This is how I finally got rid of the cigarette smell after 15 years — for less than $60

No renovations, no cleaning company, and no expensive equipment

By Lauren| Updated: March 9, 2026

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January 30, 2026 • 3 minutes reading time

I've smoked for over 20 years. Always outside. Back porch, side of the house, never indoors — that was my rule.

But here's what nobody tells you: the smell doesn't care about your rules.

It comes in on your jacket. It drifts through the door in the two seconds it takes you to step back inside. It settles into the couch, the curtains, the bedroom. Slowly and quietly, over years, it takes over the whole house.

I didn't notice it anymore. My wife didn't say much. But other people did.

"Does it always smell like this in here?"

My friend Sarah said it. We were having coffee at my kitchen table, totally casual. She didn't mean anything by it.

But I felt it.

I smoke outside. I do everything right. And my house still smells like smoke to anyone who walks in.

That same week I started paying attention. The way guests subtly drifted toward the door after an hour. How my sister always suggested meeting at a restaurant instead of coming over. How my mom, when she did visit, would quietly crack a window within ten minutes of sitting down.

I wasn't just a smoker. I was the woman with the house nobody wanted to stay in.

Two years of trying to fix it

I spent probably $400 trying to solve this before I found anything that worked.

❌ Air fresheners — masked it for an hour, then it came back stronger mixed with fake lavender. Worse.

❌ Scented candles — same story. Two smells fighting each other isn't clean air.

❌ HEPA air purifier ($200) — filtered dust. Did absolutely nothing for the smoke odor. Still sitting in my spare room.

❌ Professional cleaning company — quoted me $600-800 for an ozone treatment plus deep clean. "No guarantees it'll be permanent. You may need repeat treatments."

Six hundred dollars, no guarantee, and I'd still be smoking outside the next day. What's the point?

Then someone in a home improvement forum mentioned something I'd never heard of

The thread was about buying a house that smelled like the previous owners smoked indoors for decades. Someone replied:

"Get a PureGo. I bought one after years of smoking on the back porch and the smell still getting in. $59 and the smell was gone after the first use. I use it a few times a week now. House smells completely neutral — not perfume, just nothing. Like clean air."

I was skeptical. I'd spent $200 on a purifier that didn't work. How is a $59 device going to do what that couldn't?

But sixty bucks. What did I have to lose?

What PureGo actually does (and why it's different)

It's not an air freshener. It doesn't add a scent to cover another scent.

PureGo generates ozone (O₃) — active oxygen that binds to odor molecules and breaks them down completely. It eliminates the smell at the source rather than masking it.

It's the same process that makes the air smell clean after a thunderstorm. PureGo does that indoors, on demand.

How you use it:

1. Turn it on in the room (one button)

2. Leave for 20-30 minutes

3. Ventilate briefly

4. Done

No filters. No refills. No subscriptions.

The first time I used it

I ran it in the living room while I went to grab groceries. Thirty minutes.

I walked back in and stopped in the doorway.

It smelled like nothing. Not like an air freshener. Not like "clean" in a fake way. Just... neutral. Like a room that had never had smoke near it.

I stood there for probably a full minute.

Week one:

Used it in the bedroom — same result. The bedding smelled different the next morning, in a good way. My husband noticed before I said anything.

Used it in my car — I'd been cracking the window and hoping for the best for years. After 20 minutes, it smelled like a brand-new interior.

The real test — Sarah came back over

Same friend. Three weeks later, back at my kitchen table.

She didn't say anything about the smell. We had coffee, talked for two hours, and she left.

I texted her that evening: "Notice anything different about the house?"

She replied: "Actually, yes.. Did you quit smoking inside?"

That was the answer.

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One device — I use it everywhere

PUREGO™ has become part of my daily life:

🏠 Living room and bedroom — I use it 2-3 times a week. The odor stays away. Visitors don't notice it anymore.

🚗 The car — After a long drive or wet winter coats — 20 minutes and the car smells fresh again. Especially handy if you have a lease car.

🐱 Pet odor — I have two cats. Especially in the summer, you could smell it. Now I use PUREGO™ a few times a week, and the house smells neutral. No perfume, no cat smell—just clean.

🍳 The kitchen — When the smell of fried fish or onions lingers. The extractor hood isn't enough — PUREGO™ takes care of the rest.

One device, one button, no filters, no refills.

I bought one. Now I'm considering getting a second one mainly for the car.

What I'd tell anyone in the same situation

You don't have to quit to have a house that doesn't smell like smoke. I still smoke. I still go outside. Nothing about my routine changed.

But now, when someone walks into my house, they don't smell it. My sister comes over for dinner again. Sarah doesn't say anything.

For $59, I got my home back.

⚠️ Stock note: PureGo sells out regularly. If it's available when you're reading this, it's worth grabbing now.

What other people from the US say

James Smith

"I was skeptical — now I'm convinced"

I read the reviews and honestly didn't believe it. A $59 device that removes odors? Yeah, right. But I gave it a try anyway. The first time I used it in the car, which smelled like dog. Half an hour later, the smell was completely gone. Now I use it at home a few times a week. Best purchase in a long time.

Emma K.

"Finally, no more musty air in the holiday home"

Every spring, the same ritual: open the vacation home, air it out all day, and try to get rid of that musty smell. This year, I brought Purego™. I let it run for an hour while I unpacked the car. When I came back inside, the musty smell was gone. I would have easily paid three times as much for it.

Benjamin Brown

"Three cats and finally a fresh house"

I love my cats, but not the smell. Especially in the summer. I've tried everything: air fresheners, windows open, expensive cat litter. PureGo™ is the first one that actually works. I use it a few times a week, and the house smells neutral. No perfume, no cat—just clean.