Many smokers take their habit outdoors nowadays, but there are still plenty of smokers who light up inside. Air quality concerns aside, smoking indoors can potentially make it difficult for you to sell your house, at least for your asking price. If you smoke indoors and plan to list your home in the near future, your first priority is to keep your habit outside. Additionally, there are a number of things that you can do in an attempt to remove the smell that could scare away prospective buyers. Here are some steps that you can take.

Wash Or Replace Any Fabric Articles

Fabric items around your house will absorb the smell of smoke and hold it in. When these items are present, those who enter your home during an open house may be able to smell smoke. You can wash certain fabric items, sometimes several times,  to remove the smell of smoke. Curtains, for example, can often be fixed in this manner. Other items that contain fabric, however, may need to be replaced. For example, given the difficulty of thoroughly cleaning a couch, you may wish to replace it. If doing so isn't possible, renting a steam cleaner and thoroughly going over your furniture can help.

Replace The Carpet

Carpet can be cleaned with a rented heavy-duty cleaner, but if you've smoked for a long time in the house, the carpet may still have an odor. If you really want to make the house smell as fresh as possible, consider replacing the carpet throughout your house. There's obviously an expense to doing so, but it remove a significant source of the odor in your home. Additionally, prospective buyers will always appreciate when a house has been recently carpeted.

Deal With Your Clothing

If you open the closet in your master bedroom, you may be able to detect the smell of stale smoke coming off your clothing. Before the house goes on the market, it's a good idea to systematically go through your entire wardrobe and wash every piece of it. You may even wish to use a scented detergent so that the closet smells fresh and pleasant. After this job is done, you should be cognizant of smoke-filled clothing in the days and weeks ahead. For example, if you have a shirt that you wear while smoking outside your home, don't hang it up in the closet when you're done with it. Even if you only wore it briefly, it should be placed in the laundry.

Before your home becomes the next real estate listing, use these tips to get rid of the smell of smoke.

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