigarette smoke smell. Air duct cleaning is only part of the formula while other parts may include air purifiers or ozone generators.
Replace the blinds and carpet.
Depending on the age and smoking history of the carpet, it might be difficult to get the smoke smell off the blinds and carpet.
Blinds should be replaced. They can become discolored due to smoke, so it is cheaper and more convenient to replace them.
The best way to salvage carpet is to sprinkle baking soda on it and let it sit for a few days. The baking soda should absorb any smoke smell. If the baking soda does an effective job, vacuum the carpets and shampoo them. If it fails, replace the carpet and padding.
Paint and clean the ceilings and walls
Some walls and ceilings are discolored, and may have a nicotine covering. Intek Cleaning & Restoration has a range of cleaning products that you can choose depending on what your preference is. There are many options, including white vinegar, ammonia or trisodiumphosphate. It is best that you research your situation.
You will simply use a towel with selected cleaning agent to clean the ceiling and walls. To rinse the surfaces, use a towel soaked in water. Use a towel to dry the surfaces.
It is time to paint everything. While you might be able to make your ceilings and walls look good, it’s rare that they will look amazing so painting is recommended.
Clean the air vents
Now, it is time to clean the air-ducts. It’s evident that the HVAC system has circulated the cigarette smoke throughout your house.
You should hope to see a coating of dust on the ductwork or air vent lines. This will make it much easier to clean. Smoke stuck to metal ductwork cannot be removed unless it is physically scrubbed by hand. This would require you to disassemble your system.
Supreme Air Duct Cleaning Phoenix doesn’t recommend sanitizers unless there is a mold issue. A sanitizer can mask the smell but will not last long and may leave behind the smoke smell. Supreme Air Duct Cleaning’s experience is that they should be cleaned as if it were a normal dirty duct system. After that, we will run our commercial grade Ozone machines if necessary. We believe ozone is the best method to remove cigarette smoke.
Use charcoal furnace filters
After cleaning your air ducts, and after running the ozone machines, you can use a charcoal furnace filter to capture odor-causing molecules.
While charcoal filters can be more expensive than regular air conduit filters, the benefits of fresh air are well worth it. You can find information online about charcoal filters at Filterbuy.
Run a quality air purifier
Once the ducts have been cleaned and a good charcoal filter has been installed, you can run an HEPA filter-equipped air purifier to remove odors. This filter can filter out molecules as small at 0.1 microns.
You should also look out for activated carbon filters. The activated carbon filter does not trap particles, but it removes odors. In order to activate the carbon filters, you must open a charcoal container. This can be done in every room where the air purifier is used.
Generators of Ozone
An ozone-generator is a device that removes any odor, including smoke, from your house. These devices can remove the odor completely.
A variety of contaminants can be removed by using Ozone. Ozone can also treat bad odors from inside and outside buildings. Ozone is less toxic and can cause less harm than other chemical pest and mold killers.
Ozone has the unique capability to modify the molecular structures of odor-causing chemicals. Ozone can saturate all materials it touches and spread them. When Ozone is introduced to a space, it destroys bacteria and viruses as well as odors.
Our Supreme Air Duct Cleaning Phoenix ozone machines are commercial grade. They are extremely effective in removing cigarette and other odors. You should take precautions when using this high-powered machine.
Keep in mind the 3 P’s. No pets, people, or plants. The high concentration of ozone in the air must be dissolved from the home before pets, people and plants return.
Second, you should only return to the dwelling within two hours of the ozone machines having shut off. It takes some time for the O3 to convert back to O2. It takes several hours or days for the freshness “smell” to fade.
You should only use the ozone machines for a maximum of four hours, as the high concentrations of ozone can bleach carpet. We’ve learned to run the machines for 4 hours and then let them sit for 8 hours before we start running them again.
Depending on the severity of the smell, the ozone machines may be required to be run twice per day for a period of 3-4 days.
The last tip is to set the HVAC system’s fan to the “on” setting so that the ozone can circulate throughout it the entire time. We will remove the filter. This allows the ozone throughout the house to circulate evenly.
Summary
Cigarette smoke can be one of the most difficult odors for you to get rid of. It requires a lot more work and may be easier to cl replace blinds and carpets. Run the ozone machines, clean the HVAC system. Use charcoal furnace filters.
To keep your air fresh and odorless, it is a good idea after getting rid of the smoke smell. A good idea is to place charcoal filters in every room.
Supreme Air Duct Cleaning Phoenix has extensive experience in removing cigarette smoking so don’t hesitate to give us a shout if you have questions.