How to Get Cigarette Smoke Out of Mattresses

Cigarette smoke in mattresses smells up the whole room. I should know. A special bed made by my grandfather for my mother when she was a child, now sits in my home. Before me, an uncle owned the family piece. But after my daughter moved away from home, he gave me the bed for my vacant room. Needless to say, the bed smelled of cigarette smoke. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I figured I'd find a way to get rid of the odor. Here's what I did.

Both mattresses were affected, so I covered them with full mattress covers of vinyl. Then I washed down the wooden bed frame with soapy water. Next, I stacked the mattresses and made the bed. Then I climbed onto the bed to see how comfortable everything was. That's when the mattresses really smelled. The strong odors came out from leaks in the vinyl. For over a month, that smoke smell greeted me every time I opened the bedroom door. It either dissipated on its own or I grew used to it.

Other Methods for Removing Cigarette Smoke Odor

Since then, I've learned of other methods I could have used. Yes, I could have gotten different mattresses, but those were specially made to fit a handmade bed. I could have sprayed the bed with vinegar spray or liquid fragrance, but where I live, household mold is an issue. If it hadn't been midwinter rainy season, I could have hauled those mattresses outdoors in the sunshine. Sunshine is a natural deodorant. Finally, I could have sprinkled the mattresses with baking powder or deodorizing carpet powder and vacuumed it up the next day. Then I could have flipped them and done the same to the other side.

There are several products on the marked that are made to deodorize cigarette smoke and they vary in price. Febreeze isn't one of them, nor are fabric softener sheets spread between the mattress and mattress pad. The best place to check for the deodorizing products is at your local home improvement store or hardware store.

The final thing I could have done was send the mattresses out to a fire reclamation company to be ionized for about $50. They specialize in removing smoke damage from furniture after a house fire or flood. That's still an option that I've not ruled out.

It's been about a year since I brought the bed into my home, and it no longer emit's a strong smell of cigarette smoke. Time has done the trick. But should I ever want to more thoroughly remove the smoke smells, I know what to do. Do you have a mattress that's full of cigarette smoke odor? If you do, try one of these suggestions for removing cigarette smoke smells from your mattresses.