Cigarette butts

[Kerry428]

I'm not sure why this has my undies in such a bind but I think I need some opinions here! I have  a definite no smoking policy inside the house. I figured if I have smokers, they can smoke outdoors and all will be fine. A few issues with that:

1. The house still smells like smoke because of the obvious - their clothes smell too!

2. EVERY time I have smokers stay, they leave butts all over the place. I find this extremely rude.

Do I just make a no smoking indoors AND within my property rule? Not that it would be followed by some of the stinkers but.....

[Emiel1]

@Kerry428 

You must make clear in the listing you only will accept non-smoking guests and also that smoking is not allowed on the whole property. The "no smoke" option only is interpreted as "no smoking allowed in the house".

I recognize you issues and would add to that:

- Smoking guests frequenty walk in/out the house to smoke. My place is in a small street and (smoking)  people wandering up and down the street or hiding in some corner, especially in the late dark hours, make neighbours feel uncomfortable.

- Smoking guest often already light their cigarette in the hall way, before walking out.

- Bedlinen and/or plaids will stink also and if really heavy, washing it together with other stuff is not even possible.

[Kerry428]

Thank you so much! Any ideas how to rid the house of the smell that has already sunk in?

[Amanda660]

We have 4 guys who now book every week for 4 nights (Monday - Friday) for work.  One of them is a heavy smoker but smokes outside.  On their second stay one of the bedrooms had an empty cigarette pack in the bin and reeked of smoke. 

No matter how much we laundered and aired the room it’s still lingered until I tried Neutradol - Sprinkled it on the carpet and then vacuumed it up.

I also host dogs and not only did the Neutradol get rid of the smell of smoke it also got rid of the smell of wet dog from my vacuum cleaner.

[Kerry428]

Thank you so much! This is super helpful

[Lorna170]

@Kerry428 , @Amanda660   We purchased a commercial ozone machine (from Amazon) that is set up and left on for the necessary time to remove all odors from the property.   I am always pleased with how fresh the property feels after running the machine.  No smoke, no dog, no musty.

Enerzen Ozone Generator 11,000mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer Sterilizer 

As to bedding, we use Lysol laundry sanitizer.  If that doesn't do it, we use a capful of Mr. Clean multi-purpose cleaner (yes, what you use on the floor and kitchen) in the wash load and do a double rinse.  

[Kerry428]

Thank you so much! I appreciate this! Was about to jump off a cliff! 

[Amanda660]

@Lorna170 I have an ozone Generator sitting in my Amazon basket, It’s my backup plan and with a busy summer ahead it might be a good investment moving forward.  Good to hear that you’ve had success with it.

[Kia272]

@Kerry428 Vinegar is actually an amazing odor absorber. You put a large pot or bowl of vinegar in a room, and it does an incredible job of absorbing whatever is smelly. 

I had a couple stay and the guy must have showered in cologne, because the whole house and particularly the bedroom stank! I'm really averse to any kind of perfume-y smell, so it was driving me nuts. I put the bowl of vinegar out for several days, and it was all gone. Vinegar works wonders in the laundry as well- it removes odors and also acts as a fabric softener. 

It's a good , cheap alternative to an ozone machine, especially if this is a one-off situation. 

Borax is also a good odor absorber. You can sprinkle it on rugs and vacuum it out. 

Good luck! I hope you are able to ward off stinky stinkers in the future. 

[Gordon0]

I state (words and picture) that I don't accept smoking or smokers. In 300+ bookings, I've had one person smoke in the room, and that was at the start of my foray into Airbnb.