Smoke Odor Removal for Columbia, MO Houses and Vehicles
Bought a house where someone smoked for years, or driving a car that still smells like an ashtray? Rob looks at each situation on its own and tells you straight whether the smell can leave for good.
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- WoolSafe Approved Service Provider
Smoke Odor Removal
Can smoke odor removal make the smell go away for good?
Yes, once nobody smokes there anymore. Smoke odor removal from MaxCare can eliminate cigarette and cooking smells so they never return, and Rob guarantees it in a free-standing house or a vehicle. That guarantee never covers a condo or an apartment. Before promising anything, Rob looks at each building on its own.
- Cigarette smoke left by a past owner
- A car, truck or RV that smells like an ashtray
- Curry and other strong cooking odors
- Cooking smells in a house you just moved into
- That “wet dog” smell through the house
- Rentals that smell between tenants
- Homes going on the market
Good to know
What's the difference between getting rid of a smell and managing it?
Elimination means the smell is gone and stays gone, and it can only happen once the source is gone too: nobody smokes inside, nobody cooks curry there, the dog has moved on. Management is what we do while the source is still at work. It knocks the odor down, but the smoking keeps bringing it back.
Before you call about a smoke smell
- Find out who smoked there, for how long, and whether anyone still does. That one answer decides elimination or management.
- Note what kind of building it is. The guarantee covers only free-standing houses and vehicles, never condos or apartments.
- If you’re buying, ask your realtor to get us in before closing, while there’s still time to plan.
- For a car, truck or RV, tell us how long someone smoked in it and where the smell is strongest.
- Call (573) 817-2540 or book online, and expect Rob to ask a lot of questions before he promises anything.
Worth knowing
Why doesn't airing out the house get rid of the smoke smell?
Because the smell isn’t only in the air. The EPA says chemicals from smoking can stay indoors for a long time. They build up on walls, tables and floors and embed in carpets, upholstery, drapes and bedding. Some of them get released back into the air later, which the EPA calls thirdhand exposure.
ThirdhandEPA’s name for smoke chemicals coming back off surfaces
On its page about secondhand smoke and smoke-free homes, the EPA also says ventilation and air cleaning can reduce exposure but will not eliminate it. So an open window helps while it’s open, and the smell is still in the walls and the carpet once it shuts. If a pet has added its own smell to the floors, that’s a separate job, covered on our pet urine odor removal page.
Our process
How Rob handles a smoke smell
- ListenYou tell us the smell, the building and whether the source is still there.
- EvaluateRob looks at each situation on its own before he commits to anything.
- DecideElimination if the smoking or cooking has stopped, management if it hasn't.
- TreatThe odor work gets done, in more than one round when a house needs it.
- Stand behind itGuaranteed in free-standing houses and vehicles; never in condos or apartments.
Pricing
What does smoke odor removal cost?
There’s no flat answer, because Rob evaluates every situation on its own. The price depends on the size of the house or vehicle, how long and how heavily someone smoked or cooked there, whether it’s elimination or management, and how many treatments it may take. Call (573) 817-2540 or book online, and Rob will look before he quotes.
From a customer
What has a realtor said about our smoke odor work?
Mark Sieber of RE/MAX Boone Realty wrote about “a home that a smoker lived in 21 years,” calling it the “worst I’d seen with 35 years of real estate.” His summary: “It took three treatments to rid the home of cigarette smoke smell.” Stephen Wheeler put it simply: “If he says he can clean and deodorize something, he can.”
“Robert stands behind his work. Recently we had MaxCare work on a home that a smoker lived in 21 years. It had definately had cigarette smoke issues, the worst I'd seen with 35 years of real estate. It took three treatments to rid the home of cigarette smoke smell. Last year I had a buyer purchasing a condo. We discovered cat urine issues during the building inspection (when the buyer and I first went into the condo the windows were open and the kitty litter box, toys and food were not in the condo). When we conducted the building inspection the seller had the windows closed and didn't remove the kitty litter box, toys and food, so the truth came out. Robert explained to the buyer in detail how he would rid the home of cat urine issues, and he did. He's a man of his word. Mark Sieber RE/MAX Boone Realty”
FAQ
Smoke Smell Questions From Mid-Missouri Buyers and Owners
We're buying a house a smoker lived in. Should we call before closing?
If you can, yes. MaxCare is an affiliate of the Columbia Board of Realtors, so ask your agent to bring Rob in while you’re still deciding. He’ll tell you whether the house qualifies for the guarantee, which covers free-standing houses and never condos. Heavy cases can take more than one round: one realtor’s 21-year smoker house took three treatments.
Can you guarantee the smoke smell out of my condo or apartment?
No. The guarantee covers only a free-standing house or a vehicle, and Rob won’t promise more than that. The full process can’t be done in a condo or apartment, so what we offer there is odor management. Duplexes sit in between: under some circumstances the work can be done in one, and Rob decides after he sees the building.
My car smells like cigarettes. Do you do vehicles?
Yes. A vehicle is one of the two places the smoke odor guarantee applies, the other being a free-standing house. Cars, trucks and RVs soak up smoke in their seats and carpet. Tell us what you drive and how long someone smoked in it. Once the smoking has stopped for good, the smell can be eliminated instead of just managed.
The house still smells like the last owner's curry. Is that the same kind of job?
Pretty much. Strong cooking odors like curry are in the same family as cigarette smoke for us, and they can be completely eliminated, never to return, once nobody cooks that way in the house. In a free-standing house the removal is guaranteed; in a condo or apartment it is not. Each kitchen and each house gets evaluated on its own.
We still smoke inside. Is it worth doing anything?
It can be, as long as you know what you’re getting. While someone is still smoking in the house, the work is odor management: it knocks the smell down, but it won’t stay gone. When the smoking stops for good, or the house is being emptied to sell or rent, that’s the time to talk about elimination.
Service area
Where does MaxCare do smoke odor work?
Smoke odor work covers houses and vehicles in Columbia and the towns around it, such as Boonville, Moberly, Mexico, Holts Summit and Jefferson City, plus Rocheport and Hartsburg. Ring (573) 817-2540, say what kind of building it is, and Rob will tell you what’s possible there.
Related services
Other places a smell can hide
Talk to Rob's team
Does the house still smell like smoke?
Call (573) 817-2540. Tell Rob what kind of building it is and whether anyone still smokes there, and he’ll give you a straight answer about what’s possible.