A Smoker's Tale - What Happens to Your House & How to Get Rid of Tar 

Check out this playlist of similar videos we made on odor and odor removal. More fab info. ru-vid.com/group/PLh1fKdNH3piRCFzETj7VRMjzsBWDEPklK

We bought a small house in 2022 that had a lot of smoke stink. They had cleaned the carpets and washed the walls so, the first time we walked through the house it seemed more like a musty house that had been shut awhile. Soon after buying the house, any time we left and shut the doors and windows, upon returning the house stank like ghosts had been partying hard. Paint, more paint, and even more paint has been the answer.

Quick tips from a smoker. Use TSP and dawn soap and a mop to get it off of ceilings and walls. For surfaces and deep cleaning, ammonia mixed with water. For carpets, use ammonia or oxiclean (pick one) and biz, mixed in super hot water. Final tip, if you keep smoking indoors (I don't do that but understand sometimes people have too), clean the walls & carpets monthly with a touch of ammonia.

Just watched your video, I've been bingeing. Kind of long story but fitting to the topic, I promise. As a former apt cleaner & painter (15+years) I have to agree with you on most everything you've brought up when it comes to cleaning. This gentleman's email is on par with learning how to clean out cigarette smoke. It's hard work! 10ish years into that job I was tasked to clean/full turnover an apt with 2 bdrms 1 full bath that the guy rented for 1 year. The previous tentent was a long term renter (5+years) non- smoker. This latest tenant apparently had a humidifier. He smoked 3ish packs a day & had guests who would arrive daily that also smoke alot, for a full year. I too am a smoker, but only smoke outside. All I can say to describe that level of tar was holy s#*t! The tar was in drips, running down on all the walls onto the base boards & to the floor. It had an amber coloring. The ceilings had thick droplets everywhere. This was not cooking grease, it was tobacco tar! This was beyond mind boggling & the stench was nauseating. I tested the cleanest corner in a back bedroom. That strip I test cleaned, looked very white in comparison after a few good scrubs & wipe down. It was durning summer, so I opened every window & had a maintenance person remove the air conditioner & I throughly cleaned it out side & then cleaned the casing inside the wall including the outside to the patio, now I had clean air blowing in on fan mode. I removed all shelving & doors to a room & placed them in the porcelain tub with a mat to prevent any scratches. I used a pump water/chemical sprayer with a strap & placed 1 cup of Greased Lighting & the rest with hot water. The kitchen needed 2 cups of greased Lighting in the sprayer or I used it straight & immediately rinsed for grease & tar remaval. I sprayed small sections of the ceilings first, a good sterdy broom to scrub, then a cellulose sponge mop to soak up & remove the tar, cleaner & water. It was awful & took what felt like forever, (5 full days.) I also had a shop vac to catch any water the ran down the walls if I got alil to much on an area. When I finished cleaning the ceilings & walls, I would clean the windows by pulling them out too, along with the screens & yes, even the base boards placed in tub nails & all. The walls had like an orange-ish color remaining. The original color was more of a slightly yellowish white. The paint we used in all of the apts looked white unless a white object was placed near it. I then removed all outlet covers & light fixtures & those went to the kitchen sink to soak, bulbs were tossed (as they would break upon touch which was wierd, because that never happed before or sence.) I scrubbed the floor, hi-low long handle brush (concrete), heater vents(metal) I actually used an air compressor to clean out the blades to the hot water heater vents. (I tried a hand held steamer with no luck.) I'd clean all the parts from 1 of the rooms with a shower hose sprayer, scrub brush & Greased Lighting which were the metal doors, shelves, heater vent covers(3-8' long pieces) that were in the tub & parts that were in the kitchen sink & store it back into the room it came from to keep from misplacing anything, spray paint all metal. The base boards were painted wood, I did those with a nylon scrub brush & very little water with cleaner & wiped dry immediately. Those were stored separately in the order they were taken. Then prime with killz from the ceiling to the floor The trickiest to clean was the fridge. I stripped it of all its inside & soaked them in the kitchen sink with Clorox clean up & a magic eraser. I removed the lower back panel because it was cardboard then wiped it down with microfiber cloth. We decided to pressure wash the body of the fridge outside. Yes, I preteated with the greased Lighting. I used 2 magic erasers on it they helped alot. The stink was gone from it! We replaced all ceiling fans, vent motors, kitchen, bathroom cabinets & light bulbs. My boss was a nonsmoker & even he was absolutely shocked at how it passed the smell test. The owner of the complex was in shock for 1; the bill, because it was so high & it was really low 2; it worked! The stink was gone! The owners expected to have to hire smoke remeadeators, which is very expensive!!! Thousands more in costs if insurance wouldn't have paid out, usually they wont unless there's an actual fire. That last week of new flooring & final touches was gratifying. Yes, I too scrubbed the underside of doors. This particular apt was the exception not the rule. I DID TELL BOSS & OWNERS, NEVER AGAIN!!! Not long after that, we had an official hoarder but not a smoker! Yes, it was bad & instead of trying to save everything we could, the boss decided we all had enough. For example, the newest dates on fridg'ed food on that one were over 3 years old. The fridge was tossed! The boss hired 2 guys with shovels, gave them hazmat suits & they filled 2 dumpsters. That apt was gutted, I only clean the windows, tub & toilet on that one. People, please smoke outside & try not to hoard.

I love your videos. I can tell you're passionate about this stuff.

Great information. I have 2 stories, one was the purchase of a home and the other was a rental/sale of a condo. This guys story was really great and mine pale by comparison. I’m glad he shared it.

It just cost $400 to remove heavy cigarette smell from a car. Every square inch had to be scrubbed, vents treated, new cabin filter, carpets extracted with super hot water extractor, headliner cleaned with chemicals and steam, then 2 rounds of ozone machine. It was a big job. Took about 10 hours.

Wow wow what a eye/brain openner. Thanks a million Angela

My mom smoked in the house since 1976. She passed away about 4 years ago. IM STILL CLEANING THE SOOT! Pink grapefruit Method cleaner has worked very well. Nothing else has seemed to work. Looking forward to this video

I rented a new apartment, and when I was about to move in, I noticed a horrible cigarette smell. I will definitely buy these two products. Thanks for your help, wish me luck 🙏

All true. I live alone and smoke only in the living room, use an air purifier and air out the place as much as possible. Even so, that greasy brown build up is everywhere. It is most noticeable on my sheers, but is everywhere ... Windows, mirrors and pictures, walls, you name it. It requires a lot of extra cleaning -- 4 "deep cleans" per year. of the main floor Yes, the answer is smoke outside, or quit altogether!

I appreciate this video as my husband and I are in the middle of purchasing the home of a heavy smoker. I would have never thought about under the doors. I'll probably have to watch this video 15 more times. My dad (a smoker) told me all I'd need to do is open the windows and sprinkle carpet stuff down on the carpet (ha ha he's noseblind.) I'm hoping we can fix it. I'm having a really hard time find info about getting the smell out of appliances. The owner recently replaced all of the appliances but I'm sure they will have the stench. I'd hate to have to buy all new appliances too and get rid of these. Not very cost effective.

I always smoke outside! BUT your "nose blind" comment really hit "home" with me 😉 A friend of mine's home smells like a Bath & Body Works (no plug in her home lacks a plug in!) And whenever I come home after a visit, my home smells GROSS for a while until I get "blind" again. My home smells not from smoke, but of stale cooking odors and dust (I don't fry ever). I have lived in my home 10 years and never washed walls! I'm new to cleaning, my mom never did it when I was a child so I never really learned, but thanks to your tips and endless videos, I'm now a reformed clutter bug and pretty avid maintenance cleaner. I guess I should invest in an air purifier (I loved your videos but with 2 cats the most effective Ozone kinds wouldn't be safe 😥) so I would love to learn how to wash the walls and furniture to remove that set-in "odor of life" from the last decade of neglect. I can't afford to paint or get new furniture, and I don't just want to mask the smell, I want to remove the source! Please do a video on wall washing! I have eggshell paint, so it probably can't handle much vigorous cleaning, but for instance there is visible dust stuck to residual grease from touching the walls in the past, could warm damp microfibers remove this and not harm the matte finish? I figure furniture may need to be handled by a professional, but could I use a handheld steamer on a couch, or is that just crazy talk?

My friend lived above a woman who smoked and it made his apt smell so bad he had to move, and he kept the windows open while he was at work but it wasnt enough

Ignorance is bliss! The years of smoke damage will never go away until you clean the HVAC system and air ducts. The ducts are coated with cigarette tar.

Alas, I smoke in my home and have done for many years. I leave at least one upstairs window open for about 10 months of the year, back door open all summer. I think that helps a little. I also sugar soap the walls and redecorate every year or so, and use a carpet shampooer once or twice a year. Curtains are done more regularly, they really hold the stink. Unless they are small enough to put in the washing machine, you cannot get the grot out of soft furnishings. When my old sofa got broken up to go to the dump it was horrible, the foam was almost orange. Us smokers do become nose blind. The time I notice it is when I'm staying in a hotel and go to brush my teeth - in that smoke-free environment my toothbrush is sanitary but tainted with the taste/smell. I'm not proud of this but not ashamed either: I am what I am, my mum smoked through her pregnancy (at a time when people didn't know how bad that was) and I grew up in a smoke-flled house, so I was addicted before I even put a cig to my lips. If you have children don't do this to them. I do my best to keep my home clean and as fresh as it can be, I doubt anyone would come in and think it was disgusting. I guess it's harder work than it needs to be and I'd rather it wasn't this way, but quitting isn't as easy as many non-smokers might think.

I'm an ex smoker and I never liked smoking inside, not only because I don't want my kids breathing it in, but also because I don't want my house to stink! Ugh, cigarette smoke is stomach churning!

Ms. You are straight up epic.

People do get nose-blind to all the smells in their house, especially pet smells. At one time, I sold real estate and one home had a cat that routinely urinated on walls, and another house had a large dog that was allowed to do his business in the basement. At one showing there were three big mounds of dog poo in the basement, indicating the owners didn't dispose of the stuff right away. Even with well tended pets, they leave all kinds of messes both inside (neverending fur & carpet stains) and outside of a house (digging up landscaping) and are the Realtor's scourge. Another house had daily east Indian cooking going on and there was a lot of grease on the kitchen walls as well as an overpowering scent of various spices. Needless to say, these houses were slow to sell and when they did, it was at a much reduced price.

Any one tried OZONE ? I know a family who cleaned walls etc 3xs a year with a warm water,baking soda,vinager and bo peep mix. And carpet once a year. They smoked (and company too ) for all the years i knew them( about 25yrs). Their House did not have this problem. Only difference is It never was left on for years .

Thankyou kindly ✨👌🏽

TSP is what we in Europe call "Sugar Soap" - as far as I know. It works for walls, floors, ceilings...flat areas. It's a chemical that you dissolve in warm to hot water, - but - and here's the crunch... you need to be ready with a lot more clean water and clean rags, towels, etc to wipe off the residue...what is does is dissolve the tar and nicotine, but it concentrates it... in the water residue and you have to be ready to wipe it up, like water colour painting, you have a 10 to 30 seconds... if it dries in as a drip, the drips stays as a concentrated stain. That said , when it dries a good quality paint will adhere. Basically, like bleach or anything else - if you can dissolve the nicotine and make it water soluble for a while, you have to wipe it off, rinse it off well and with disposable clothes and you cannot let it dry. You''ll need scourers and toothbrushes for the smaller crevices.. and again to be ready with disposable wipe offs... It's probably one of the few areas of cleaning left where the only hack left is elbow a lot grease... the more and better you rinse, fast after sugar soap application, the better the result... until the sugar soap solution begins to dry.. so it's a two step with a lot of clean buckets and access to water is an issue..

Great video. I am currently renting the house my parents lived in for 27 years and they both smoked. You can't get that smell out and on hot days it really brings out that odor. I am going to check into this and would love to eventually reduce the odor. I don't smoke and never have.

As a professional odor removal specialist, I can tell you that smoke from cigarettes, cigar and marijuana get in to ceiling fan motors, bathroom vent fans, HVAC systems and attach to light bulbs. The fan motors and light bulbs will release odor when turned on and as they get warm. The HVAC system has been circulating the smoke particles throughout the house and cling to A/C coils, ducts and vents and will require special cleaning, or risk smelling the smoke when it's used.

I am actually a little confused on what the man finally used that actually worked? Did he use 3 or 4 cleaners, and the paint, or would one of those cleaners along with the paint work?

Thought you said an ozone machine would do the trick..after cleaning and painting

A friend of mine lived in a townhouse and the landlord didn't want the property back after they moved. His roommate smoked cigars. The landlord for whatever reason did something to the windows so they couldn't be opened. The carpets all turned black. Everything else w turned orange.

Is it up to rental apt. To remove smoke in apt before a new person moves in? I recently moved into an apt and the smell of smoke is very strong. I do not smoke inside and never had. How can I get the apt owners to get rid of the smell

if we need to remove cigarette and weed smell indoor (room, house, basement) is it better to get a humidifier or a dehumidifier? we see some humidifier with aroma therapy that say they remove smoke smell with their oil cool myst and stuff but the dehumidifier say they remove the smoke smell by preventing buildups also theres options like OZONE ULTRASONIC UV-C LIGHT LED GERMICIDAL SANITIZER ANION NEGATIVE ION which 1 is better to remove the smell because theres no air purifier that offer all those options togheter? IF U GET BOTH HUMIDIFIER AND DEHUMIDIFIER = WHICH 1 DO YOU PUT IN THE SMOKING ROOM AND WHICH ONE DO U RUN OUTSIDE OF THE SMOKING ROOM TO CLEAN THE REST OF THE HOUSE??

THANK U

Kilz is the only thing that works as far as painting over the walls.

How do you explain the fact that the vast majority of the country smoked indoors from the 1940s-1970s?

What if someone painted over it and it doesn’t go away? How do we try and clean it off with the products you mentioned with paint on top of it?

Yikes, disgusting! I am having to pay $300 (maybe more) to have a little van detail cleaned, hoping they can get the smell out. They will have to even clean inside of the glove compartment, etc. The cabin filter in the vehicle was over $150 to replace! This will be the third place I have tried. Unfortunately there are no painted surfaces so I cannot use Kilz, and it was built by an artist. I have had to throw out most things that were in the van, even things like toilet paper, maps, paper towels, first aid supplies, anything that can't go in a dishwasher. I have thrown out all of the carpets, even a door mat. I am soaking the beautiful quilt in a half gallon of vinegar before then washing it, hoping it will work. All of the custom draperies are having to go to a specialty cleaners as they had leather and bead trim! Crossing my fingers for them. I so hope this works. How very sad. Smokers do not understand the havok they cause, they reek!

We bought a house contingent on ridding smoke smell.

my place smells like depression. i perspire quite a bit and don’t shower very often. but i try. i try to change my sheets. and i try to change pajamas every day. i am basically in bed all day and night. is there a way to get rid of that stench? of course i can’t smell it, but my boyfriend can.

Your lungs are worth more than a house. I hope people stop smoking.

How do I get rid of the tar stains on my grey painted kitchen cabinets. I’ve tried everything

My mom was a smoker since age 16 (she is was born in 64) even while pregnant, though I tried attempts of smoking but only to goof around ( I wanted to make smoke rings) but its never really stuck to me, I just may have smoked just one cigarette in a blue moon I don't really vape either ...off topic sorry...well my mom had several attempts to stop smoking many failed but finally I think the year 98 or 99 is when she last took a cigarette 💪willed she is 😃. Well she has a house that a friend lived in for a couple years ( my mom lives elsewhere but has a house on the side she kept after she got remarried) any way her friend is a heavy smoker and I had came to visit and she showed me a candle and asked me to smell it and tell her what I thought...😶😑😳😶 well I guess I am one of those ppl that had somewhat of an embarrassed face on because I couldn't smell the candle the house was too overwhelming 😅 and I didn't want to Lie to her and felt bad because I didn't know what to say so she noticed my face and asked is everything alright and I kind of beat around the bush but finally was able to tell her the truth to what I thought and that It was very strong smoke smell. She had told me she normally sits on the porch to smoke so she didn't understand why the house would smell and realized it's because she leaves the door open as she smokes out side and the smoke just flutters on in like it owns the place. I'm glad I told her how I felt because within a couple of weeks the smell was MUCH tolerable 😁

I do several Airbnbs and they are not allowed to smoke inside. As a non smoker why would you want that in your lungs let alone smell like a smoker! In Orlando I never ran across smokers who smoke inside there homes. No back in Maine, not only do they smoke pot they smoke cigarettes and I will not even go into their homes as the smoke lingers on me! Yek

Kinda shamming. I need to know how to get the dark spits from coughing off the wall

Ozone generator is key ....

This still didn’t explain how he got the stink out of the carpet

Painting will not work! Moisture of any kind will have the tar bleeding through.

☹️😨😨😨😨 SMOKE

The problem with airbnbs is all the toxic cleaning materials everywhere. Last time i stayed in one I couldn't sleep even with the window open there was so much noctious clemicals on the bed. I don't think I slept hardly at all and was out looking for a coffee shop at like 6.30. It was unbelievable and it seems to be worse recently. I have had rashes and stuff from the amount of bleach in some hotels. If you smoke a cigarette by an open window they will never know. It goes out the window and is no big deal. I never been fined nothing for smoking in an airbnb. The most risk of smell is if you leave ash anywhere. Always best to flush that down the toilet right away. That is why in bars they always used to clean the ashtrays alot coz it is the ash that makes it smell. All these toxic 'cleaning' chemicals smell much worse and are more toxic than a bit of cigarette smoke. If the room smells a bit of cigarettes leave the window open and hoover it properly for a change. If y ou look under the bed there is probably an inch of dust,. the places with bad smoke damage is coz it is freezing and nobody open the window to get the smoke out,. if it is a huge upmarket place with lots of heat and you open the window there is probably more pollution coming from outside than a few cigarettes drifting out the window. The first thing to do if you rent an apartment for a while is to put all the bed sheets and towles in the machine with no powder and you see it still has a pile of foam coming out of it but it should be much improved after a wash with no more added.

Smokers are jokers!

Seems a little hysterical. If someone smokes in an AirBnb for a week, you're not going to have to have upholstered furniture, carpets or drapes steamed cleaned. That's only after months of sustained smoking. Just open some windows and use room spray. People need to chill.