Have you ever tried to remove cigarette smoke from the walls? If yes, you know well how hard it is to remove nicotine residues from the walls. Among various other methods, steam cleaning is one of the most effective ways of cleaning cigarette smoke off walls. This method doesn’t damage your walls and cleans nicotine residues from them quickly. This article provides the detailed process of steam cleaning cigarette smoke off walls and also an alternative method of cleaning cigarette smoke without steam cleaning.
What Does Cigarette Smoke Do to the Walls?
Cigarette smoke has three main components; tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide. Cigarette smoke has harmful components that are not only dangerous for human health but also for our surroundings. When you smoke inside your room, a yellowish discoloration occurs on walls and ceilings over time. This discoloration reduces the aesthetics of your home and is also potentially harmful to human and animal health. You must remove cigarette smoke from the walls to restrict their accumulation.
Instructions to Steam Clean Smoke Residue from Walls
You can utilize various strategies to eliminate smoke from walls. It doesn’t make any difference regardless of the smoke source. Whether from an oven or smoking, there are a couple of practical approaches to disposing of it. Steam at 212° F is powerful enough to cut grease, dirt, and stains from walls and floors. The same temperature is suitable for cleaning cigarette smoke off the walls.
Here are the steps toward clean cigarette smoke from walls:
1. Scratch Excess Smoke
If you’re attempting to eliminate a ton of smoke buildup stuck on the walls, you’ll initially have to scratch off the excess. Use a paper clip for scratching as much tar as possible from the wall. You can use a bobby pin if you don’t have a paper clip. A bobby pin will get the job done for small regions.
Clear away the smoke buildup to avoid messing on the floor when you begin steaming. A couple of drops of moisture will generally tend to escape the steamer while cleaning over the ground.
2. Loosen the Build-up on Smoke With a Steam Cleaner
The high temperature and tension of the steam from the applicator will break down smoke buildup. In this way, you can easily wipe it off the walls.
Good handheld steam cleaners accompany microfiber materials for cleaning the buildup after running the steam mop across the wall.
3. Clean with a Microfiber Cloth
The steamer impacts through the leftover nicotine stains and breaks them. You can use a microfiber towel to clear off the buildup. Note that utilizing some other material will spread the residue around your walls, making a mess.
4. Clean the Floor
Your floor may have smoke residues even after scraping them at step 1. If you don’t clean your floor properly, the smell of cigarette smoke will last longer.
Mop the floor a few times, and clean it with a scented cleaning solution. I would prescribe you to utilize a steam mop to dispose of any smoke stains on the floor.https://web.archive.org/web/20240418145159if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/12UdUcFp0jQ
Also Read: can you use steam cleaner on vinyl floor?
Clean Cigarette Smoke off Walls with Homemade Cleaning Solution
Using natural and household ingredients, you can make a good cleaning solution to dispose of tobacco smoke and scent from walls. Baking soda, ammonia, and vinegar are great cleaning specialists.
This is how to clean nicotine smoke using a homemade cleaning solution.
- Take 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup ammonia, and 1/4 cup vinegar in a gallon of water.
- You have to blend them well to make a consistent solution.
- Utilize a delicate sponge or a microfiber cloth to apply the cleaning solution for the walls down-up. Apply it to the roof as well.
- Wash off the solution with warm water.
- Use a microfiber towel to dry your walls.
This method is pretty useful in removing cigarette smoke from walls.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you steam clean the painted walls?
You can use a steam cleaner on painted walls if they are coated with water-resistant paint. Besides this, you cannot steam clean paper walls as the paper will get damaged due to intense heat and moisture from the steam cleaner. You can use a steam cleaner over the sealed tile and bricked wall.
2. How to remove cigarette odor from the walls?
After cleaning cigarette smoke off walls, your walls may smell like nicotine. To remove this bad odor, you can use vinegar. Take ½ cup of vinegar into a gallon of warm water and dip a soft sponge into it. Clean your wall with this sponge, as vinegar has the ability to eliminate odors.
3. Is it safe to put bleach into a steam cleaner?
No, manufacturers do not recommend using bleach in a steam cleaner. Bleach has harsh chemicals that can deteriorate the plastic and rubber parts of the steam cleaner. You can use bleach in a steam cleaner only when the manufacturer recommends it.