General Chat

Claire. Lump of coal to keep you warm. Salt to give you wealth. and Some bread so that you never go hungry... That is the very old Welsh traditional when people moved in to their new homes and also at New Year. Love Maisie

Can't remember the bread Maisie! That's a nice interpretation of it! MIL grew up in Aberfan (not sure how you spell it), I've not worked on her line of the family yet. Claire

kick all smokers out into garden!

Make the room steamy, so condensation builds up on the window! You'll notice the water going a bit yellow. Mop it up, and it should get rid of some of the smell!

hi as a smoker myself and one who is forever moving i suggest they definately strip all the walls even if they just cheap magnolia the whole house for a while as wall paper will hold the smoke forever, sugar soap will clean it but never fully take the odour away, as they have nice friends like you to help them one decorating party and a few tins of cheap paint will do the trick and at the same time make you all feel welcome ...i did this with my first home and it was a fantastic evening so good luck

If the house is empty till the weekend, and there are carpets in most rooms, maybe getting a company in to shampoo them thoroughly will make a difference. If you can find someone to do it while the house is empty of furniture and the windows can be left open aferwards for a while, it should smell a whole lot fresher. I am sure your friend could negotiate a price for a whole empty house, wouldn't take long with no furniture to shift around. Wish your friend well in her new home. Liz

Let us know how they get on and if they manage to remove the smell. Liz

From past experience, I have found that most smells are retained by the carpet. A product such as 'Shake and Vac' applied liberally and left on the carpet overnight (or longer if possible) is very effective. Derek.

Thanks, I'll update you with what works once we know! They're taking the carpets out and putting wooden floor in so that should help a lot then. I really had no idea it could seep into the window frames, that was new to me. Thanks everyone! Claire

I what I found helped was to put the wallpaper steamer on the ceiling and work across it wiping the nicotine off as you went, it sometimes took a couple of attemps to clear the ceiling. James Green