If you or someone else in your household is a smoker, it’s best to hide that fact when selling your home to avoid deterring potential buyers. Not only does smoking leave strong smells in a house, but it can also stain walls, cause wallpaper to peel and stick to furniture. Here are five ways to get rid of signs of smoking to help make your home more appealing to buyers:
Steam Clean Carpets
Carpets trap nicotine residue more than anything else in the home and can protrude lingering odors. If you have a carpeted home, take the time to deep clean it with a powerful steam vacuum. Use carpet shampoo, and routinely go over areas where smoke stains and odor are most prevalent. Hire a professional steam vacuuming company if you need help.
Replace Old Wallpaper and Paint Over Walls
Stained, peeling wallpaper discourages people from buying a home. Replace old wallpaper with an elegant new design. Pick a print and color that complements any aesthetic. If your wallpaper is slightly stained and salvageable, spray a mixture of vinegar and water on your wall and wipe away with a clean, damp sponge. Clean walls before painting them if they need a fresh coat. Use a paint primer to create an extra layer to cover old smoke stains.
Purify the Air
Smoke travels through air vents and fans. Clean out your air vents and replace HVAC filters to optimize clean airflow in your home. Air purifiers can be costly, but they provide both a quick fix and a long-term solution for removing smoke odor from your home. High-end air purifiers can eliminate the particles and chemicals that create smoke odors down to the molecular level.
Wash Upholstery and Curtains
Like walls and wallpaper, smoke toxins can be entrapped in fabric furniture. Consult an expert before cleaning your upholstery, as some pieces may be ruined if washed. Most furniture tags include labels that let you know how to handle cleaning them. If you can’t vacuum or wet your furniture, try placing it outside in a dry and sunny environment. Wash curtains to remove smoke smells, or replace them.
Don’t Smoke Inside
Opening windows, lighting candles and cleaning ashtrays before a home showing can only do so much to mask the smell of smoke. If you’re a smoker with a house on the market, the best thing to do is to try smoking outside. Doing so will disperse the smoke and odor outdoors and prevent them from building up inside and repelling potential buyers. It might be difficult and inconvenient, but the effort will be well worth it in the long run.
Source: Fatima Puri/RISMedia’s Housecall
