<p>D2 just moved to a new city and is trying to find affordable housing (an oxymoron I realize)
A room just opened in the place she was crashing provided by her place of employment. It seems ideal. It is affordable, close to a subway/metro (whatever it is called) stop directly to her job, she can easily park her car and it is a safe area. </p>
<p>Con is that the room she is moving into was occupied by a smoker and she thinks the apartment as a whole (the communal living spaces) are dirty. </p>
<p>I told her she could clean the kitchen and bath. But how do you get rid of smoking smell??</p>
<p>If you are sensitive, like me and my family, you CAN’T get rid of the smoke and the suff lingering in walls, ceilings and floors without expensive renovation. Sorry! That’s why hotels tend to go totally smokefree after their renos. </p>
<p>Try a bowel of vinegar, also sprinkling baking soda in carpet, not sure if that’s good for the vacuum cleaner.
If the walls have absorbed the tobacco, then painting with a sealant ( maybe Kilz) not sure of the correct name, and the paint. I’m told if you just use regular paint and primer it will bleed through.</p>
<p>She will want to wipe down and clean every surface. When we moved into our house, there was an invisible film all over everything that, when wiped with damp paper towel, came up brown or rust colored and NASTY! Even our white kitchen cabinets, looked immaculate, were actually filthy. Even inside the drawers. </p>
<p>If she is asthmatic or allergic, she might not be able to make this work. If it’s simply an annoyance, a deep clean and the techniques described above may cut it enough to make it tolerable. </p>
<p>If able, remove the carpet. Definitely spray all surfaces – ceilings, walls, windows, trim, cabinets, etc. If someone has an air purifier to lend, blast that unit through each room.</p>
<p>To be honest, I think it is very hard to get rid of the leftovers from a smoker. Your daughter is renting. Does she really want to repaint, lay new carpet, buy an ozone machine, scrub all surfaces and walls? And still run the risk that the residue will still be there.</p>
<p>Yeah–I’m sure easier said than done to find a more affordable place that’s convenient.
Steam clean carpet and definitely wash/replace curtains. that’ll clear up most.
Big pieces of furniture–stuffed couches and chairs absorb the smoke smell big time. and pillows. Don’t know if it’s furnished or not but keeping furniture left over from a smoker will make it nearly impossible to rid the place of the smell.</p>
<p>It takes a lot to clear it, despite what smokers think the smell doesn’t air out or clear out easily. Any kind of carpet or upholstery will need major cleaning, the kind that places like Stanley Steemer and others do. The whole apartment should get a good cleaning, walls, exposed floors, baseboards, and things like curtains and blinds probably should be replaced. When washing, from experience, don’t try and do it in one shot, I would clean with a cleaning solution with a bit of borax mixed in it, and use a big bucket, and change the water often if using a mop or sponge. In effect, it is like a mini hazmat cleanup, and you need to treat it like it. My wife and I for a number of years lived in a house owned by the family that had been rented out, and the people living there were smokers, and it took a lot to get it clean. </p>
<p>The other thing is, if it is that bad, maybe the landlord would help out (yeah, I know, fat chance), maybe they would be willing to get carpeting cleaned or pay some of the cost? It isn’t impossible to get the smoke smell out, though if you are hypersensitive it is different for someone who is less sensitive. If cleaning the walls and ceilings don’t help, then painting with a sealing primer like Killz or an epoxy primer then painting it should seal it away, and in general, putting up fresh paint tends to help with the smell of a place anyway. </p>
<p>I agree with the ozone machine, it is what hotels do, but it isn’t perfect, depending on how bad the smell is. She will STILL want to clean the carpet and any drapes. I think people run the machines something like 8 to 12 hours. You can buy them on amazon for a couple hundred (or a little less) or rent them. California doesn’t like them, and you will want to open the windows and thoroughly air the place out after you are done, as with flea bombs or something, apparently: <a href=“State bans home ozone air purifiers”>http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/28/local/me-purifier28</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the ideas. Now it seems the room may not be available. I personally would rather she have a place to live, even if a smoker lived there before, than no place. Ugh! </p>
<p>And, she works 60 -80 hours a week for really low pay. So she has little time to look and must find a cheap place. Yes, she is working for a non-profit trying to, in my words, save the world. She’s an adult. It is her choice.</p>
<p>By the time you spend the time and money in trying to remediate a place that had been smoked in, you will save both by finding a place that has never had a smoker. It is a BIG JOB to remediate and costly.</p>
<p>Does her place of employment have any other suggestions? Has she considered checking out Craigslist and other places? What city is she in–perhaps some CC folks have a spare room.</p>
<p>We bought our home 16 years ago from heavy smokers. The film left behind was so bad that when they took things off the walls (photos, knick knacks and stuff) you could see a clear defined shadow of the object meaning all walls were yellowed profusely. The kitchen cupboards which were newer and a light birch color were more “yellow” than birch. We basically had to Kilz paint EVERY wall. I don’t remember what we used on the cupboards. We also refinished all the wood floors. Took 2 months of late nights (not living in it) Every once in a while I will still catch a whiff in a cupboard or drawer. Disgusting!</p>
<p>Agree that its really difficult to get rid of the sell, especially if it has leached int the walls, carpet, drapes, etc. And if she is very sensitive to it, it will bother her. No fun if she has such crazy hours and wants a place to relax. </p>
<p>When we were looking at houses many moons ago, one house had a bedroom that absolutely REEKED of cigarette smoke. The realtor said " oh its no big deal. You can easily get rid of that". No way. We got rid of the realtor instead.</p>
<p>I remember watching an episode of Property Brothers where they dealt with a long-time smoker’s home for a young couple. It was rather disgusting, but very educational, to see what the naked eye couldn’t see at first glance (but your nose sure could smell it!). It was a lot of effort, but they were able to make it work. Of course, this was a buying situation, not a rental like the OP is talking about. No matter what someone says, it is not an easy task.</p>
<p>For those that mention steam cleaning the carpet, you have to get rid of it all the way, padding included.</p>
<p>Right now, any room will do. I just want her to have a place to call home, hang some clothes and climb into a bed and shut out the world if needed.</p>
<p>If you want to mention the city and landmark she wants to be near, perhaps you would get a PM from a CCer who wants to rent out a room from their empty nest?</p>