AIBU to consider buying a house from smokers?

[vivaladivagigi]

Posting in here for traffic as keen to get a range of opinions, and maybe some advice from people who have done it.

I'm considering buying a house from an old couple. The house smells like they've smoked 50 a day in it for decades. I'd be doing work to it anyway, such as new capets, bathrooms etc. but some people have told me this won't be enough as it gets into floor boards and walls.

What do you think, AIBU?

Sugar soap and Zinssers paint work well. Hope I have correct spelling, the wood in ours was brown. It was brilliant and you can easily do the sugar soap yourself.

Personally from experience, houses that have had heavy smokers in them for years take a long time to clear the smell. I would look for another house.

Presumably many of us live in previously-smoked-in houses since a couple of generations ago it was far more common.

I looked round a house that absolutely stunk of smoke, it was awful I could barely breathe and was desperate to get out. Didn’t buy it 😂

you could get a company in that deals with fire restoration and get a deep clean and fogging done and perhaps get some replacements done and then you'd never know there had been smoke there.

I wouldn't

Husband's parents both smoked and when we had to empty the property the grot and grime that had accumulated was gross; it gets absolutely everywhere and they only smoked in the kitchen. You will not be able to remove it from things like PVC door frames as they absorb the chemicals. We kept their fridge/freezer which is now in our garage but I cannot put anything porous in there as even after two years, all the fag toxins and smells continue to leach out. It is a serious health risk and I would not want to expose my family to that. If you have children please reconsider.

I have bought a few houses over the years and I haven’t a clue if the previous owners smoked or not. But I usually redecorate and lay new flooring to my taste so that maybe deals with any lingering smells. My present home had a dog in it previously and you could smell dog when we went around to view but once the carpets were removed no smell remained.

'Presumably many of us live in previously-smoked-in houses since a couple of generations ago it was far more common'

This. Are we not going to buy any houses built pre 2000 because people used to smoke in them?

dh and me are housing hunting shortly and no way would we lokk at any houses that had a smoker/s. [we are ex smokers but hate the smell now]

My friend rented a house that the second previous occupants smoked in- so probably about 5 yrs before she moved in and the place stank still. Even her clothes that hung in the built in storage smelt of smoke. Grim

Many / most houses have had smokers in at some point but if it’s a heavy smoker where the smell hits when you walk in and the walls look yellowish it can take years / lots of money to get the smell out properly.
I wouldn’t bother unless it needs new plaster / flooring / windows etc anyway.

As non smokers I wouldn't buy a house as you describe.

all the lovely descriptions of tar. nicotine and gunk, thanks mners, now i remember why we gave it up not envy.

It is a serious health risk , no it isn't. No scientific evidence that "third hand smoke" poses any risk to health. Any research that purports to show it does will be junk, churned out for grants and carried out by charlatans with sexed up press releases.

We did. We stripped every room. Walls and woodwork had to be washed 2/3 times with sugar soap to remove nicotine. We repainted everything and put own flooring in. It was fine. No smell

As long as they dont have exposed floorboards then smell will be in carpet. Guessing if older couple then all wallpapers which you can strip. Sugar soap walls and ceiling few times and then use a good under coat/sealer.

friends did it. it was a nightmare to get rid of the stale smell. They painted the walls white and the nicotine yellow kept seeing through. huge regret. I would not.

I wouldn't. The house we bought only stopped smelling with complete replastering, new flooring, new windows and even new light switches. We basically had to strip back to brick.

Smokers do not realize how disgusting they are.

I'd buy it but I'd be expecting that the work that would need to be done would be reflected in the price.

You absolutely can get rid of the smell of the smoke but it's a lot of work.

As pp's have said you need to get rid of all soft furnishings as a start.

Then strip all the paint from any woodwork (skirting boards/stairs etc) and sugar soap all the floorboards. Same re: any stone fixtures like fireplaces and metalwork like radiators.

Then I'd bite the bullet and replaster all the walls/ceilings.

You'll also need to replace things like light switches/sockets/fittings.

In short everything will need to be (brutally) cleaned or replaced.

The reason houses continue to smell of smoke is because people think just over painting the walls/ceiling is enough - it isn't.

My daughter bought one that stank of smoke, washed all the walls and ceilings and repainted them removed all carpets and flooring and replaced them and it’s fine

I live upstairs (rent) and a chronic smoker (cigarette and marijuana) lives downstairs. When I moved in, I could smell the second hand smoke strongly. I cleaned the walls and cupboards with diluted white vinegar and used sugar soap where there was yellowing. I also purchased an air purifier which runs 24/7.

You can definitely get rid of a good deal of the smell but would I buy a house like that? No because I am very sensitive to smoke and I would hate to think what I was breathing in.

We bought our current house from a smoker, over time we redecorated and replaced flooring but every time we went on holiday, so when the house had been shut up for a week or so we could smell smoke when we got back. This lasted for several years. But if the house is right for you OP, don’t let that put you off.

I wouldn't let it put me off the home of my dreams. If it became impregnated into walls, floors etc forever then most people's houses (except new builds) would reek of cigarettes. They don't.

I still live in the same house that I smoked in years ago. Mine does not smell of smoke. If you have to wait until you can afford to replace all the carpets then hire a Rug Doctor and clean throughout. Put some of the Odour Remover spray in with the Carpet Cleaner. It will be fine.

As others have said bin anything soft and sugar soap the rest. Open all the windows and doors and it will gradually clear.

At one stage more than half of the nation smoked yet houses soon cleared of smoke.

Same as animal smell, babies sick and all the other disgusting smells in houses. If its the house you want go for it and a bit of hard labour you will get rid of smell.