how to clean walls of nicotene before painting?

Question

My husband and I quit smoking and we want to paint our bedroom but I need to clean the walls first because of the nicotene...what should I use?

Answer 1

Painters use TSP, but I have to say that having tenants who have lived in some of my rentals and have smoked for a decade or more, TSP only does a fair job removing the brownish, yellowish nicotene. After experimenting for years with a multitude of products, I found one recently that works exceptionally well called Krud Kutter which when used straight does the best job. I still have them use a stain blocking primer like Bin or Kilz before repainting to ensure that the remaining nicotene does not bleed through the paint. But, Krud Kutter does the best job of any product we've tried in 20 years.

Answer 2

Congratulations on quitting smoking! Unfortunately years of cigarette smoke have penetrated the porous wall board. That being said here is what I recommend:

Wash the walls and ceiling with soap and water and let them dry for a couple of days.

Prime the newly cleaned surfaces with 'Kilz' which is available at most any home improvement or paint store. The primer will seal in the tar, nicotine and smoke permanently and make a very smooth surface upon which the new paint will adhere.

Answer 3

tsp is the BEST. It comes in a white plastic gallon type container that states clearly that it is TSP. It is found with paint supplies at hardware and paint stores. What it does is not only cleans your walls, but makes it so that the paint sticks. You will not get a beading effect if you use it correctly. It can make the difference between a poor paint job and a great one. Be sure and wear gloves when using it, and have more than one big CLEAN sponge.

Answer 4

You would want to use TSP concentrate in the liquid form. If you get it in the liquid form all you have to do is apply it. You don't have to apply and rinse with water like the others. Then after letting it dry use a primer. I would not use Kilz but I would use Bin/Zinsser/1-2-3 Primer. It can be found at Lowe's and other paint supply stores.

Answer 5

TSP is limited in removing nicotine, If you stil have spots after you wash, Priming with Kilz or Binser is your best bet , these primers come in a spray can and can be found in any Home Centers Paint dept. You can easily cover the nicotine in a short amount of time...

Answer 6

We used baking soda and a lot of elbow grease. The baking soda really did get a good share of it off. We also sprayed vinegar on the walls where it was real bad before we started with the baking soda. The room smelled like we were dying Easter eggs but it really worked.

Answer 7

TSP (trisodium phosphate)
Lysol or other detergents can leave a residue that may interfere with the bonding of paint.
If the stains are really bad, use a primer coating like Kilts primer.

Answer 8

the best thing to use is sugar soap to clean then undercoat the walls with normal oil based white undercoat followed by 2 coats of your chosen colour emulsion the undercoat will stop stains from coming through, this is the cheapest way to do it

Answer 9

You can use a good dish detergent in warm water. For really stubborn spots you could use a spray cleaner.

Answer 10

Lysol or Pine Sol.