About Nicotine Stains
If you have are a smoker, or someone in your family smokes, you've encountered those hard to remove nicotine stains. These water-soluble stains frequently cover the homes of habitual smokers in a blanket of yellow and dark brown tar. Rather than discarding your favorite sweater fraught with ash or living with nicotine-soaked walls, you can remove the remnants of heavy cigarette smoking using the following information.
Significance
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, (NIDA) nicotine is one of the most widely used stimulants in the United States. This addictive derivative of the tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum in its purest form is an oily liquid. When smoked in cigarettes, the leaves produce a sticky residue that forms yellow and greasy tar deposits. Stubborn and infamously challenging to eliminate from common household surfaces, nicotine stains require frequent cleansing to remove smoke-tinged residue from upholstery, curtains and even human hair.
Types
Nicotine stains require removal from the following surfaces and parts of the body: leather and fabric upholstery, fingers, lips and teeth, carpet, foam rubber, walls, curtains and drapes. Nicotine stains are removed using household chemicals like bleach and ammonia or by using natural methods such as salt, lemon and sugar mixtures.
Household Surface Stain Removal
To remove nicotine stains from walls in your home, mix hot water with a few drops of trisodium phosphate (TSP). Wash the walls vigorously to remove any appearance of yellow, orange or dark brown stains. If the nicotine stains on your wall are several years old, the walls must be repainted to cover the tobacco residue. Visit your local neighborhood hardware store for paint and oil-based primer recommendations.
Stain Removal from Lips,Teeth and Hair
For lips and fingers stained with nicotine a rinse of one part lemon juice and two parts water, or a mixture of equal parts lemon and salt to lighten the stained area. Rub these natural remedies into your skin gently. To remove stains from teeth, use a gentle teeth-whitening toothpaste daily. Never use lemon juice to remove stains off teeth. Lemon can damage your teeth permanently.
Shampoo, that removes product buildup, is recommended for nicotine-stained hair. Apply to hair for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove any tobacco residue.
Clothing Stain Removal
To remove stains from white clothing, soak nicotine-stained garments in a basin of warm water and one denture-cleaning tablet overnight. For colored clothing, immerse the garments in a basin of warm water and laundry detergent powder. In the morning, wash the clothing in cold water and detergent to remove any traces of nicotine stains. Do not tumble your clothes in a hot dryer. The heat will set the nicotine stain and ruin the garment. Uses a spot removal treatment made specifically for dry-clean only fabrics when removing nicotine stains from silk, rayon and wool.
Warning
Stain removal experts recommend either using TSP, household bleach or a mixture of ammonia and vinegar to remove nicotine stains from walls and wallpaper. When using these harsh chemicals to remove stains, keep the area well-ventilated and use gloves and face masks to protect your skin and lungs from damage.
Related posts
Remove Nicotine Stains From Fingers NaturallyNicotine, in its natural form, is an oily liquid that easily mixes with the moisture of your skin, absorbing deep into it's many layers. Some products...
Remove Nicotine Stains From LipsIf you smoke a pipe or indulge in hand-rolled cigarettes, you most likely suffer from tobacco stained lips. The oily liquid released from tobacco easily penetrates...
Cigarettes often leave behind a yellow residue on wallpaper.If you or someone in your household smokes frequently, it affects the walls of your home. Nicotine from cigarettes leaves behind an oily...
Nicotine stains appear on clothing that is exposed to heavy cigarette smoke, or even when ash drops onto the fabric. The brown tar stains are difficult to remove with regular detergents, but you d...
Nicotine exhausted from cigarette smoke is known for leaving a smell that is unpleasant to many people, especially those who are no used to cigarette smoke. When smoking is done routinely in a hou...
