Would you buy a smokers house if you are non-smokers?

[TwigletMonster]

We've seen a house we like in an area we like, but it's a smokers house. Each to their own and all that, but I don't want to live in it.

DH reckons you would be able to completely get rid of the smell by replacing all carpets and curtains, redecorating throughout etc.

I'm a bit sceptical. What if the smell lingers from the floorboards, loft etc? It did smell VERY strongly when we viewed, and that was with all the windows open.

Anyone have experience of this? Don't want to take a gamble!

[Fimbo]

I think if you aired it properly and did as your dh suggested then it would be fine. I see where you are coming from though and it is off putting.

[manchurian]

Was the house furnished? A large part of the smell was probably in their furniture and curtains. If they have been smoking inside the house these will have absorbed the smell like nobody's business. You may find that once all the furniture is removed it won't be nearly as bad.

You may also find that the curtains might not need to be replaced. Having the carpets cleaned/shampooed by a professional cleaner should do the trick in theory.

The walls will probably need to be redecorated though. Wall paper will have absorbed the smell and may need to be replaced. Painted walls may not smell but its likely that they have been heavily stained.

[manchurian]

Sorry, I mean't that the carpets might not need to be replaced, rather than curtains (second paragraph).

[befuzzled]

I would but like you I would immediately repaint, curtains and carpets. I think that would do the trick.

[EggyAllenPoe]

surely you'd redecorate anyway?

the alchoholic smokers former house owned by a nice lady down the road now smells nice and fresh - she did a repaint, and redecorate throughout - but then so have we, and our house was in much better nick.

so yes, i would, but it would move decoration up as a priority.

[titchy]

Yep it'll be fine. redecorate, bung curtains in machine and get the carpets cleaned. Air it thoroughly.

[sheeplikessleep]

We bought house from smokers. BUT, it needed gutting - paper ripping off walls (plaster chunks then falling off!), carpets ripping up, new kitchen and bathroom etc. TBH, on the first day, we took up the carpets, leaving wooden floorboards and the smell pretty much went instantly.

If you love the house, don't let that put you off.

[pookamoo]

We rented out our house to someone who smoked in there (against their tenancy agreement) and now we are having trouble selling it. We had them repaint the downstairs (which was the worst) but it is still a bit smoky. You can tell that smokers lived there.

I think if you have the carpets properly cleaned, and repaint the whole house, it will probably be ok.

[sheeplikessleep]

I don't personally think airing would be enough in itself. I think replacing fabrics - i.e. carpets, curtains and a lick of paint will be though.

[Asinine]

We bought a smoky house, now it smells of us just fine. A bit of paint and clean the carpets and it'll be great. The good thing is other people will be put off so you may get a better price

[ksld]

Have done so.

Don't remember house smelling at all on the day we moved in actually. I think it smelt of the previous owners cats more than the smoke. Was a sunny day and people in and out all day moving furniture so whole house got a good airing, and DH arrived first and hoovered everywhere.

The wallpaper they had up was horrible and peeling off showing nicotine stains on front and back, and it did smell bad when we were stripping it but don't think the carpets smelt too bad at all. They are long gone now and no smell at all lingers that I have noticed.

The worst thing was the ceiling in the sitting room which was stained a murky yellow colour. We were told that normal paint wouldn't cover it so DH had to paint some revolting smelling stain stop paint over the whole ceiling. This has covered up the stains fine though.

[LankyLegs]

Ditto what all the other said. We bought a smokers house in December last year and had to live with it whilst the weather was cold etc and started gutting it out in late February. For those months I had to live in it I burned incense for a couple of weeks in the rooms she smoked ( luckily she confined it to the kitchen and 1 bedroom upstairs) and that got rid of the obvious smell and now we have ripped up carpets and taken off wallpaper you wouldn't even know.

Make sure if you are painting ceilings that you sugar soap and buy special paint that wont let the nicotine stains soak through any newly painted ceilings. Their is amazing american paint called zinsser paint which hids such things.

[LankyLegs]

There not their! Sorry!

[Asinine]

Lanky at your name

[LankyLegs]

[lalalonglegs]

I've bought three or four properties with evidence of heavy smokers - if you're gutting it anyway it's really unlikely that the smell will linger. Even if you can't gut it immediately, not having their furniture, clothes etc and airing it will make a huge difference.

[microserf]

some good friends bought a smokers' house and it did not smell for very long.

watch out for:

• they stripped the wallpaper off the walls. the paper was meant to be cream, but the water they used to strip the paper ran dark brown because of all the smoke it had absorbed over the years.
  

• their "white" heavy door (can't think what it's called, the type you get in a conservatory) was white on the outside, yellow on the inside...
  

i would definitely replace the carpet as it will be coated in the chemicals and at a minimum wash the walls and ceiling. i do reckon you can get the smell out though. takes a while. i wouldn't put soft furniture in until the smell is mostly gone.

[herethereandeverywhere]

We've been living in a house with some smoky rooms since last August. We had it professionally cleaned including £300 on carpet cleaning - it still smells smoky. We're about to gut the place and refurbish so we will get the smell out. If I was you I'd:

*replace all carpets and curtains
*strip every wall covering and replace repaint all walls ceilings and paintwork including doors (washing down isn't enough)

• Watch out for the window frames. The "clear" silicone seals on ours are a fetching deep brown due to the volume of smoke residue (YUK!) Are they paintable? If not maybe try to clean them with bleach (or some other strong chemical)
  *Watch out for anything plastic which could be permanently stained yellow (eg: light switches, wall sockets, light fittings and think about replacing these too
  
• deep clean anything that isn't being skipped (eg: radiators, windows, fireplace) Google for best methods to clean each one.

[Vix1980]

Im the same as sheeplikesleep bought a house in november from smokers and had to gut the place, the ceilings were black in places from smoke and once the wallpaper came off so did most the plaster too, but i wouldnt let it put you off buying it if you love it, as someone else mentioned most of the smell is in their furnishings, which you would replace anyway, once all the carpets are up and the rooms are empty it definatly does smell totally different

[hester]

Our home housed multiple smokers and cats before we moved in last year. The divorcing parents had also been on a housework strike - the place was minging.

We repainted everywhere. (It was orange, red and yellow everywhere - to disguise the nicotine, they told us.) We couldn't afford to replace the carpet, but got it all shampooed. They didn't 'believe' in curtains so we didn't have to worry about those.

Honestly, the smell just went. It's now a very light, sunny and airy home. The only smell is dd2's nappy.

[louby78]

We did and we did have to replace everything. The carpets stank and the walls/ceilings were yellow stained. Depends how much you like the house but if you are going to redecorate anyway - it's the carpets that got us.

[bemybebe]

Will not hesitate if it means buying the house I love. There are plenty of ways to sort it out.

[TwigletMonster]

Thanks guys. Sounds like it's possible to get rid of it with a bit of elbow grease and persistence! We'd replace the carpets etc eventually, just interesting to know if we'd need to do it asap.

Sounds like we won't get it anyway - there's an offer on which is more than we're prepared to pay. Will see if it gets accepted...