ex-smokers house

[jane1995]

ive just moved into a new house about 2 month ago, my LO is 6 months and ive always been super paranoid about him being exposed to smoke, the house we have moved to had a family of heavy smokers living there and even though the walls have been stripped to the plaster and re papered, the ceilings have all been painted and there's all new flooring, I can still smell the old smokey smell round the house! is there any way I can get rid of this? the only thing I can think is to replace the doors but even they have had numerous coats of paint.

It may be that it has stained the ceiling/walls. You can clean it off with sugar soap (cheap bottle from Wilko's should do it) and a sponge/bucket of water. Be prepared for brown manky droplets though and put something on any floors/anything that may absorb it.

Sorry, just read they have already been painted (that'll teach me for skipping to the end!). I'd say all that is left is just leaving the windows open and trying to figure out what is the same that has kept hold of the smell. It will go in time :)

Could you burn some oils?

Also, just wondered if there was any fabric left from previous tennants eg. curtains? If there are try boil washing them and putting some nice smelling fabric conditioner or similar in or choose some new ones

I watched on location location that Kirsty allsop sayin the only way to get rid of smoke is to rip walls out and put them back up. The smoke is totally absorbed into the plaster board and can't be disguised by paint.

I have vowed that if we move again, no matter how beautiful the house is, I will never buy anywhere from smokers (as we did this house).. I can smell it every time I open my front door and it's a bit depressing. We've redecorated, re floored, replaced all window coverings and the smell is still there. Hopefully when we replace kitchen and knock down a few walls it'll go totally.....

In the meantime I have been leaving small bowls of vinegar around, has helped a bit, it absorbs the smell.

I sympathise.

The smoke and tar does get absorbed by plaster, so just washing the surfaces and using ordinary paint on the walls and ceilings isn't enough, neither is wallpaper. Gloss paint on woodwork should act as a sealant. There is some special paint that's used in smoke-damaged houses, (whether from cigarettes or fire), that seals the surfaces. It's expensive, though.

You've been there for two months, and if you've been airing the house then it sounds as though the redecoration work wasn't done appropriately. If it's a rented property, can you go back to the landlord and ask for the issue to be remedied?

gawd I wouldnt think it would be absorbed completely into the walls, no theres no curtains or anything from previous tennants the kitchen and both bathrooms were all ripped out and replaced, the windows all have vents I was thinking maybe their harbouring most of the smoke so im going to look into getting them replaced or deep cleaned, a friend suggested an air purifier but I can't see that working..

I would suggest trying anything before going down the route of redecorating with the special paint I mentioned. That paint is smelly, and you'd probably have remove all soft furnishings from the room, otherwise you'd just end up with a different smelly smell.

The window vents sound a good candidate. The residue is sticky, so can hide away in very small places, and there's likely to be an airflow through the vents. You're probably ultra-sensitive to the smell of the residue, given that you've avoided sources, and sometimes it doesn't take very many molecules for a sensitive nose to recognise an odour you'd prefer not to have in your home.

I would think that it's a nuisance rather than a health hazard, but I can well understand your need to get rid of the awful smell.

its a pesky smell to get rid of not gunna deny! im an ex smoker myself and since last year when I quit I can smell it so much more then I could when I was a smoker, I agree about it not being very hazardous at this stage the thing thats bothering me the most is I quit so my baby got braught into a no smoke environment

these air purifiers mostly sold under the Lloyds Chemist and Flixonase brand names are surprisingly effective. They work with a sort of static charge, in the same way that smoke and dust form a film of dirt on the screens and cases of old-style TVs.

they are available heavily discounted on fleabay, but are also sold at high prices by medical and athsma specialists.

When you first get one, put it on an easily-cleaned or disposable surface, because you will be surprised how much dirt falls out og the air around it and clings to the tabletop of work surface, and it includes molecule-sized particles which stain some surfaces. After a couple of weeks the amount of circulating particles actually reduces.

they are almost silent in use, until the motor wears out.

Thanks! thats helpful info, ill start looking more into it :)