One of the more burdensome clean-up jobs is getting rid of the smell of cigarette smoke in a Saratoga Springs rental home. Whether you allow your tenants to smoke, didn’t call to mind to incorporate your smoking policy in the lease, or if you did and had a strict no-smoking policy, you may, on the other hand, still be left to deal with the smelly responsibility of cleaning up the wretched 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 produce a health risk to future tenants and must be taken very seriously.
To help make your clean-up job as helpful as possible, here are some cleaning tips proposed by the pros.
Air it Out
The best place to start when ready 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 apply fans or an air purifier to circulate the air. There are air purifiers primarily created to discard the smell of cigarette smoke from the air. If your budget allows, this, in all likelihood, is a nice option. But certainly, you may need to leave the fans running for as long as possible – surely even many days – to be helpful to 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. Applying 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 just spray on all surfaces.
At the same time you’re working on the ceilings, always remember to clean the light fixtures and ceiling fans up there, too! Wipe the tops and bottoms of ceiling fan blades to safeguard 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. Bear in mind to clean the tops of the door trim, baseboard, and other nooks and crannies.
Yet, it’s great to denote that just cleaning the walls regularly won’t get rid of the smell. And paint will help, but it won’t remove the smell, either. To remove the cigarette smoke smell, you will need to apply an odor-sealing primer, then a good quality paint over the top.
Wash the Windows
Along with the walls, it’s primal to extend all of the windows and window coverings in your rental property a deep clean. If you have blinds, that denotes wiping down each piece of the blinds on both sides. Clean the windows with your selected glass cleaner, then wipe down the frames and sills.
If your rental has fabric shades or curtains, validate to see if you can wash them in a washing machine. If not, you may want to consider replacing them all the way. Cigarette smoke is very burdensome to get out of fabrics.
Sanitize Cabinets and Counters
Call to mind to clean the inside and outside of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, closets, and drawers. Go through each one, empty any debris, and then wipe down both inside and out with a cleaning solution. For countertops and islands, simply 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 a number of days. This may help eradicate 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 whole area of the carpet, let it sit for at least an hour, and then vacuum. A lot of Saratoga Springs property managers adopt hiring professional carpet cleaners whenever preparing a rental for a new tenant. They may be able to clean out the odor from the carpet. In most cases, however, the best option is to replace the carpets and pad entirely.
For hard surface floors, clean thoroughly by mopping with a nice disinfectant. If you’ve got a small number of floors to clean, change your mop water often to always ensure that the smoke smell isn’t just getting spread back around.
Although labor-intensive and time-consuming, by taking these steps, you can clean up and eradicate the smell of cigarette smoke and get it back to a clean, fresh-smelling rental.
Still, if deep cleaning your rental property is something other than what you would like to spend your time on, view giving the professionals at Real Property Management Utah County a call. We can help with everything from cleaning services to finding a great new tenant for you – and much more! Contact us online today to see what we can do for you.
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