Cigarette odor

[ppolitis]

Just bought a 5th wheel at an auction. It's got a cigarette odor to it that I'd like to get rid of. Any ideas on how to do this? We are gonna start with spreading dry baking soda and letting it set on all carpets, drapes, sofas, and mattresses. Then vacuum it up. Also gonna change out the filters. Also baking soda water mixture to the rest of the interior.
Should I be using vinegar as well or instead?
Then finish it off with fabreze.
Anybody got other ideas.

[Dunner]

If that doesn't work, try one of those fire restoration companies.

[Warden]

Try Febreze,,,spray it all....can't hurt to try it

Febreze - Home Page

Originally Posted by ppolitis

Just bought a 5th wheel at an auction. It's got a cigarette odor to it that I'd like to get rid of. Any ideas on how to do this? We are gonna start with spreading dry baking soda and letting it set on all carpets, drapes, sofas, and mattresses. Then vacuum it up. Also gonna change out the filters. Also baking soda water mixture to the rest of the interior.
Should I be using vinegar as well or instead?
Then finish it off with fabreze.
Anybody got other ideas.

[Steve N Sal]

There are plenty of remedies and I hope one will work for you. There's nothing tougher then getting that odor out. Good Luck and hope it all turns out.

[jzick]

You can rent an ozone generator that, for us, worked quite well. RV and auto dealers, as well as restoration companies, use them to clear tobacco odor from vehicles.

[MickBrennan]

All of the above. Remember to wash the oily smoke residue from every surface you can.

[Wizard]

Another trick is to leave some open bowls of vinegar sitting around. Some say that helps.

[Dunner]

Febreze won't work. I sprayed it floor to ceiling and on all the fabrics in my 5er. Lost a sale because the guy could still smell it. His wife was allergic to cigarette smoke.

[wildtoad]

have the carpets and and cloth furniture steam cleaned, wash all the walls and ceiling, and then use a product like febreeze. need to get rid of the source of the smell.

[djbmsu]

The Ozone machine will remove all of the odor as well as a number of other odors as well. The key will be to wipe down all the surfaces also with a good cleaner.

[Dogpatch]

I am a project manager for a restoration company. This is our procedure for a fire/smoke clean-up.
Cigarette smoke permeates everything and leaves a residue as well as an odor. In order to have an effective clean, you first have to wash all hard surfaces with a de-greaser to remove the residue. And I mean everything you can reach top to bottom and inside and out. You can contact a commercial supplier like Zep, or Planet Clean who can advise you on what types of cleansers you may use. Most are concentrates, so mixtures should be set properly as well. All soft cloth items such as carpets and anything upolstered need to be steam cleaned. Anything removable such as blinds and curtains need to be drycleaned. Some things cannot be effectively cleaned and will need to either be replaced or painted. Paper Wallpaper borders are an example of an item that may need replacement as washing it only serves to possibly remove adhesion.

Once you have gone through this procedure, ozoning would be the next step. Tis is something I would hire a professional for, as ozone is toxic to humans and animals and is not good for plants or anything latex. Professionals know how long to ozone, and what may be affected by the procedure. In some cases, 2-3 treatments are required and should be done in conjunction with air movement in order to help the ozone access into all areas the cigarette smoke traveled.

This is usually a fairly big undertaking in order to have near acceptable success.
Without doing this properly, it will likely only be a temporary bandaid and odors will re-occur once the smell of cleaners and deodorizers subside.

[texnet]

X 2 on what dogpatch said...

Our coach was previously owned by a smoker. I removed all valances and shades. Then I started in the rear of the coach with Green Stuff and 409. I washed every hard surface in the coach. As I sprayed the 409/Green Stuff on the walls I could see the brown junk roll down the wall! I power washed the valances and shades after soaking them with 409/Green Stuff. They came out GREAT and were white again instead of a light brown. I cleaned all the leather with 409/Green Stuff then treated with leather conditioner. I had a carpet cleaner clean the livining room carpets and cloth chairs. I replaced the carpet in the bedroom. It took me about 2 weeks to clean the coach but the smell is gone and I saved a lot of money because no one else wanted the coach with the smell.

[ppolitis]

Thx for the tips.

[sc3283]

sounds almost easier to start smoking!