Getting rid of lingering smoke smell

[YukoandHiro]

Bought a house 2.5 months ago, it was previously rented out to 20 somethings as a shared house and needs a lot of cosmetic work. At some point over the last 80 years Of the house a smoker clearly lived in one bedroom which is now my daughters.
We've stripped out and replaced carpets and curtains, we've stripped the walls back to plaster, replasterd and painted. But we can't afford right now to have the ceiling paper removed as it's all oher the cornicing - it may be original back to the 30s - and the builders said once you take it off you'd probably have a big job rebuilding the integrity of the ceiling.
We've got lots of work to do elsewhere (bathroom to refit, wooden flooring to replace) so we can't afford to do it now. We had to compromise on that. It looks absolutely fine freshly painted.
But now that the initial new carpet and fresh paint smell has worn off, the musty smell is back and it's really distressing me.
I have a v sensitive nose and both DH and DD whose room it is say they can't notice - but is there anything else that will help? Will just the fact of opening the windows more in spring and summer help?

My first house stank of smoking, the walls ceilings & floors were covered in nicotine & chip fat. We washed the walls & ceilings in sugar soap before painting, had the windows open, my mum scraped rolls of chip fat & nicotine off the lino floor in the kitchen & the stair carpet was a death trap with all the fat it had absorbed. We went through 5 boxes of sugar soap & gallons of bleach just in the first day, we all had rubber gloves on & the water scalding hot. It took us a week to get rid of the smell, have you thought of leaving cut onions or dishes of bicarbonate of soda around? Both are supposed to kill the smell of smoke.

I haven't tried the bicarbonate - I'll give it a go. She's spending a few days away at half term so that's a good time to try the onions 😂

The smell isn't that intense. We didn't even notice when we viewed the house. I think it's just an old property that's absorbed it over the years as it's had so little renovation work (eg all the 30s fireplaces are still in situ)

It should hopefully get better with warmer drier weather. More ventilation but also properly dried out walls and ceilings that hopefully don’t hold in to lingering smell.

Thanks, fingers crossed. My worry is that it's maybe been there for decades and never tackled but we'll see

Cut onions and open window

Thanks I will try the onions trick!

I think there is a primer you can get that you use and then repaint and it seals in any smells. Can't think of a name but probably something that would google.

Oh brilliant thank you, I will have a look

This one seems to get lots of good reviews. www.screwfix.com/p/zinsser-b-i-n-shellac-based-primer-sealer-1ltr/29661?kpid=29661&ds_kid=92700072652577527&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1243321&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn4SeBhCwARIsANeF9DIbjZ_xND_GDL9D71z2zFhltXMpILCZ2ywXQK4KGRq-aRF7XJEWFwEaAhA1EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds