Smoke (Cigs) smell removal, any remidies.
- Thread starter nww
- Start date
Dear nww wash the walls with sugar soap,
Also above the door rails, above any picture rails, inside the door jambs, door step.
Wash the fly screens, with soapy water, same as you changed the filter in the air con.
Anything that is textile needs to be washed with soapy hot water.. curtains, ( I put these in the washing machine they water came out tar yellow....
Clean inside drawers and wardrobes wiping off as you go...
then wipe walls and ceilings and doors all down again with phenyl. this stuff really stinks...
Last time I did this, I searched every where, nowadays I think it is called wheely bin cleaner or something.
Air the flat, wash the inside of the windows,
The carpet will need steaming .. twice, or lifting because the smell is present in the invisible yellow tar that soaks into everything.
I think disaster recovery remedy cleaning is what they call it.
It is really hard work.. nothing you ever thought you would do as an investor.
Not glamorous..
I hope this helps
Also above the door rails, above any picture rails, inside the door jambs, door step.
Wash the fly screens, with soapy water, same as you changed the filter in the air con.
Anything that is textile needs to be washed with soapy hot water.. curtains, ( I put these in the washing machine they water came out tar yellow....
Clean inside drawers and wardrobes wiping off as you go...
then wipe walls and ceilings and doors all down again with phenyl. this stuff really stinks...
Last time I did this, I searched every where, nowadays I think it is called wheely bin cleaner or something.
Air the flat, wash the inside of the windows,
The carpet will need steaming .. twice, or lifting because the smell is present in the invisible yellow tar that soaks into everything.
I think disaster recovery remedy cleaning is what they call it.
It is really hard work.. nothing you ever thought you would do as an investor.
Not glamorous..
I hope this helps
Use a mix of tea tree and water spray and use everywhere.
You could try cutting some onions and leaving them on saucers all around the place. They are supposed to absorb smells from paint fumes, so might help with your problem.
One house we had (now sold) had been rented by heavy smokers for 15 years. The walls and ceilings were sticky and yellow. Sugar soap sorted it out, and ripping up the carpets was a "must do".
That house always had a "smell" to it but it was what I call an "old lady smell"... sort of a musty closed up and need to throw the windows open and let the fresh air in type of smell.
Whenever it was closed up it smelled. Not horrible, but not fresh or clean.
Even fresh paint, sanded floors and new curtains didn't help. I think it was in the walls and floors themselves. Onions didn't help either.
The house we are renovating now has had a heavy smoker there for 15 years and we've done the sugar soap again. This house is ashblock construction and doesn't smell of cigarettes. And this tenant never ever closed the windows, so it was aired continuously for 15 years.
(The ceilings were tar yellow with original white paint revealed by the sugar soap. I wonder what colour his lungs are?)
One house we had (now sold) had been rented by heavy smokers for 15 years. The walls and ceilings were sticky and yellow. Sugar soap sorted it out, and ripping up the carpets was a "must do".
That house always had a "smell" to it but it was what I call an "old lady smell"... sort of a musty closed up and need to throw the windows open and let the fresh air in type of smell.
Whenever it was closed up it smelled. Not horrible, but not fresh or clean.
Even fresh paint, sanded floors and new curtains didn't help. I think it was in the walls and floors themselves. Onions didn't help either
.The house we are renovating now has had a heavy smoker there for 15 years and we've done the sugar soap again. This house is ashblock construction and doesn't smell of cigarettes. And this tenant never ever closed the windows, so it was aired continuously for 15 years.
(The ceilings were tar yellow with original white paint revealed by the sugar soap. I wonder what colour his lungs are?)
If smokers don't realise the damage there doing when they wash their
curtains then there's no convincing them or do smokers just never wash curtains.
I think I have tracked down the problem to the dividing unit walls which are
brick feature in the lounge and both bedrooms, never been painted or rendered.
Not sure how you clean the brick face, might just sprays some bleach on and see what happens.
curtains then there's no convincing them or do smokers just never wash curtains.
I think I have tracked down the problem to the dividing unit walls which are
brick feature in the lounge and both bedrooms, never been painted or rendered.
Not sure how you clean the brick face, might just sprays some bleach on and see what happens.
You could try cutting some onions and leaving them on saucers all around the place. They are supposed to absorb smells from paint fumes, so might help with your problem.
One house we had (now sold) had been rented by heavy smokers for 15 years. The walls and ceilings were sticky and yellow. Sugar soap sorted it out, and ripping up the carpets was a "must do".
That house always had a "smell" to it but it was what I call an "old lady smell"... sort of a musty closed up and need to throw the windows open and let the fresh air in type of smell.
Whenever it was closed up it smelled. Not horrible, but not fresh or clean.
Even fresh paint, sanded floors and new curtains didn't help. I think it was in the walls and floors themselves. Onions didn't help either
The house we are renovating now has had a heavy smoker there for 15 years and we've done the sugar soap again. This house is ashblock construction and doesn't smell of cigarettes. And this tenant never ever closed the windows, so it was aired continuously for 15 years.
(The ceilings were tar yellow with original white paint revealed by the sugar soap. I wonder what colour his lungs are?)
We used sugar soap and lots of bleach.
We repainted walls and replaced carpet.
I think his lungs will be black, if he is still alive
Hotels use a concentrated spray for this purpose.
We purchased a couple of "ionizer?" machines (not proper name, but i can't think of it)
that we leave running for a couple of days between smoking tenants.
Cost about $700.
Contact smoke remediation businesses....they use them too.
EDIT--yes, thanks Jen_PFR.....ozone machines !
We purchased a couple of "ionizer?" machines (not proper name, but i can't think of it)
that we leave running for a couple of days between smoking tenants.
Cost about $700.
Contact smoke remediation businesses....they use them too.
EDIT--yes, thanks Jen_PFR.....ozone machines !
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.......and if you do go down the repainting route, zinsser make a range of paints that lock away smells and stains (used after kitchen fires etc) before you recoat with colour of your choice.
Ozone machines are good for removing odours. You do need to thoroughly clean first, then put the ozone machine in and leave it running overnight. We had tenants in one property who cooked with a hell of a lot of spices, and weren't particularly fussy. Even after scouring every surface and getting all the fabric stuff cleaned (curtains, couches, carpet, mattresses etc), the smell still hit you in the face like a piece of 4x2. However the ozone machine sorted it!
If anyone's interested, we hired it from a guy in Maida Vale (WA). I think it was $100 for the week.
If anyone's interested, we hired it from a guy in Maida Vale (WA). I think it was $100 for the week.
Renovating a property which had been smoked in for atleast a decade without being cleaned. Disgusting. Also 10 dogs stayed inside of the house. Hence the rooms smelled so bad you could barely breathe.
Flooring removed, all wallpaper steamed off. Walls washed and painted, ceiling and trim also. Left to air out every day we were there for a week straight. Smell only left after the repaint.
Washing the walls, the nicotine started to soak into the hands and became extremely irritated. Not a very nice feeling.
Flooring removed, all wallpaper steamed off. Walls washed and painted, ceiling and trim also. Left to air out every day we were there for a week straight. Smell only left after the repaint.
Washing the walls, the nicotine started to soak into the hands and became extremely irritated. Not a very nice feeling.
Re: phenol is carcinogenic .......
So are the hundreds of chemicals in cigarette tar which are soaked into this persons walls, carpets and ceiling. Just saying.
FYI - this websites gives advice on safe handling practices for phenol (carbolic acid) and reports that the carcinigenic property of phenol is low.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/phenol/recognition.html
So are the hundreds of chemicals in cigarette tar which are soaked into this persons walls, carpets and ceiling. Just saying.
FYI - this websites gives advice on safe handling practices for phenol (carbolic acid) and reports that the carcinigenic property of phenol is low.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/phenol/recognition.html
