Smoke Odor Counteracting
A&I – The Fire & Water Restoration People – (910)799-5135
Paul Davis Restoration
(910)452-7290
(910)452-9883 fax
Specialty Services
Tommy Bullington (910)620-0135 cell
Suggestions from other agents:
Heating and air providers have a cleaning smoke bomb (like a roach bomb) that they can circulate through the air ducts that will neutralize the odor coming from the vent work. The air handler and grill will also need cleaning. There are companies that just clean and seal the duct work also.
I have heard that charcoal can absorb odors. My client tried it for her moth ball smell and it seemed to work. Not sure about smoke but it is worth a try.
The smoke may be in the HVAC system. Cleaning all filters, vents, and the coils of the unit may help.
Old trick: pans of charcoal (not hickory flavored.)
New trick: Call Paul Davis restoration. They use ionization machines. If they’ve not done the ceiling, sometimes it helps to use KILZ (paint/primer that kills odors, etc.) on the ceilings. Using it before painting helps too. Get scented or baking soda air filters for the A/C. Be careful with the scented ones, they may smell worse than the smoke.
I have been told by professional cleaners that the following steps are necessary to completely rid a home of smoke. Replace carpet and padding. KILZ & Paint all walls. Clean all solid surfaces with a vinegar & water base. Finally, nicotine smoke leaves an oily residue on everything INCLUDING duct work. He told me to have the ducts thoroughly cleaned if there was still a residual odor.
Smelly odors circulate through the ductwork constantly so changing the air filters and trying to get a purifier of some sort through the ducts is crucial.
I've seen a deionizer make a difference with cigarette smoke. Depending on the capacity of the deionizer, set it up, leave it running for a day, check on it, maybe another day.