Smoking Cessation and the Stench

So I am trying to quit smoking. Yes, I know it is a bad habit. You don't need to tell me - this is why I am quitting. I even smoke in my one bedroom apartment, but when I do, I turn on the fan and open the windows - even in the winter. One of the main reasons I am quitting, other than health issue, is the smell.

This is especially troubling for me because I basically have anosmia and can't smell things to save my life. I don't want to reek of cigarette smoke because of the huge turn off it is to a lot of people. I want to smell good...and this is an even bigger problem because I smoke in my house.

So, I have some questions for all of you who smoke or did smoke sometime in your lives.

1. Assuming I never smoke in the house again, how can I air out cigarette smoke from my house? How long does this take?

2. Even if the air is cleaned, will everything still smell like smoke?

3. The cigarette smoke reached all of my clean clothes in the closet, didn't it? Should I wash all of these at the same time?

4. If I had a shirt that smelled of smoke, say, from the bar, would it make another shirt smell if it was right next to it?

5. If a chair has been engulfed in smoke, will you be able to smell it in fresh air, or would you need to put your nose up to it?


I'm really worried that if I successfully quit, and move to a new place, that place will end up smelling like smoke because it stuck to everything I own. Will this happen?



Future replies are greatly appreciated!

reply to post by SubPop79


Once you quit for good you need to wash all your clothes, shampoo all your furniture and carpets, if you have curtains they need to be washed, blinds need to be wiped, walls need to be wiped. Hopefully that does the trick.

And good luck

When I quite smoking I had to have my furniture and carpets professionally cleaned, I wiped down every single surface, the walls...everything. even all my little figurines. I took all of my clothes to the laundry mat and washed them, as well as all my bed linens. Basically everything has to be cleaned in order to get rid of the smell. Sometimes cleaning alone isn't enough. I eventually had to repaint the walls with Kilz because the smell was still there.

Good luck, it's hard to quite and takes a lot of work, but I did it cold turkey 4 years ago and have been doing just fine every since. One thing that did help me, and still does to this day and it's going to sound weird but.... I use a fake cig when I am feeling stressed out or when I have idol hands. Those were a few of the reason I think I smoked in the first place. For example when I am driving, which makes me nervous, I use my fake little cig and it helps me out a lot. I just hold it in my mouth...
I have no clue why it works, just does.

Cleaned, Fabreeze, Fresh air and time.

Although some things may need to be outright replaced...

Well I'm not gonna be living here much longer so there is that, also many people before me lived here and they all smoked, so most of it is their doing. I'll still have to clean when I move out though.

Will one smoky chair stink up an otherwise fresh room?

Will my record player, plates, and other things that are not fabric or wood stink?

reply to post by SubPop79


I work in property management. You're going to have to repaint the walls. Seal the concrete and then shampoo the carpet, if not replace it entirely. Furniture? I don't know. Clothes can be washed. Good luck with quitting.

BTW, smoking cessation can lead to weight gain because nicotine increases insulin sensitivity. No nicotine means more hunger and cravings for food based on an increase insulin resistance. Eat plenty of fat and protein to stay satiated.

The best way to get smoke smell out of anything is open air. if you can, put your stuff outside, or on a few nice days, leave the windows open.

But the walls and ceilings will either need to be washed, or repainted.
Also, look into cleaners that specialize in smoke.

As for quitting smoking, find something to keep you busy. First be aware of triggers that make you crave cigarrettes, the routines.

For example, when i quit, i discovered i lit up anytime i talked on the phone. I had a huge urge to light up anytime i was on the phone. Be aware of these and know that it will pass.

What helped me quit? a yo yo. i didnt know how to yo yo, so i carried it around. If I was standing somewhere and had the urge to light up, i would bust the yo yo out of my pocket and start playing with it, and kept myself busy till the urged passed. I didnt care where I was, it could be the line in the bank. Some people use sunflower seeds, bubblegum, etc. Get an old fashioned rubiks cube.

Also, give yourself a reminder of your journey. Every day i didnt smoke I put a big red X on that day on the calendar. Anyone that came over would ask what it was about, when i told them, they would look forward to counting the Xs, and it became a support group for me as they gave me encouragement that way.

My stepmother was allowed to buy new furniture if she quite. The money saved in one year was enough to replace the couch, she got a new living room set.