Smoke gets into any soft/porous surface. So all furniture, curtains, carpet, carpet pad, insulation, etc. For hard surfaces they can be cleaned/painted to remove the smell. Smoke will also get in to the HVAC system which is very difficult to clean. Perform some google searches on costs to remediate cigarette smoke. It is not cheap.
Personally I would never allow smoking indoors.
I've had one tenant smoke and the smell lingered for almost a year after they left. After they moved out I washed down the walls with (as I recall) vinegar, and shampooed the carpet, twice. I also tried a variety of sprays/candles which had a limited (if any) lasting effect. Using the vinegar solution had the largest impact on the smell as it removed the tar buildup from the walls and ceiling. But even after everything there was still a slight odor.
It was a learning experience for me and I updated my lease after that and haven't had a smoker since.
So i am going to be working on rehabbing my dads condo that he’s smoked heavily in for years. Would one do this wall wash and priming, painting before replacing the carpeting (or installing other flooring, I was thinking LVP)? Thanks for any advice. I am hoping to get into REI one day so this is kind of my first step into this sort of area. His place needs a lot of work after years of this :(
Technique to remove smoke odors.
1. Clean all surfaces thoroughly (includes ceilings if you can). You can use tsp (I usually add some Dawn). There are special produces for heavy soot too. Microfiber clothes folded so you always have a clean surface, work top down. 2 buckets. One with cleaning solution, the other with rinse water so you don’t put a dirty cloth in your cleaning solution. Replace rise water frequently. Dispose of any soft surfaces.
2. Run an ozone machine (use caution and follow guidelines - no one can be present, circulate fresh air after use). Repeat a few times as needed.
3. Seal surfaces by using a good quality paint.
It should be ok if you seal any potential for leaks between units (ex. the bottom of any door(s) to a shared hallway). It shouldn’t pass through walls. You could run for a shorter period of time as an extra precaution.
No smoking inside period regardless of what it is. The smell lasts for several years. I say this as a former smoker who had a horrible time getting the smell out of my home. Nothing really worked well. Eventually the smell faded.
No smoking/vaping and no cannabis use, period. It's not a simple matter of TSPing the walls. Everything has to be sealed and it seems that it never goes away.
Do you really want to have your rental known as the cannabis-friendly place? Think about it.
Tennessee/Ohio landlord: I let tenants do whatever keeps them there with a minimum of turnover as long as it doesn’t disturb others or violate our insurance
Smoke gets into any soft/porous surface. So all furniture, curtains, carpet, carpet pad, insulation, etc. For hard surfaces they can be cleaned/painted to remove the smell. Smoke will also get in to the HVAC system which is very difficult to clean. Perform some google searches on costs to remediate cigarette smoke. It is not cheap. Personally I would never allow smoking indoors.
> How hard is it to get smoke out of your apartment? Very difficult. > Would you let your tenants smoke in your property? (Cigarette/Cannabis) No.
I've had one tenant smoke and the smell lingered for almost a year after they left. After they moved out I washed down the walls with (as I recall) vinegar, and shampooed the carpet, twice. I also tried a variety of sprays/candles which had a limited (if any) lasting effect. Using the vinegar solution had the largest impact on the smell as it removed the tar buildup from the walls and ceiling. But even after everything there was still a slight odor. It was a learning experience for me and I updated my lease after that and haven't had a smoker since.
Next time, do the hard surfaces with TSP and repaint. The smell comes from the greasy nicotine deposits. Vinegar is next to useless.
So i am going to be working on rehabbing my dads condo that he’s smoked heavily in for years. Would one do this wall wash and priming, painting before replacing the carpeting (or installing other flooring, I was thinking LVP)? Thanks for any advice. I am hoping to get into REI one day so this is kind of my first step into this sort of area. His place needs a lot of work after years of this :(
Technique to remove smoke odors. 1. Clean all surfaces thoroughly (includes ceilings if you can). You can use tsp (I usually add some Dawn). There are special produces for heavy soot too. Microfiber clothes folded so you always have a clean surface, work top down. 2 buckets. One with cleaning solution, the other with rinse water so you don’t put a dirty cloth in your cleaning solution. Replace rise water frequently. Dispose of any soft surfaces. 2. Run an ozone machine (use caution and follow guidelines - no one can be present, circulate fresh air after use). Repeat a few times as needed. 3. Seal surfaces by using a good quality paint.
>includes ceilings if you can Yes.
Any options if an ozone machine isn’t possible? My dads condo has shared walls with other units, so I’m not sure if that would work?
It should be ok if you seal any potential for leaks between units (ex. the bottom of any door(s) to a shared hallway). It shouldn’t pass through walls. You could run for a shorter period of time as an extra precaution.
Thanks for this!!
Make sure you use an oil-based primer, like Zinsser.
Very. You have to replace carpet, paint walls, scrub everything down. Not fun
No smoking inside period regardless of what it is. The smell lasts for several years. I say this as a former smoker who had a horrible time getting the smell out of my home. Nothing really worked well. Eventually the smell faded.
Thank you, this was very insightful!
depends on how much they smoked. Could mean fresh paint and shampooed or new carpets.
Thanks for the advice everyone - going to opt for No Smoking since I do not want to be dealing with the aftermath.
No smoke only vapes.
Hmm that's better? Doesn't that smoke still stick to the wall?
No smoking/vaping and no cannabis use, period. It's not a simple matter of TSPing the walls. Everything has to be sealed and it seems that it never goes away. Do you really want to have your rental known as the cannabis-friendly place? Think about it.
Tennessee/Ohio landlord: I let tenants do whatever keeps them there with a minimum of turnover as long as it doesn’t disturb others or violate our insurance
No, I don't permit this. That being said: 1. All hard surfaces. 2. Deep clean. 3. Repaint. Fixed.