My house smells like a bordello

[April]

Umm, okay maybe not like a bordello. Heh.

It smells like cigarette smoke actually. From the previous tenant, who hasn't lived here in over a year.

So how do I get rid of this smell? When we moved in, the wallpaper was stripped and new was applied. Where there was no wallpaper, I assume new paint was applied as well. But there's no way to tell about that. The floors are tile and have been cleaned several times. The ceilings have never been mopped though. Or whatever you do to wood ceilings. I don't have a clue.

The smell is particularly bad during the winter months or when the humidity is high. I can smell it now.

So what to do? I don't really want to go through another winter smelling leftover smoke.

 

[bad kitty]

Clean the ceilings... smoke rises and the nicotine has collected on there. I'll guarantee if ya clean it good you will be smoke free.

 

[HeavyStick]

paint it, put some air freshners in the vents to circulate fresh air.

have an orgy cover the smell with some "fresh fuck", that's always a popular alternative to cigarettes.

 

[Mischka]

The ceilings are probably the biggest problem. The smoke and nicotine residue rises, and the ceilings are probably covered.

You need to sand the wood back down to the bare grain. Then either stain and reseal, or paint. If you choose the latter, use Kilz as the primer before adding the top coat.

Also, if you don't know if the walls were painted, you may want to invest in a fresh coat. Again, use Kilz primer (or another primer designed to seal out odors, stains, mildew, etc.) and then apply the paint.

The small items around the room may also be a source of the smell. Take off all the outlets covers and clean inside. Thoroughly wash the covers before replacing them.

Did you regrout between the tiles on the floor? The smoke has probably seeped into there as well. I don't know if the tiles absorbed the smell (depends on their porosity). You may need to scrape out all the old grout, then fill it in. Then, depending on the type of tile, you might be able to put a sealant on the floor.

As you are working on everything, you can mask the smell by adding a few drops of perfume to the bare bulbs when they are cold. Then, as they heat up, the warmth of the bulb will dissipate the smell around the room.

Good luck. I don't envy you.

 

[lickerish]

Wow, the bulb and perfume thing is a neat trick. I'll have to try that one

 

[Ishmael]

Buy a gallon of "Ordor Ban". Mix as per instructions and get a pump up sprayer and spray the walls down. Will take an hour for a 3 bdrm house.

Ishmael

 

[April]

Okay, I am NOT regrouting the floors or sanding the celing. The landlady would fucking kill me for that! With her bare hands. LOL Maybe I'll get some of that wood soap and wash them off. Thanks for the ideas though.


I was looking for product ideas actually. For example: 3 parts water to 1 part bleach or something like that. Err, I'll just go buy a bunch of air fresheners instead. Heh.

And for you thread copycatters: and one of these:


(can't get Kilz or Odor Ban here. and we don't have vents)

 

[freakygirl]

Get some Murpheys Oil Soap for the ceilings.

I use it on all my woodwork. It's great.

mix it per the instructions on the bottle.

Get yourself a paint roller (new one) with a long handle..
working in a small section.. roll on the soap and with another paint roller, use clear water to rinse the ceiling (this is a lot easier than using rags while standing on a ladder).

Have the carpets been cleaned? They can hold in a lot of cigarette smells also.

 

[Guest]

I am partial to orange glo for woods...

 

[freakygirl]

I do my once a month cleaning with Murphys oil soap..

then I do my weekly shining up with Pledge Orange Oil

I do my daily dusting with regular Pledge.

The orange glow is great for shining up the wood.. but the Murphys oil soap will actually "clean" the wood.

 

[April]

I can get the Murphy's. The carpet upstairs has been cleaned. Downstairs is all tile. I think the problem is in the ceiling. And probably behind the wallpaper. But there's only so much I can and will do. It's a rental. I've got two years left in this house.

Paint rollers. I'll remember that. Thanks. I was going to use a sponge mop on the ceiling.

 

[freakygirl]

I clean my ceilings once a month (because 1. I used to smoke and 2. my smokes like crazy).

The paint rollers are far easier than the sponge mops. The sponges tear easily and fall apart. Paint rollers don't.


Something else I just thought of. Do you have forced air furnace? If so, change or clean the filter and also pull the registers (if that is possible and clean those also)

 

[Minout]

Wash everything with vinegar and water. Vinegar absorbs odors. You can heat some up on the stove in pot and leave the pot overnight to cool. Dump it out and do it again. When the vinegar is cool you won't smell it anymore. It doesn't mask the odor with one of its own it just gets rid of it. This works with pet odors too.




Minout

 

[freakygirl]

Cigarette stains and odor can be "cleaned" with water.

It's water soluble. Yes.. vinegar will get rid of the odor.. but it won't clean what is causing the odor.

The vinegar and water thing is more for.. let's say you have a party. A few of your guests smoke in your house. The next day when you get up.. you can smell it. Use the vinegar tip to clean the air.. and because cigarettes aren't smoked in your house on a regular basis.. it hasn't soaked into everything. Hence the reason the vinegar can get rid of the smell. But this is a soaked in mess that she has.. only cleaning and or painting will get rid of the problem.