How do you get rid of smoke smell from previous owners?

[Guest]

Hi I’ve just moved to a new house and the previous owners smoked in one of the bedrooms and I cannot get rid of the smell!

We washed the whole room down and got new carpet and all the furniture came with us so it won’t be that any idea how I can get rid?

I’ve tried spraying numerous times a day with disinfectant and Zoflora and the windows stay open all day also.

[Fran]

To be honest, if I smell smoke in a house I'm viewing, it's immediately off the list. It's disgusting!

[Lorna]

Use sugar soap to clean down everything - can get it in B&M at the DIY section. It cuts through the nicotine that's stuck on.

[Emma]

It will be in the ceiling paint. Smoke rises so maybe if you can paint the ceiling and walls.

[Claire]

We've had this problem in our new house. Our son's bedroom was the worst. New coat of paint on walls and ceiling sorted the room, but his wardrobe smelt like someone on 60-a-day was living in there.

It had walls washed with sugar soap and 2 coats of emulsion but I've then done 2 coats of Zinsser BIN which is a shellac paint and the smell has finally gone.

Would definitely recommend priming with Zinsser then painting.

[Julie]

Wash it all down with sugar soap and a fresh lick of paint.

[Lesley]

I'm a smoker and refuse to smoke in my house for this reason.

[Lynne]

When we moved into our house we had to strip all wallpaper off the walls and remove carpets in the worst rooms. Washing down the walls didn't work so if you have wallpaper on yours, try removing that.

[Rebecca]

You will need to clean all the walls, all kitchen units inside and out etc. And any fixtures/light fittings/radiators that were there when you moved in x
I know it says you've changed the carpet, but you don't specify if one room or all? All flooring throughout the house will need replacing x

[Rebecca]

I’ve been in my house 6 years the previous owners smoked everywhere in the house we have totally redecorated, plastered 5 rooms, knew kitchen bathroom & toilet, new light fittings and every so often upstairs it smells like someone’s still smoking. Drives me nuts!

[Kelly]

I defo recommend sugar soap. When I moved in mine I “washed” the kitchen cupboards but could still smell it.
So bought it and my god; you could see the tar dripping off them!! and I’m a smoker but it was rank & I never smoke in the house.
Give it all a good scrub, dry & then I’d lightly sand everything and re-paint it

[Mary]

Professional cleaning services. "Fogging" is a process that is used to get rid of smoke smells after a house fire. Insurance companies use them Try Chemdry. X x

[Katie]

We had the same problem, sorted it by changing the lightbulbs. Whenever we put the lights on they heated the smoke residual on the bulb and made a huge smell. Not sure if the same with newer lightbulbs but made a huge difference to us. Xx

[Victoria]

It’s gonna Literally be in the paint and the wallpaper if any. It probably needs stripping right back. Re do the ceiling too. I’d be inclined to say you may even need to re plaster depending on how bad it is…. How anybody can smoke in their home is beyond me.

[Gemma]

We bought a house that was owned by smokers previously - it was horrendous. Even our dog ended up smelling like stale smoke. We started with removing all carpets and washing everything (walls ceiling floors wood work) with sugar soap multiple times but what finally worked was repainting the entire house using a special stain blocker paint!

[Susan]

It's possible it's spread through whole house so you'll need to do same (cleanin wise at least) in it all. House I'm now in, they'd smoked everywhere and I had to do it. It does take a while before you start to realise the smell is gettin slowly better. Havin said that I did scrub every wall, ceiling, floorboards and paintwork with whatever cleanin stuff in buckets at same time. And then stripped and redecorated 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and stairs, hall and landing within 8 months.

I just kept all windows open and back or fribt door open as much as I could while in house.

[Alison]

My mum moved years ago whole house stank of smoke unfortunately she had to paint and clean carpets and wash her blinds in the bath and get a strong lavender plug in she got rid of the worst of it but never went fully until it was painted.

[Charlotte]

Sorry to hear that open all the windows and keep spraying with scented sprays or detol . Thanks for the heads up when I am looking for a property to buy I am moving this year is make sure it doesn't smell of smoke.it takes years for smells like that to go I had an ex who smoked and my god soon as my partner left I daily would open all my windows for the smell to go I am lucky the council fitted new windows in our property and I now can't smell a thing anymore .I hope you don't have to result to that on the smoking front my ex left me over 15 years ago and I am a non smoker and so is my parter we been to gether 11 years and smoke free home.