Your dad loves his cigars, and your family may have even become accustomed to the scent of his habit over the years. Unfortunately, years of smoking in the house may have led to damage that you know is unappealing to potential renters. Now that your family has decided to transform your senior dad's house into an income-generating rental property, you can use these tips to eliminate the cigar smell so that you can quickly find renters who will love the space.

Open Up the Windows

Airing out a house is always a good idea to help remove any lingering odors, and this is especially important if your dad's cigar smoke has turned stale. While you are on the property, just open up the windows and any doors that have screens. Make sure to do this only on a day when it is not expected to rain, and consider leaving a few windows open overnight if they are inaccessible to people outside.

Focus on the Soft Surfaces

Cigar smoke clings to every surface, but you will find that the porous surfaces soak up more of the odor than harder surfaces such as the walls. Begin your clean up project with professional carpet cleaning services that help to remove the odor from one of the largest surfaces the home. Once this is done, you can then focus on upholstery cleaning. If your dad had a favorite chair or couch, then you can bet that the soft surfaces have absorbed a great deal of smoke over the years that needs to be cleaned out. The best part about these two services is that they also leave everything looking fresh and clean, which makes it easier to appeal to renters.

Remove Tobacco Stains

Long term cigar smoking also means that certain parts of the house will be stained a slightly yellow shade from the tobacco and nicotine. Take a look at the walls of the house to check for staining. You may need to add a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper in these areas, and replacing the surface cover helps to further reduce odor. Finally, look at the grout in the tiles on the floor as well as in the bathroom and kitchen. Grout cleaning further helps to eliminate unsightly stains from the smoking as well as any lingering odors.

Preparing a rental property that has been smoked in for years takes time, but the effort is worth it when you can open up the doors to renters with full confidence that everything looks and smells fresh. For help with cleaning, get in touch with a business like Arnold's Advanced Carpet Cleaning.