One of the more arduous clean-up jobs is getting rid of the smell of cigarette smoke in a Chula Vista rental home. Whether you allow your tenants to smoke, didn’t bear in mind to cover your smoking policy in the lease, or if you did and had a strict no-smoking policy, you may furthermore still be left to deal with the smelly obligation of cleaning up the atrocious odors left behind. And it’s not just about the smell; cigarette smoke leaves residual contamination on walls, fabrics, and other surfaces. Known as “thirdhand smoke,” this residue could create a health risk to future tenants and must be taken very seriously.
To help make your clean-up job as practical and beneficial as possible, here are some cleaning tips indicated by the pros.
Air it Out
The best place to start when going to clean up after cigarette smoke is to air out every room in your rental house. Open all windows and doors to let in the fresh air, and adopt fans or an air purifier to circulate the air. There are air purifiers practically designed and aimed to dispose of the smell of cigarette smoke from the air. If your budget allows, this is probably a great option. Nonetheless, you may need to leave the fans running for as long as possible – perhaps even multiple days – to support and alleviate the smell.
Wipe Everything Down
Even while airing out your rental, your next step is to wipe down every surface in every room – starting with the ceilings. Taking the cleaning product of your choice, wipe down smooth ceilings with a wet cloth. For popcorn ceilings, put your cleaning solution in a spray bottle and lightly spray on the full surface.
Also, at the same time you’re working on the ceilings, take into account cleaning the light fixtures and ceiling fans up there, too! Wipe the tops and bottoms of ceiling fan blades to guarantee that the odor isn’t being recirculated back into the house.
Working your way downward, clean walls with the same cleaning product and a cloth. Make sure to clean the tops of the door trim, baseboard, and other nooks and crannies.
With that said, it’s integral to point out that just cleaning the walls usually won’t get rid of the smell. And paint will help, but it won’t resolve the problem of the smell, either. To excellently remove the cigarette smoke smell, you will need to adopt an odor-sealing primer, then a good quality paint over the top.
Wash the Windows
Along with the walls, it’s noteworthy to provide all of the windows and window coverings in your rental property with a deep clean. If you have blinds, that points out wiping down each piece of the blinds on both sides. Clean the windows with your well-liked glass cleaner, then wipe down the frames and sills.
If your rental has fabric shades or curtains, ascertain to see if you can wash them in a washing machine. If not, you may want to consider replacing them fully. Cigarette smoke is very arduous to get out of fabric.
Sanitize Cabinets and Counters
Bear in mind to clean the inside and outside of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, closets, and drawers. Go through each one, resolve and make sure to remove any debris, and then wipe down both inside and out with a cleaning solution. For countertops and islands, use a sanitizing cleaner to rid them of smoke residue. If the smoke smell persists, try putting a bowl of dry coffee grounds or white vinegar inside the smelly cabinet or drawer and leaving it there for so many days. This may help do away with the cigarette smell.
Deodorize Floors
Once you’ve cleaned everything above floor level, it’s time to deal with your carpets and hard surface floors. One way to help remove the smoke smell from carpets is to sprinkle baking soda over the entire carpet, let it sit for at least an hour, and then vacuum. Many Chula Vista property managers choose to hire professional carpet cleaners if they are preparing a rental for a new tenant. They may be able to clean up the odor from the carpet. In the majority of cases, however, the best option is to replace the carpets and pad outright.
For hard surface floors, clean thoroughly by mopping with a great disinfectant. If you’ve got lots of floors to clean, change your mop water often to see to it that the smoke smell isn’t just getting spread back around.
Although labor-intensive and time-consuming, by taking these steps, you can get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke and get it back to a clean, fresh-smelling rental.
Still, in the case that deep cleaning your rental property is something other than what you’d like to spend your time on, examine giving the professionals at Real Property Management Realevate Specialists a call. We can help with everything from cleaning services to finding an excellent new tenant for you – and much more! Contact us online today to see what we can do for you.
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