After years of smoking in a home, walls and contents become blemished and develop foul odors, and professional cigarette smoke odor removal is often necessary. Learn more about cleaning homes affected by tobacco residue and odors below.Cigarette smoke residue is a yellowish-brown, gluey substance that sticks to every surface in a home, making it difficult and time-consuming to remove.

When cigarettes, pipes, or cigars are burned, the environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) that results, also known as “secondhand smoke,” is a complex mixture of over 7,000 compounds, more than 40 of which are associated with cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Exposure to ETS often referred to as “passive smoking,” affects both smokers and non-smokers.