If you smoke inside your home, or even in your car, you may notice yellow or brown stains on your walls or glass windows. The chemicals and toxins released when smoking stick to various surfaces, leaving unsightly stains. It is important to remove nicotine stains from walls and glass sooner rather than later. The longer the nicotine builds up on these surfaces, the more difficult it is to remove.

  • If you smoke inside your home, or even in your car, you may notice yellow or brown stains on your walls or glass windows.

Pour undiluted white vinegar or lemon juice into a clean, empty spray bottle. Spray the lemon juice or vinegar directly onto the nicotine-stained walls and let it set for about five minutes.

Wipe down the walls with a clean rag. If the stains are especially tough, use a stiff scrub brush to scrub the walls.

Rinse the walls with a damp rag to remove any residue. Go over the walls with a dry rag.

Combine equal parts ammonia and water in a bucket if the nicotine stains persist. Scrub the walls with a scrub brush and the cleaning solution until the nicotine is gone. Rinse and dry the walls thoroughly.

  • Rinse the walls with a damp rag to remove any residue.
  • Scrub the walls with a scrub brush and the cleaning solution until the nicotine is gone.

Spray the glass with glass cleaner. Wipe down the glass with paper towels . This will likely be all that is necessary to remove light nicotine build-up; however, if the build-up is severe, stronger products will be necessary.

Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of hot water and 2 cups of white vinegar for severe nicotine build-up on glass. Dip a soft rag into the cleaning solution and scrub the nicotine stained glass. Rinse out the rag often while cleaning the glass.

Dry the glass with a rag to remove any residue. Clean the glass again with glass cleaner and paper towels. Repeat this entire process, if necessary, until all of the nicotine is gone.

TIP

A sponge mop works well for scrubbing the tops of walls that are hard to reach.

WARNING

Wear rubber gloves and protective eye wear when cleaning with ammonia. Work in a well-ventilated area. Never mix bleach and ammonia or products containing these ingredients. The fumes produced by this mixture can be fatal.