who do you remove tobacco tar from your home walls?

Question

i just bought a house and the seller smoked heavily.out side the bathroom you can see the tar on the walls. how can i de-tar all of the walls with out hurting the paint?

Answer 1

hot soapy water, 409, mean grean is really good, dawn is a good grease cutter. just wash it on with a rag let it sit a second or 2 and wipe off with clean hot water. we're smokers and this is how i wash my walls. (I use mean grean) get it at dollar stores.

Answer 2

Everyone will think I am insane, but I use oven cleaner. I smoke a lot, and therefore wash my walls 2X a year and repaint every year. When I am going to wash the walls to repaint, I spray with oven cleaner first and wipe off with hot soapy water immediately. It loosens the tar, and in the kitchen will remove the grease on the walls which has accumulated from the stove and broiler. It may remove some paint if left on too long, but it sure gets all the muck off of the walls. It may depend on the the quality of paint, check a small area first. My neighbors prefer using a primer called Kilz and then repainting. It seems to work quite well for them.

Answer 3

The best way to clean a painted surface is by using T.S.P. it's trisodium phosphate crystals in a box.

I have a 5 lb. box for $5.99 and I bought it at a local hardware store but you can buy it at any place they sell paint and supplies.

Wear rubber kitchen gloves and use a brush, sponge and eye protection. Cover any furniture below with a drop cloth to prevent spotting. Mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup T.S.P. dissolved in a gallon of warm water. Apply solution with a sponge and scrub as needed with a brush.

I prepare all walls and ceilings with this stuff prior to painting as it takes off grease, grime and dirt from all surfaces. The stronger solution you use and the harder you brush will dull the gloss of the paint.

Answer 4

I had a cleaning lady come to my apt.to clean textured walls and popcorn ceilings. She used Murphys Oil Soap and water. Theres no formula as how to mix it (no ratio) but if it doesn't seem to be doing the trick ,just add more Murphys Oil. It's gentle enough on the paint and yet does a super job of cleaning...and besides that,it smells wonderful!!

Ps. Ceilings:wrap rag around sponge mop

Answer 5

You pretty much have to steam the walls,use a heavy duty cleaner, and scrub. I had the same problem at a place I moved into and just repainted. It was worth it because the smell still lingers as well as the ugly color it leaves behind. Good Luck!

Answer 6

i had a simalar stitation, i found a product called awesome at a dollar store. mix half water and half awesome, then wipe with an old wash cloth. the wash cloth has the right amount of roughness u will need. let dry. and it wo't damage your paint. it also works well on just about any surface.

Answer 7

http://www.winsol.com/smoke.htm