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How to Eliminate Smoke Odor from a Wood Burning Stove or Fireplace

Naturally, the best way to eliminate smoke odor is to completely wash the room, from top to bottom; however, we don't want to do this every time that we use the wood stove or fireplace. So, what can we do to eliminate the odor with minimal effort?

First of all, make sure that you always remove the 'cold' ashes immediately and move them to the outside ash bin. Don't leave them in the house any longer than necessary.

Now, short of washing the walls,upholstery,carpeting and mirrors etc. these little tips will make everyones life a little more pleasant.

1. Set vinegar around the room in small fancy little containers. The fancy little containers are just going to disguise the ingredients and make your wife feel better about doing this. Vinegar will absorb the smell and the odor of the vinegar will not be known to anyone.

2. Another source of absorption is 'charcoal', although this is harder to hide from view, it also will eliminate the odor.

3. During the heating season it is wise to wash the curtains more often. A greasy residue builds up and with the fabric of most curtains, will weaken the threads.

4. Put baking soda on the carpets and furniture and if possible, do this at night and then vacuum off in the morning. Baking soda will absorb some of the grease and leave a fresh odor in the room.

5.Simple Green and Spic and Span are great for washing walls, although I am going to give you a recipe, using baking soda, that works great too.

6. Spray the upholstery, curtains and carpeting with Odor Ban or Fabreze (odor eliminators) to help to take away smoke smell buildup.

7. Recipes for Baking Soda Cleaner:This is great for washing walls, most upholstery (try a small area first), glassware (although you can use vinegar and water too) and carpeting.

To use in a spray bottle

1 Tbs. baking soda

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 cups of water

Mix completely by shaking the bottle and spray. Can be kept in the bottle and used when needed.

To mix in a bucket

1/2 cup of baking soda

1/8 cup of lemon juice

2 gallons of hot water

Mix and wash walls etc.

Vinegar is also a great cleaner when used for removing dirt and odors, I use a strong solution of 2 cups of vinegar to 2 gallons of water.

This website also has some information that I know would be of interest to you:

http://www.epa.gov/woodstoves/efficiently.html

Jan Hayner is creator of Organizing Your Life THE EASY WAY .com and offers tips and hints on organizing and shortcuts to cleaning your home and office. She offers checklists, articles and guides to help you take the stress out and to do things the easy way.

posted on: 4/4/2008 10:00:00 AM by Jan Hayner
category: Homes

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Discuss This Post

by george on 11/30/2008 3:38:54 PM:

This is really helpful. Is there any benefit in placing an air purifier with hepa filtration near the stove?

by Jan on 3/4/2010 6:57:39 PM:

Well George, lets just say that it sure can't hurt anything. They do work and every little bit helps, just keep in mind that the cost of the filters could run you to the poor house. Vinegar is cheap and does the trick. I would say to get as much of the odor out ---first---then run the hepa filter. This will extend the length of your filter. Thank you for the comment!

by Maggie Thornton on 8/29/2012 9:32:49 AM:

My problem is the heavy smell omitted by my stove during the off season. It is from the stove itself. It is clean and has a plastic covering inside the doors to help with this but I enter the house and it is almost stiffleing. Thank you for your help on this issue. Maggie

by Jan Hayner on 8/29/2012 10:22:00 AM:

Maggie it sounds like you have taken care of the stove but not the chimney. You may have an accumulation built up and the air that is forced down the chimney is pushing the odor into your house. Get a chimney sweep to clean the walls of your chimney. This should be done every couple of years 'depending on how often you use your stove' for safety reasons anyway. Your chimney gets a build up of creosote that can catch on fire. Hope this helps answer your comment.

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Take The Stress Out Of Housecleaning

by Jan Hayner

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About Jan:

Jan Hayner is a Professional Organizer and the creator of www.organizingandcleaning.com filled with tips and hints on home organizing and house cleaning shortcuts. After years and years of making mistakes and wasting money she has used her own experiences to help take the stress out of life. There are so many shortcuts to cleaning and organizing, that when you apply them, you will have time for the fun things in life!

Jan's Website:

http://www.organizingandcleaning.com

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