Removing smoke stank from a house.

[dave_dj1]

Put vinegar around in open bowls, it will absorb it and mask it
A good scrubbing of all the hardwood with Lysol or Pinsol

 

[KenV]

Looks like I'll be busy no matter what.

The tentative plan: I'll bring the steamer, paint gear/respirator, and an ozone generator, and decontaminate what I can, to include stripping out all carpet/electrical endpoints/drapes. I figure I can test several ideas in several areas and judge results, carrying on from there. I'll engage professionals for what's left, like ducting. There's adequate time, as we aren't selling our current home to swing this and have things to finish out in CA (kids' braces for one).

The guy lived there since the end of 2018, so I figure on 4+ years of buildup (or, yeah, 40+ if the original owners smoked heh). Per the Realtor there are no visible signs of smoke, just a strong odor. It wasn't recently repainted (couple chips/marks here and there seem to back that up), so either it was cleaned and the residue is oozing out as I type or it isn't so bad. To me it's odd that the smell isn't downstairs, yet every space there has an AC register. I'd figure some of the stank would have to get down there. Heck, that's where the bar is. I figured it'd smell like, well, a bar.

I assume the worst but won't know until I get there. I need a vacation anyway.

This is a big help. Thanks again.

 

[SomeGuyFromOlympia]

everything has been posted
fabric/carpet get rid of it

buy Kilz by the bucket
good luck

at a minimum you will hate smokers when you are done

 

[RusM]

Where's it at? Any more pics of house?

 

[KenV]

everything has been posted
fabric/carpet get rid of it

buy Kilz by the bucket
good luck

at a minimum you will hate smokers when you are done

Yep, simple, but not easy. I've cleaned up far worse, but not necessarily as pervasive, if that makes sense. Thanks man.

Where's it at? Any more pics of house?

South MO. West Plains is the nearest city.

If you look reeeeeally close you can see it:

 

[KenV]

Not really.

Most of the inside is like any other house. The LR pic shows the oh-so-absorbent popcorn ceiling and hopefully-not-too-sticky wood.

 

[RusM]

Nice

 

[KenV]

I think so. It's a large step up in square footage, acreage, vehicle spaces, etc. And while it's normal to have water on the property east of here, I've never had a pond. Now I have two, year round, one with a dock. I'll be asking around here about stocking a pond, because screw google.

When our Realtor told me "You'll notice that here in Missouri, we really like our storage" she wasn't kidding. There's a closet every eight feet or so. Works for me.

 

[Muttly]

When my house burned I used this stuff on wood furniture that I thought was going to get pitched from the smell:

Wood Care - Scott's Liquid Gold

A coat or two and even stuff that was in the worst room ended up with no odor.

I would try that first on all the wood paneling and if it doesn't work next step would be real shellac, it seals the wood as good as Kilz primer. Don't leave any rags or leftovers laying around after you're done.

I also would not try to save the carpets, but some professional carpet cleaners will guarantee that they can get it clean.

 

[SoylentGreen]

I'm not reading every suggestion in this thread, but I've dealt with this more than once in my years selling paint.

Every time someone came into a store where I worked, they'd start with "This old lady smoked/had cats/pissed on everything and we can't get rid of the smell...."

I'd cut them off and say, "Spray everything, floor, ceilings, and walls with Zinsser B-I-N pigmented shellac primer."

Two coats.

Shellac acts as a vapor barrier, something that oil based products and water based products cannot do. You can spray that Kilz shit until the cows come home and you'll still have the world's shittiest primer doing almost nothing for your problem. Two coats of pigmented shellac. The stank cannot penetrate it.

Word.

 

[JNHEscher]

Well damn, dude. You're moving just an hour away from us. Welcome to MO. I've painted in a few heavily smoked houses, but never had to take care of ridding the smell.

 

[TSEJEEPERS]

My wife and I are smokers. The last house we had and sold we smoked in for 25 years. No carpet so I can not answer that.
I washed all the walls and ceilings down with TSP. I then painted them with Kilz. It took 3 coats.

 

[KenV]

When my house burned I used this stuff on wood furniture that I thought was going to get pitched from the smell:

Wood Care - Scott's Liquid Gold

A coat or two and even stuff that was in the worst room ended up with no odor.

I would try that first on all the wood paneling and if it doesn't work next step would be real shellac, it seals the wood as good as Kilz primer. Don't leave any rags or leftovers laying around after you're done.

I also would not try to save the carpets, but some professional carpet cleaners will guarantee that they can get it clean.

Saving that link. My mom used it here and there on some teak furniture. (Saw the can when we cleaned out her house, come to think.) She was a smoker a loooong time back, but I never did smell anything on the furniture she had from back then. Thanks for that and the shellac tip.

The carpet is original, so there's no point trying to save it. I wonder if people burn trash in rural MO....

I'm not reading every suggestion in this thread, but I've dealt with this more than once in my years selling paint.

Every time someone came into a store where I worked, they'd start with "This old lady smoked/had cats/pissed on everything and we can't get rid of the smell...."

I'd cut them off and say, "Spray everything, floor, ceilings, and walls with Zinsser B-I-N pigmented shellac primer."

Two coats.

Shellac acts as a vapor barrier, something that oil based products and water based products cannot do. You can spray that Kilz shit until the cows come home and you'll still have the world's shittiest primer doing almost nothing for your problem. Two coats of pigmented shellac. The stank cannot penetrate it.

Word.

Pretty sure the Zinsser stuff wasn't mentioned yet, at least not in particular. One more for the product list. Thank you man.

I may end up testing several things in a few areas, just so I can tackle other projects later on. Maybe I can pass something on out there.

Well damn, dude. You're moving just an hour away from us. Welcome to MO. I've painted in a few heavily smoked houses, but never had to take care of ridding the smell.

I've never painted over the stuff. I'll draw out what I can, coat what I can't and replace what resists the first two methods. I think I'll learn a thing or two.

And thank you! I noticed several MO folks here and have watched your truck/bus/cabin threads a lot. I don't have the level of experience that many/most on here do with rockhopping, having only winched out of mud in the past. But I'm happy to tag along and learn to be of help if a group goes out. And I won't use a highlift on a gatekeeper.

My wife and I are smokers. The last house we had and sold we smoked in for 25 years. No carpet so I can not answer that.
I washed all the walls and ceilings down with TSP. I then painted them with Kilz. It took 3 coats.

We did the walls in our current house with TSP/Kilz for 'organics' and it came out nice. Cleaned the grease stink out of the kitchen/LR/hallway. Thanks for the knowledge.

Side note: If you are offered a good deal on a 3 bedroom house that 11 people lived in, knock another 10% off before you even check the place.

 

[KenV]

Just returned from our first trip there. We can tell where people smoked - front porch and LR. Kitchen has maybe half the smell on exposed surfaces, but bedrooms are fine. The place smelled better in general after we ripped out the 40+ year old carpet There's no smell at all downstairs. Each day of airing it out makes a difference, so it's not as horrible as I kept telling myself.

I'm going out soon to finish up. Stripping/Shellacking/Mudding ceilings, scouring all surfaces with TSP, running an O3 gen, and shellacking the walls a few times. The wood walls/floors are untouched after 40+ years so I'll sand them and then see what seals them up (that's probably in this thread). If the vents spew anything I'll either yank them for new runs or have em cleaned.

Side note - the PO left trash cans full, I mean FULL, of booze bottles (many full), as well as a few new/serviceable things I'd think he'd want to at least sell, like a wood chipper, small outboard, biggest HF engine crane, new parts washer, hunting/gun cleaning gear. I guess he really did move into an RV. Either way, I'm getting a dumpster delivered for the next trip.

BTW sparing the details about politics/people, we felt at home right away. And the midwest is just plain beautiful.

....not our car. So much for us fruiting up the place

 

[KenV]

For anyone doing smoke abatement with Zinsser BIN primer - make sure you don't get the "Advanced" version. "Advanced" is greenspeak for "water-based". I have a quick return to handle in a bit here

I'll be out there in July, tackling the drywall next and playing it by ear with the wood flooring/wall. Since the place has no furnishings, I am considering wiping it all down, running the O3 generator in each area, stripping the popcorn up high, and (maybe) spraying the primer. I don't think it came up but whether I spray or roll, I won't forget my respirator/fans. Can't wait to sweat my tail off while sounding like

 

[Norm]

For anyone doing smoke abatement with Zinsser BIN primer - make sure you don't get the "Advanced" version. "Advanced" is greenspeak for "water-based". I have a quick return to handle in a bit here

I'll be out there in July, tackling the drywall next and playing it by ear with the wood flooring/wall. Since the place has no furnishings, I am considering wiping it all down, running the O3 generator in each area, stripping the popcorn up high, and (maybe) spraying the primer. I don't think it came up but whether I spray or roll, I won't forget my respirator/fans. Can't wait to sweat my tail off while sounding like

You want the expensive alcohol based primer. It will create a vapor proof barrier and seal in the stank. That’s the only way to do it right.

 

[KenV]

You want the expensive alcohol based primer. It will create a vapor proof barrier and seal in the stank. That’s the only way to do it right.

That's the ticket. SoylentGreen recommended it earlier so I went a-digging but found the wrong product. Maybe that's why the good stuff comes in 5gal and the retarded stuff is in singles

 

[FJC11]

open the windows and air it out, it will fade in time.

 

[KenV]

open the windows and air it out, it will fade in time.

I'd like it to dissipate before I die. But yeah, I'll be running the windows open for a couple weeks solid.

 

[KenV]

I'd cut them off and say, "Spray everything, floor, ceilings, and walls with Zinsser B-I-N pigmented shellac primer."

Two coats.

Word.

I'm getting my gear together and wanted to ask you something SoylentGreen . I have a Graco X5 that I'll be using for topcoating with good old latex. If I use it for the BIN, do you know if I would really ruin the sprayer for other materials? (I read paint forum posts ranging from 'clean it well' to 'don't spray anything else from that sprayer'.) I'd rather roll this stuff in than nearly double the cost of my sprayer setup.

 

[billdacat]

IMHO: Burn it to the ground... Smoke stank is a bitch! MIL house is a total train wreck. You pull a picture off the wll and see an outline.
It is a true let it burn, and be done with it!

 

[SoylentGreen]

I'm getting my gear together and wanted to ask you something SoylentGreen . I have a Graco X5 that I'll be using for topcoating with good old latex. If I use it for the BIN, do you know if I would really ruin the sprayer for other materials? (I read paint forum posts ranging from 'clean it well' to 'don't spray anything else from that sprayer'.) I'd rather roll this stuff in than nearly double the cost of my sprayer setup.

That shellac primer is reduced with denatured alcohol, so it will need to be religiously cleaned with same. That product has so little "body" that you'll probably be better off using a smaller orifice in the gun than you would use for "thick as hell" latex.

My suggestion is to get in contact with someone from Graco (not Sqirrelly-Williams. Those Fuckers don't know shit.) and tell them your plan and ask for the official advice.

 

[KenV]

Just fired off a message to Graco tech support. I'll post what they give me. Thanks again man.

 

[Outahand]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Krud-Kutter-128-fl-oz-Degreaser/5013100749?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-lwn-_-ggl-_-LIA_LWN_127_Cleaning-_-5013100749-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOftoL7xykW5AZhKID41EhCJln57031UMmxsmcKdKSEVOQJ4ls8ZPQOPwaAh5OEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had to de-nicotine my house.

Krud Kutter works wonders on nicotine residue. Spray it on something and it runs off brown and nicotine is gone. Amazing stuff. I used it on wood paneling, window frames and everything we did not paint. Even the brick fireplace.

Try it out.

My painter handled walls and popcorn removal. It sounds like you have good paint advice already.

My house came out fine. It can be done.

Good Luck

 

[KenV]

Nice! I'll add Krud Kutter to my list for the wood walls. I'll try it in the kitchen too, as I am not looking to repaint the cabinets if I can avoid it, at least not right away. Thanks for the helpful input.

 

[AKnate]

I would think the only shot here would be an ozone generator.

Short of gutting and remodeling, you're not likely to get the smoke smell out completely.

I put one in a house that you could smell 50ft outside of "dirty" (you all know that stank) as well as mouse and dog shit and piss.

Between that fir a week and a rented rug muncher, it was barely noticeable after

 

[Aisin]

I’ll be burning my mothers house down when she dies. Fucking nicotine running down the walls behind her east chair in the living room. Goes from the ceiling to the baseboards. Smokers are fucking disgusting people.

 

[KenV]

Received a reply from Graco regarding shellac in the sprayer:

"I will advise against spraying Zinsser BIN shellac prime through the X5 sprayer.

This material will damage o-ring and seals inside the pump."

Time to break out the rollers and save the airless for topcoating. One box fewer to bring.

I put one in a house that you could smell 50ft outside of "dirty" (you all know that stank) as well as mouse and dog shit and piss.

Between that fir a week and a rented rug muncher, it was barely noticeable after

Good to hear. I look forward to trying my O3 box.

You talk about that 50' radius - the porch at this place smells from 10' out on its own. It's bare wood so I may pressure wash it with Krud Kutter.

I’ll be burning my mothers house down when she dies. Fucking nicotine running down the walls behind her east chair in the living room. Goes from the ceiling to the baseboards. Smokers are fucking disgusting people.

I think you have it worse than I. Thankfully, we don't have visible stains anywhere, just the smell. Judging by the cig cartons I found in the trash outside, the lungs on the folks that lived there may be in far worse shape than any wall.

Thanks guys.

 

[KenV]

Update:

I didn't get to use the shellac yet because stripping 1400' of popcorn, while simple, took more time than I had given other business I needed to handle while out there. I ran the O3 generator wherever I could close the door while I stripped ceilings. When I wiped one section of the walls down with Krud Kutter I noticed the water coming off was filthy. VERY filthy. It didn't compare to the mop water. That was impressively dirty.

All in all my partial effort cut the stank by a bit over half. The front porch now smells much more of cigs than the inside of the home. I am going to head out in a couple of months with the family to get the walls completely washed and work on the lower floor ceilings. So far, so good. Thanks again to everyone who weighed in and helped out.

PS My neighbor informed me that the original owners smoked as well. I'm surprised that I was able to get the place as clean as I did, given that news...

 

[Outahand]

Glad to hear the Krud Cutter is working for you.