General Chat

A friend is moving into a house at the weekend but found out today that it smells of cigarette smoke. It has to be redecorated, but not all rooms will be done straight away. What is the best way to get rid of the smell of cigarettes that has built up in the house, apart from opening the windows and scrapping the wallpaper off the walls! Thanks, Claire

my mum swears by a bowl of vinger .....

My sister moved into a house that had had 2 heavy smokers living in it. It wasn't so much the smell of smoke she had a problem with - it was the nicotine seeping through the new paintwork!!!!! She had to paint every wall and ceiling with a stain cover. Mind you she did paint the house white throughout, instead of the nicotine beige I suggested! maggie (a smoker)

Thanks for that, we can give it a try. I've heard a saucer of milk for paint smells but did not know if that would work for cigarette smells but had not heard of vinegar! I'd not thought of the effect on the paint. That will be one to watch out for. Nice to see natural remedies and things that should not cost a bomb to try out! Thanks Claire (a non-smoker!)

Vinegar or chopped onion... some use chopped orange and lemon rind too and wash all paintwork. Anne :)))

(Smoker speaking) I find Neutradol is fantastic for ridding the place of fag smoke. It has no smell of its own and it 'eats' the smell, rather than just covering it up. You would probably need to put one in each room though. Burning candles also get rid of the smell, but I think that is more for current smoke, rather than a build-up in the walls. OC

Well onion is good for getting rid of smell of paint! dont see why it shouldnt work on tobacco!! Dx

its suprising once you start cleaning where its affected i wipe a mark off the walls and you see its left awhite patch, pictures on the wall are like a brown yuk when you wipe um OH smokes, pvc is the worst to get clean hope you manage it without too much effort

Oh, and before you repaint or repaper, scrub everything down with sugar soap - if you don't the nicotine bleeds through. OC

Claire, we moved into our house just over 9yrs ago and due to the pre3vious owners being heavy smokers in the main bedroom and bathroom... I'm STILL getting nicotine from the windows where it had seeped into the joints!!!! And i didn't think about nicotine seeping thru the paint so bathroom ceiling has been painted several times in past 9 yrs!!!!!!!!

I had the nicotine seeping through new paint problem on my first house too even though I scrubbed everywhere thoroughly with sugar soap. Put me off buying anywhere where a heavy smoker had lived - it was on the walls, the ceiling, the electrical fittings. And all the lampshades, blinds, carpets and curtains they'd left behind were stained brownish which was specially noticeable on 'white' fabric backgrounds. I could not get it out and had to replace the lot. Angela (a never-smoker, first generation non smoking from a family of heavy smokers and happy to have broken free)

Sheila, That's amazing 9 years later. Had no idea it could hang around for so long or in the woodwork. Sounds like it is going to be hard work for my friend to clear it all. Well done Marion, thanks for looking that up. Vinegar seems to be a popular choice. Thanks everyone!

found this.. Few odors are more odious, especially to non- and reformed smokers, than lingering cigarette smoke. Whether your goal is to get healthy or to get a loved one off your back, it's easy to keep your home from smelling like the local roadhouse. Just throw open your windows and try out one or more of these easy tricks. Steps: 1. Set small bowls of vinegar, pine-scented cleaner or activated charcoal around the room. If your home has young children or pets, place the bowls well out of reach. Close off the room overnight. 2. Spritz your favorite perfume or cologne on a cold light bulb. When the light is turned on, the warmed scent will fill the room. 3. Place small items (such as gloves, a wool hat or a small pillow) in a zippered plastic bag with a couple of fabric-softener sheets. Leave overnight. 4. Fill ashtrays with cat litter to extinguish cigarettes and capture the odor. 5. Sprinkle baking soda liberally on carpets, rugs and upholstery around the room. Let it sit overnight. Vacuum. 6. Soak a rag or a dish towel in vinegar, wring out the excess and wave it around the room for a minute or two. Overall Tips: Launder washable items, including curtains, pillows and slipcovers, for best odor removal. Marion

What it comes down to I think is that the more time and effort put into scrubbing the nicotine off in the first place, the easier it will be over time. If you cut corners and slap new paint on quickly, the stains will come through equally quickly. Its a new home so they will no doubt have the energy and enthusiasm to sort it out properly. A big decorating shop would be able to advise on the best products to use. If it had been me I think I would probably have been cheeky and asked for a bit exra knocked off the price on account of the extra costs of putting right the nicotine stains! Angela

Leigh, Its the old house owners that smoked, not my friends, who themselves would never smoke! As a non-smoker, who has never smoked I know its easy to say give up, but from what I hear its so incredibly hard to do and keep it up, so well done for managing it. Thanks Claire

Claire it wasn't wooden windows they are plastic windows. they sort of have joints in the corners (mitre corners?) and the brown nicotine seeps out of there still!!!! looks ok until i squirt cleaning stuff on it and out it seeps yuck!!!

At least I can think of some extra things now for a moving in present for them! A few onions Couple of bottles of vinegar Some lemons and oranges Some neutradol Perhaps a nice set of bowls to pour it all in, not all at once! A scrubbing brush Some sugar soap My mother-in-law gave me a Welsh welcome to my first flat once, with a lump of coal and some salt. Not sure what it meant though! Claire

Did not know my mother-in-law knew Greek myths! Did the coal signify warmth or love?! Thanks for the bleach tip and the ceilings, a couple more things for the welcome basket then! Really had no idea that it could get into window joints like that, makes you not want to think about lungs then if it can do that to plastic. Thanks Claire

A tip for nicotine covered ceilings, which are particularly difficult to get white ............. wash with sugar soap solution ........... then paint with the special blocking paint that you can buy than even covers crayon marks etc. It is worth it in the end as it takes a heck of a lot of coats of emulsion to stop it yellowing........... :-)))))))))))))))))))))

I have white plastic window frames and the Company told me to wash them down with mild bleach to get the nicotine out of the joins. It works - but do a whole window at a time, othewise you get a sort of patchy effect, which future bleaching doesnt shift. OC