Can I use it in the car?

Yes. Lightly spray the seats, headliner and floor mats from 20-30 cm away, and leave the doors open for a short while. Don't spray directly onto the dashboard or screens. In a study in Poland, 23.5% of the cars tested had high levels of cat allergen; the allergen was also found in cars that had never carried an animal.

Cigarette smoke · 5 min read · 3 October 2026

How do you get rid of cigarette smell in your home?

What thirdhand smoke is, why the smell doesn't go when you open a window, and which surfaces need cleaning.

C₁₀H₁₄N₂

Nicotine

In short

1After a cigarette is put out, its residue clings to fabric, walls and dust.
2Over time this residue is released back into the air and can turn into other substances there.
3The lasting solution is to wash fabrics and clean surfaces.

The smoke goes, the residue stays

Nicotine and other compounds in cigarette smoke cling to every surface in the room: curtains, sofa, carpet, walls, house dust. Researchers call this residue thirdhand smoke. It stays on surfaces for a long time and is gradually released back into the air.

That's why, even if you move into a room where nobody smokes, the smell left by the previous occupant can linger for a while. Opening a window changes the air but doesn't touch the residue inside the fabric.

The residue doesn't stay put

In a laboratory study at Berkeley, nicotine on surfaces reacted with nitrous acid present in indoor air and formed tobacco-specific nitrosamines. After three hours of exposure, levels of these compounds had increased tenfold. So cleaning up the residue isn't just a matter of smell.

Step by step

Fabric is where the smell builds up most. Start by washing everything that can be washed.

01Wash curtains, cushion covers and blankets.
02Wipe walls and hard surfaces with lukewarm water.
03Apply a probiotic spray from 20-30 cm away to sofas and carpets that can't be washed, and leave to dry.
04In the car, don't forget the headliner; that's where smoke clings most.

Questions

Why doesn't cigarette smell go when you open a window?: Nicotine and other compounds in the smoke cling to curtains, sofas, walls and dust; researchers call this residue thirdhand smoke. Opening a window changes the air but doesn't touch the residue inside the fabric.
Can I use it in the car?: Yes. Lightly spray the seats, headliner and floor mats from 20-30 cm away, and leave the doors open for a short while. Don't spray directly onto the dashboard or screens. In a study in Poland, 23.5% of the cars tested had high levels of cat allergen; the allergen was also found in cars that had never carried an animal.

Sources

All literature →

01
Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke: Emerging Evidence and Arguments for a Multidisciplinary Research Agenda
Matt GE, Quintana PJE, Destaillats H et al. (2011). Environmental Health Perspectives 119(9): 1218-1226
doi:10.1289/ehp.1103500
Finding · ReviewAfter smoking, the nicotine and other compounds in the smoke cling to indoor surfaces such as walls, carpets, upholstery and dust, and over time get back into the air. This residue can linger in homes for a long time; researchers call it thirdhand smoke.
02
Formation of carcinogens indoors by surface-mediated reactions of nicotine with nitrous acid, leading to potential thirdhand smoke hazards
Sleiman M, Gundel LA, Pankow JF, Jacob P, Singer BC, Destaillats H (2010). PNAS 107(15): 6576-6581
doi:10.1073/pnas.0912820107
Finding · Laboratory studyNicotine stuck to surfaces reacted with nitrous acid in indoor air to form tobacco-specific nitrosamines. On cellulose surfaces, levels of these compounds rose tenfold after 3 hours of exposure.

These studies were not carried out with Air Biotics. What we say about the product is limited to what is written on its packaging; Air Biotics is not a disinfectant.

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