Can you completely get rid of cigarette smell in a SFH?

Question

I am actually looking as a tenant at a place and it is currently occupied and has a decent scent of cigarettes. The landlord confidently told me that he has a remedy that he used in the past that was successful.. Have you ever completely rid the smell? Seems like such a gamble to me but I really love the place.

Jazmine S. · Answer

Hi Aaron, I wish that I had a detailed update for you… But I did not want to pry too much. I do know that the landlord ended up painting the walls, but I don't think he did an over-the-top job. Probably just a little cover-up. Mainly he just cleaned the entire house. Luckily the smoke is entirely gone!

Thomas S. · Answer

Yes it can be done. You wash down all walls and ceilings with TSP and prime all surfaces with a primer sealer like Kilz. If you have popcorn ceilings they will need to be sealed as well with the Kilz. Get rid of all materials in the home like curtains, carpets etc and have your heating ducts vacuumed out.

Marcia Maynard · Answer

Yes we can, but if the damage is significant, it costs us about $2,000 to do this for a two-bedroom, one bath unit. In addition to what @Aaron Lovett shared, I would add....

1. Research different cleaning products for the right match for the surface. There are some good commercial products out there, but inexpensive ones work well too. We clean walls with a vinegar wash, following by TSP (or TSP substitute), followed by odor/stain blocking paint, followed by top coat paint. We also do this for the subfloor after the carpet has been removed.

2. Professionally clean the HVAC system, including furnace/AC, air ducts, baseboard/wall heaters.

3. Take off all outlet/switch covers before running a commercial ozone machine, so the ozone can get further into the crevices. We do this prior to replacing the floor covering too, as we want the ozone to penetrate as deeply as possible throughout the space.

4. In addition to replacing all fabric items, replace plastic items too that have become discolored or have absorbed the cigarette odor, such as outlet/switch covers, smoke/CO detectors, etc.

A key factor is how long the unit has been affected by the cigarette odor and to what extent. It will be harder to remedy if the tenant has actually smoked in the unit over a long period of time. What you smelled may have been odor absorbed by the tenant's clothing and carried into the unit. Once all of the previous tenant's furniture and clothing is out and the landlord has taken adequate steps to thoroughly clean the unit and  remove/replace damaged items, you should be fine.

Aaron Lovett · Answer

I'm curious to hear the landlord's remedy.  I have a pretty sensitive nose, so for me this is the process to eliminate just about any smoke odor:

1. Remove and discard carpet, drapes, and blinds.

2. Thoroughly clean all services.

3. New paint on all painted surfaces.

4. If I can still smell it, rent a commercial ozone machine.

Deanna McCormick · Answer

Smoke and curry odors anytime over cat pee or dog..

The above tips were great.

Change furnace filters and clean A/C filters also

Frank Chin · Answer

I rented to South Asian tenants, and one of the problems I found was the overwhelming smell of curry after their departure.

In one particularly bad case, I steamed wash the carpets, and painted the place. I normally do a complete paint job anyway, but not steam clean. But after all that, we still smell a bit of the curry, and wondered what we should do.

We have open houses coming up, and one thing I remember was high gloss enamel paint gives off a strong odor that lasts a while. So during the open houses, one of us would do the showing, one of us would be busy painting the base boards with high gloss white enamel. I remember the guy at the paint store pointing out to me latex  paint is easier to clean, but I told him I prefer enamel.

During the showing, most people coming through looking would comment what a beautiful paint job it was, the owner taking time to trim base boards with high gloss white. No one complained about the paint smell. But then, I was curious if the curry smell remained after the paint odor dissipates.

So after the tenant moved in, a few weeks later, we made an excuse to check out the place, and the curry smell and paint smell was no more.

Aaron Lovett · Answer

Good deal!  I'm glad it worked out.

Kim Meredith Hampton · Answer

@Jazmine S. the ozone is definitely one way, but the painters can put some products in the paint to get rid of the odor. Also removing and washing the curtains

Can you completely get rid of cigarette smell in a SFH?

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