Getting the smell of smoke out of a house

[Idontmeanto]

Potential new home is priced to sell, great location, but absolutely stinks because previous occupants smoked. What are your tips for getting rid please? Will we have to replace EVERY carpet?

We had this when we moved 3 years ago. Having carpets professionally cleaned definitely helped, ditto any curtains they've left.

Washing down all walls, woodwork, ceilings with sugar soap.

Windows open as much as possible.

Rooms with wallpaper on them didn't lose their smell completely until we'd striped and redecorated.

It was a pain, but no worse than any other new home hassle tbh.

Reassuring to hear a carpet clean was adequate, thanks! All walls are painted, too so reasonably easy to clean/freshen up.
Eldest dd asthmatic so nervous for her. Could try to time move for half term and pack her off to her grandparents while we deep clean.

Lounge ceiling is yellow!

The previous owners of my house smoked and I could smell it a lot when we first moved in but it soon faded. We have hardwood flooring downstairs so not sure about carpets.

My Mil and Fil used to smoke like chimneys and I know when the gave up their house smelled ok within a month or so.

The house is currently empty, (widower owner gone into nursing home, as far as I can tell nobody looking after the place,) so it's been shut up for weeks in warm weather. It really knocked us backwards when we viewed. But it's so very perfect and would normally be out of our budget by quite some margin.

( decorator) Did a flat up last year, two smokers who never opened windows. It was grim,lk although the smell got improved once the windows were left open for a few days. We removed carpets, but left underlay, which was ok.

Walls, ceiling, and paintwork: thorough wash with sugar soap, and rinse. Wear protective clothing, gloves and masks - the yellow brown fluid running down was full of smoky nasties.
Every surface, inside of kitchen cupboards, everywhere.

The plaster walls and ceilings had so much smoke in them, that even after washing, it would change the colour of emulsion paint, so everything had to be painted white first, then with colours.

Sorry if this sounds grim- we got a good result, and it was satisfying to turn the property around. I'd buy similar, if the the price genuinely reflected the work involved.
But I wouldn't live in it, or move in, until the work has been done.

If I had an asthmatic DD, I would be sealing the walls of her bedroom with a sealant paint. Not difficult, but pricey - maybe £150, obviously depending on room size. Google third hand smoke, but don't get too alarmed - this can be sorted.

Oh, and when you wash the plaster, it will really release a smell - disappears as it dries, returns briefly when paint is wet.

DancingLedge, thanks so much for that, it's really helpful! Good to know it is doable.

I don't know why, but wet-washing brings out the smell as the water dries off, and it goes away once dry.

yes, ceilings will need a stain-blocker as you can't wash them. You can wash walls and floors with sugar soap and mop up with an old towel. Around light fittings and radiators will be stained.

Insides of wardrobes and cupboards will hold the smell.

I washed my ceilings with a window cleaning thing and a long pole. It was absolutely disgusting but it worked!

Sugar soap lifts nicotine stains, and I ended up having to replace carpets/flooring as I couldn't get the smell out. Sugar soaped the whole place from floorboards up and repainted while leaving every window wide open when I was in.

Wow! Those photos are really encouraging, thanks Barbara!
Cross everything! We've made an offer! Property is on for 40k less than Zoopla estimate, we've taken another 5 off as a place to start negotiations😀

There is the smell issue and desperate need for a new Kitchen to take into account

Also - leave bowls of vinegar out! Old wives trick but it's worked after parties I've held (back in the day when I allowed smoking indoors).

How exciting! Hope you get it.
We moved while I was pregnant which may have affected my decision making but we tried a professional carpet clean then ended up ripping them all out anyway the following week. All wallpaper had to be stripped.we are still here 10 years later so it was definitely worth the work.

We used this on the ceilings to stop the stains coming through. This was in Australia but I'm sure you can get something similar. www.bunnings.com.au/white-knight-1l-stain-stop-binder_p1571074

I also found a diluted mix of white vinegar and lemon juice helped to get rid of a mix of nicotine and rancid fat in the kitchen and utility of a rental house.

And we also bought an ioniser on a friend's recommendation - we were both a bit sceptical as to how effective it would be but we were really surprised at how good it was in dissipating the awful smells:

www.housingunits.co.uk/bionaire-compact-air-purifier-with-dual-positioning.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw557NBRC9ARIsAHJvVVPF_GHkcRM0abDhVcSXE41zVGlrhUR8gQMabmf1aySLqGV8QntM7zQaAvchEALw_wcB

you can get an ionising air purifier like this sometimes.

A few years ago there was a fashion for them, they were sold by some asthma groups. I bought several because they remove builders' and wood dust.

Lloyds Chemist chain had a lot, they halved the price twice to clear the stock. They were also sold under various brand names.

They really do work, they make invisible particles (including cigarette smoke) clump together and fall out of the air. You see dirt marks on the floor or walls around them in a halo, after a while, so it is preferable to put them on an easily-cleaned worktop, or on top of a cabinet.

You may have seen a film of dirt build up on the screens of older TVs due to static attraction, they may work in a similar way.

Thanks so much everyone! Daunted, but very excited to report we got talked up 3K, but have been accepted😀😀
This is going to be hard work.

Congratulations