How to Get Rid of Cigar Smell in a Room, House or Car (Step by Step)

To get rid of cigar smell for good, treat the three places it lives: the air (ventilate, then run a carbon air purifier), hard surfaces (wash walls, ceilings and vents with vinegar or TSP) and soft furnishings (launder, steam-clean or replace). Air fresheners and ozone machines only mask the problem or create a new one. Here's the step-by-step method for a room, a whole house and a car, and how to stop the smell coming back if you keep smoking indoors.

Why cigar smell is so hard to remove

Cigar smoke is a mix of gases and sticky particles. The gases carry the smell you notice in the room; the particles settle on every surface as a tar-like residue, often called thirdhand smoke. That residue builds up on walls, ceilings, carpets, curtains and furniture, and keeps releasing odor long after the smoke has cleared. It also hides in HVAC ducts, inside cabinets and behind furniture, and it can linger for years (Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center).

That's why opening a window works for an hour and the smell is back by evening: you've cleared the air but not the reservoirs.

How to get rid of cigar smell in a room: step by step

Step 1: Air it out and change the HVAC filter

Open windows on opposite sides of the room and run a box fan pointing out of one window to pull fresh air through. Replace your furnace or air-conditioner filter, or the system will keep recirculating smoky air around the house.

Step 2: Launder everything washable

Curtains, cushion covers, throws and bedding hold the most odor. Wash them with a cup of white vinegar added to the rinse. Dry-clean what you can't wash.

Step 3: Deep-clean soft furniture and carpet

Sprinkle baking soda over carpets and upholstery, leave it for 24 hours, then vacuum with a HEPA vacuum. Follow with a steam clean. For years of heavy smoking, professional cleaning, or replacing the carpet pad, may be the only fix.

Step 4: Wash walls, ceilings and hard surfaces

Wipe walls, ceilings, doors, window glass, blinds, light fixtures and vents with a solution of warm water and white vinegar. For yellowed walls, use a trisodium phosphate (TSP) cleaner, following the label's safety directions (gloves, ventilation). The Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center recommends TSP for persistent residue on walls, followed by a stain-blocking primer before repainting.

Step 5: Absorb what's left

Bowls of white vinegar, baking soda or activated charcoal left in the room for a few days soak up residual odor. They're slow, but they work without adding fragrance.

Step 6: Run a carbon air purifier continuously

Cleaning removes the reservoirs; a purifier strips the odor gases that keep escaping from what's left, and handles new smoke if you still smoke there. It needs heavy activated carbon, not just a HEPA filter, because the smell is gas. Run it continuously for at least a week after cleaning. Our guide to the best air purifier for cigar smoke explains how much carbon you need and how to size it.

How to get cigar smell out of a whole house

• Work room by room, starting with the room where the smoking happened, and close it off while you clean the rest.
• Have the ducts cleaned if smoking went on for years; residue in ductwork re-scents the whole house every time the heat comes on.
• Prime and repaint heavily smoked rooms with a stain- and odor-blocking primer after washing. Paint alone won't seal it.
• Replace what won't come clean: old carpet and pad, cheap upholstered furniture, ceiling tiles.
• Run purifiers in the main living areas for a few weeks while residue fades.

How to get cigar smell out of a car

• Empty and clean the ashtray and console; wash floor mats.
• Vacuum seats and carpet, then sprinkle baking soda overnight and vacuum again.
• Wipe the headliner gently (it stains easily), dashboard, vents and glass with diluted vinegar.
• Replace the cabin air filter. It's cheap and often the hidden source.
• Leave an activated charcoal bag under a seat for a week.

What doesn't work (or makes it worse)

• Air fresheners, candles and sprays mask the smell and add their own chemicals.
• Ozone generators. The EPA states that at levels that don't exceed public-health standards, ozone "is not effective at removing many odor-causing chemicals", and warns that ozone can damage the lungs (EPA). Professional ozone "shock" treatments in empty buildings are a different, specialist job, not for occupied homes.
• HEPA-only purifiers clear haze but not the gases that carry the smell.
• Painting without washing and priming: the odor bleeds through.

Still smoking indoors? Keep the smell from coming back

If you enjoy cigars at home, set up one room for it rather than smoking throughout the house:

• Choose a room with a door and hard surfaces: leather, wood, tile, blinds instead of curtains.
• Add a small exhaust fan to the outside so the room stays at slight negative pressure and smoke doesn't drift into the house.
• Run a carbon purifier sized for 10+ air changes an hour, before, during and after smoking.
• Clean the room regularly so residue never builds up.

Our cigar room ventilation guide walks through sizing the fan and purifier, and Airpura T600 vs T600 DLX vs T700 helps you pick a unit.

Frequently asked questions

How long does cigar smell last in a house?

In the air, hours. On surfaces and in fabrics, months to years, until the residue is cleaned or removed.

Does vinegar get rid of cigar smell?

Yes, for washing hard surfaces and laundry, and as an odor absorber in open bowls. It won't fix soaked carpet or furniture on its own.

Will an air purifier remove cigar smell?

A purifier with heavy activated carbon removes the odor in the air and what keeps escaping from surfaces. For an old smell, clean the surfaces too; the purifier can't reach inside the carpet.

Is it safe to use an ozone generator?

Not in occupied rooms. The EPA warns ozone can harm the lungs and isn't effective against many odor chemicals at safe levels.

What's the fastest way to get cigar smell out of a room?

Ventilate, launder the fabrics, wipe the hard surfaces, then run a carbon purifier on high. You'll notice a big difference in a day; full removal of old smell takes longer.

Want help choosing a purifier for a smoking room? Call (985) 531-8513 with the room size.

Sources: Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center; EPA, Ozone Generators That Are Sold as Air Cleaners; EPA Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home; Airpura specifications. Updated October 2026.