Smoking is terrible for us. By now, we all know that. We know the risks of second-hand smoke too, but we often ignore the dangers of smoke ‘residue’ left in the environment. Studies have linked this so-called third-hand smoke residue with DNA damage and cancer, among other things. And then, of course, there’s the smell. Unless you enjoy the smell of stale cigarettes, tobacco, smoke and related odors, you are going to want to get rid of that stuff.

This doesn’t apply just to smokers either. If you buy a used car, a house, or almost anything that was exposed to cigarette  good moving companies   smoke, it will have been affected. Cigarette odor removal is something many people are going to have to deal with, even if they have never smoked. Perhaps the people who need a good cigarette odor remover the most are those who have quit smoking and non-smokers who despise the smell. The last thing you want is a lingering smell that might encourage them to start again or deter a potential customer from buying that house, car or clothing item.

So, how can you remove smoke odor from clothing, cars, carpets, and all the rest? There are many options available. They range from passive solutions, where you add something to the environment and assume it will absorb all the bad material, to active products that allow you to go after the root of the matter. The following are the Top 5 Cigarette Odor Removers for 2020 starting with least effective to most effective.

Ozone Generators

Before listing the top five, it’s important to discuss ozone generators. These devices have been marketed as a means of removing odors and allergens from the atmosphere. Some are explicitly marketed for use as a cigarette odor remover.

The idea is pretty simple. Ozone is a highly reactive version of oxygen. As such, it will react with odor-producing chemicals, particularly carbon-based organic chemicals, and neutralize them. This sounds logical, but there are a couple of problems, as discussed by the EPA.

The first problem is that ozone itself is a poison. A highly reactive form of oxygen is just as irritating with lung tissue as with any other organic material. In fact, the FDA, the EPA, and OSHA all have limits on permissible levels of ozone.

The further problem is that ozone may very well not do as advertised. Many of the compounds that produce uncomfortable odors can be removed by ozone, but only after months of exposure. Even worse, several of the compounds that ozone does react easily with will be broken down into dangerous or irritating chemicals, such as formic acid.

When it comes to cigarette odor removal, ozone generators are best avoided, especially for use within a home.

#5. Charcoal bags

Charcoal, yes, the stuff that makes a BBQ hot, can be useful in cigarette odor removal, at least to a degree. To be honest, it’s not quite the same stuff that you use in a BBQ. “Activated” charcoal is manufactured in such a way that its surface is covered with a mass of microscopic pores. These catch odor molecules in the atmosphere and sequester them in the charcoal. The odor is removed directly from the atmosphere. Furthermore, they also remove excess moisture from the atmosphere.