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Rebecca asked: How do I clean cigarette smoke residue from glass? My new housemate is an indoor smoker who doesn’t intend to alter his habits. How do I get rid of the smoke residue that has accumulated on his glass and mirrors after so many years? Also, is there anything that I can do to prevent more build-up?
When 
cigarette smoke is present in the air, all of the toxins and chemicals in the smoke land and stick to everything in sight. Glass can turn foggy and yellow. This discoloration is from the nicotine and tar in the cigarettes. Removing it is not difficult, but may take some time if the layer of build-up is thick. Here is a simple cleaning method that will remove the discoloration from the tar and smoke residue.
You Will Need:
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
- Bucket
- Spray bottle
- Soft cloths
- Water
- Window or glass cleaner
- Lint-free cloth
Steps to Remove the Smoke Residue:
- Begin by filling a bucket or sink with warm to hot water.
- Add 2 cups of white vinegar to the water. If the residue is bad, add more vinegar (or use only vinegar, no water, for the first cleaning), or mix a couple drops of dish soap into the water.
- If the mirrors can be removed from the wall and placed in the sink, it will be helpful to allow them to soak. If not, moisten a soft cloth with the mixture and wipe the surfaces.
- A spray bottle can also be filled with a mix of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. Simply spray the surfaces and wipe them with a soft cloth. If the residue is tough, use only vinegar, no water.
- Rinse the cloth frequently and continue cleaning until all of the residue is removed.
- Dry with a clean, soft cloth.
- Once the residue is removed, clean the glass with glass cleaner and wipe clean with a lint-free cloth. This will remove any streaks or smears that were made from the soapy water.
Additional Tips and Advice
- One way to avoid future build-up is to purchase an air purifier. There are a variety of air purifiers available on the market. For additional information, see our guide How to Remove Dust from the Air which offers guidelines for selecting an air purifier.
- Regular cleanings will also keep the build up away. Weekly cleanings with a light vinegar and water mixture will remove any tar or residue that has begun to collect on the surfaces.
- Keep windows and doors open as much as possible to air out the house. This will help freshen the air and reduce the odors that can accumulate.
Where does the soap come in? It’s in the list, but never mentioned in the process.
Kathi
It isn’t needed; diluted vinegar alone works just fine, but you can add a bit of dish soap to the vinegar mixture if desired. If the smoke residue is very oily, the dish soap will help to cut through the oil. In most cases, just the diluted vinegar or plain vinegar is enough.
Alcohol.
Step #2: SOAP
I need help getting the nicotine smell off of a cookie jar I bought at a yard sale. I washed all the yellow tar off, but when you open the lid. It smells horrible!!! I’m afraid to even use it without getting everything tasting like a nasty cigarette. Please help!
Jane,
Try using either baking soda or white vinegar.
To use baking soda, pour some into the cookie jar, put the lid on, and leave it there overnight. In the morning, dump out the baking soda and hopefully the smell will be gone. If not repeat the process until the smell is gone. Use a good amount of baking soda each time, not just a little.
To use vinegar, mix equal parts vinegar and water. Pour the mixture into the jar. You don’t need to fill the entire jar with the mixture; just an inch or so should be fine. Put the lid on the jar and leave it overnight. If the smell is not gone in the morning, repeat the process as many times as needed until it is gone.
Source: HowToCleanStuff – How to Remove Smoke Smell from Non-Washable Items
Use the glass stove top cleaner with the slightly abrasive side of a sponge. Wet the sponge, pour cleaner on the sponge, and wipe. If it drys too soon, dampen the sponge. When done, allow it to dry and wipe it off with a kitchen towel. Impressive! You should be able to use it on anything. Just rewash it thoroughly after the initial cleaning of tar and nicotine.
Hi Melanie,
I recently acquired a home in rough shape. I’m also extremely strapped for funds. I have used some thicker vinyl wallpaper over a dark dark paneling. The wallpaper is an almost white and I was foolish and didn’t wash the wall before I put up the paper. Now I have bleed-through of what looks like nicotine stains, also there is a fireplace in the room so it could be that, and it could also just be age. I have learned my lesson, but still have that one wall with the bleed-through that haunts me. Is it a possibility to save it?
Joanne,
Here are three ideas:
1) The easiest thing to try is simply washing the stains with dish liquid.
2) You could try an enzyme digester. These are found on the pet aisle of supermarkets. Two brands that are popular are Kids ‘N’ Pets and Nature’s Miracle. In this case, I would avoid the Nature’s Miracle because it contains alcohol, which could effect the wallpaper adhesive if it gets into any seams. Enzyme digesters work on a variety of organic stains, including tobacco. They contain beneficial bacteria that eat up all of the stain. If you need to let it soak on the stain so it has time to work, just tape plastic wrap over the area, which will prevent the cleaner from drying out. (Keep in mind you should always test a new cleaner on a small hidden area first to look for any adverse reaction.)
3) Whenever you have an oil stain (nicotine and soot are oil-based) on something – suede shoes, concrete, a couch, whatever – a common removal method is to pull the oil out of the surface. To do that, you cover the area with baking soda and let it sit for a few hours to soak up the oil, then vacuum up the powder and that’s it – oil gone. To do this on a wall, what you could do is cut a piece of plastic wrap to fit over the stain (or if the stain is larger than a piece of plastic wrap, you could cut open a trash bag to use instead). Tape the bottom section of the plastic wrap just below the stain. Attach pieces of tape along the side edges of the plastic wrap, but don’t put them against the wall yet – just leave them hanging down with tape on either side so that all you will have to do is smooth them upwards to tape them in place. Put your forearm over the base of the plastic wrap with the rest of it (the part just dangling) draped down over your arm. With your other hand, start sprinkling baking soda over your forearm. As you get a good pile on your arm (more than just a light dust, preferably at least a couple millimeters thick), move your arm upwards to push the sides of the plastic wrap against the wall, holding the baking soda you just sprinkled in place against the wall. Continue sprinkling on baking soda and moving your arm upwards until the plastic wrap is flat against the wall, holding the baking soda in place in a thick layer against the wall. Once that’s done, you can tape the top of the plastic wrap in place to help hold it if needed. Leave it there for 24 hours, then pull off the plastic wrap and vacuum up the baking soda that falls to the ground. (You can try to catch it with a dust pan if you want.) Hopefully, the stain will be gone. Sometimes this does take several tries with other surfaces though. Baking soda is about 50 cents per box, and you can get plastic wrap at the dollar tree. It would be best to use masking tape instead of duct tape as it is less likely to damage the wall (dust tape is a very strong tape and has a lot of adhesive on it). You may want to try this with just one stain first to see if it works. Depending on how big the stains are, it may be cheaper to use flour instead of baking soda.
If you can’t remove the stains, you can just cover them up:
1) Cover it up with a wall tapestry. You can get one online for $10-15.
2) Make it one of those walls that has a bunch of picture frames on it of different sizes and shapes (using the frames to cover the stains). You can get picture frames at the dollar store. If you don’t like the look of pictures, you can fill the frames with scraps of various fabrics instead – go to the fabric section at Walmart or go to a fabric store like Joann’s and pick 4 or five that go with your color scheme in the room, then cut them to the sizes of the frames and put them in various frames at random. (Or, you could just use some old clothes as the fabrics.) If you have a certain theme you like – dogs, flowers, sailboats, etc., you can print designs on transfer paper to put them onto the fabric. The cost will depend on how many frames you want and which fabrics you choose (fabrics are about $1-3 dollars per yard). Transfer paper is $10-15 if you want that. You might also be able to get some larger frames at a thrift store.
Is it ok to use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar to clean cigarette smoke film off a mirror? I don’t have white vinegar, but I do have ACV. But also, it’s the kind with “mother” in it, that floatie stuff that’s in organic ACV. I don’t really know what it is, but they call it mother. Will that work as vinegar?
For a mirror, yes, you could try using apple cider vinegar. Usually ACV is not recommended because of the dark color, which can stain surfaces, and also because it’s not as acidic as white vinegar so it doesn’t work as well for cleaning when an acid is needed. For this purpose though, it’s certainly worth a try. Clean the mirror afterward to remove any residue from the vinegar or the mother in it. Good luck!