How can I get smoke smell out of a house?

Question

this house we may buy has a smoke smell...its mostly wood flooring though. only the bedrooms have carpet. and, its already been painted. also, how can we clean the ceilings if it has popcorn ceiling? oh, they're furniture is already moved out so its not like that is stinking it up.

Answer 1

Use a solution of white vinegar and water to clean the ceiling. This vinegar solution can be put into a mister bottle and sprayed onto the carpet. The vinegar smell should dissipate when dry. White vinegar and water is the best idea to clean smoke smell. However, you can not use that on your hard wood floor. There is an enzyme cleaner you can get at your home improvement store to clean the wood with--I can't remember the name right off. Or use a little O-DO ban on it.

Answer 2

A condition of the purchase should be to have the house deodorized. The smell is in the vent system probably (Heat and air ducting) That can be cleaned. Plus painting the popcorn ceiling WITH STAIN AND ODOR BLOCKER and replacing the existing carpeting..

Did the wood smoke smell come from a fireplace? It should be cleaned by a chimney sweep also before the purchase. The smoke backed up into the house somehow.

We planned to buy a condo in Florida with a cigarette smoke smell, but our requirements were to deodorize and sanitize it of the smoke before purchase.

YOU CAN HAVE REQUIREMENTS TO THE PURCHASE. AND IF THEY WANT TO SELL BAD ENOUGH THEY WILL DO IT.

Good Luck.

Another answerer gave me an Idea!!! Get estimates on what it would take to solve these problems (that is if you LOVE this house) Then make your offer that much less than the original price.

Remember to have the estimates and clarify clearly the reason for the reduction. (your realtor will actually do this or if you are handling your own purchase, you will do it)

We are in the Mortgage business so this is a familiar subject.

You may not get it all knocked off but you should be able to get a reduced price. What ever you save will be roughly 4 times that saved over the life of the mortgage.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How can I get smoke smell out of a house?
this house we may buy has a smoke smell...its mostly wood flooring though. only the bedrooms have carpet. and, its already been painted. also, how can we clean the ceilings if it has popcorn ceiling? oh, they're furniture is already moved out so its not like that is stinking it up.

Answer 4

I agree with the previous answer, that you should have de-odorizing the house included in the purchase agreement. Smoke of any kind is extremely difficult to get rid of.

As for cleaning the popcorn ceilings, you really can't. Anything you use will knock off some of the texture and leave noticeable spots. You can repaint using a thick napped roller. I've done this before with good results. Some of the texture did break off, but the paint covered the damage and it all blended in.

Answer 5

Put a pan of vinegar on the hot plate and allow to heat slowly until almost all evaporated. This is very good for getting rid of the smell of smoke.

Answer 6

Cigarette smoke permeates everything. The best thing to do is hire a company that does fire restoration work, like Servicemaster, to deodorize. They use ozone generating machines that will get rid of smoke smell.
The second alternative is to wash everything (that means eveything you can think of) with Murphy's oil soap and water.
Use a clean cloth and change the water frequently. Use old terry cloth towels to wipe down after washing.

Answer 7

I have popcorn ceilings. We painted them using a fuzzy roller. It was good because some of the popcorn was knocked off in the process, which didn't bother me one bit. Who came up with that idea anyway? As for the smoke, if the smell is in the carpeting you will have to replace it. If the rooms have been painted, the draperies changed and the wood floors washed, there is nothing left to do.

Answer 8

I have been looking into selling my house...and, my realtor told me that a house that smells like fresh baked bread sells faster than other houses...

My point being that your potential house already smells...and, because of this you might offer less money for cleaning...because it will take alot of effort to get rid of I am assuming cigarette smoke...that nicotine gets into everything...

you are going to have to scrub all the walls, professionally clean the carpets etc..

good luck

Answer 9

Unfortunately there is no easy solution to this problem. Smoke, of any sort, permeates into the pores of all surfaces and leaves a residue which will cause the odor to linger.
Try these techniques :

First, to prevent this problem from becoming unmanageable, try to air out the room often and for extended periods of time. It is amazing how much this can reduce the smell.

If the odor has really set in, then you probably have no choice but to wash all the surfaces of the room. This includes walls, carpets, furniture, window coverings, lampshades and anything else in the room (even ceilings if the problem is severe).

There are available ozone generating units that can neutralize all kinds of odors. Used by professional restoration companies after fires or floods, ozone generators can be rented out for consumer use. Use caution, however, and follow directions carefully as ozone gas is potentially fatal if used improperly.

You also may want to look into various air cleaning units as a long term solution. These units use ozone, filtering, ions and other methods for cleaning the air.

Finally, there are some effective aerosol products specifically designed for smoke odors. Usually they use a combination of perfume (to mask odor) and a chemical malodorant (to neutralize odor). At best, however, aerosols are a short term solution.

Answer 10

FEBREEZE OR BAKING SODA