Let’s talk about home renovations. Whether you are just redoing your own home, a home that you have purchased, or a rental property, there are some problems that no one really wants to deal with. One of those things that usually makes a homeowner cringe is SMOKE SMELL. In particular, I am talking about cigarette smoke. This is normally a deal breaker when buyers are looking at a home. It probably should have been when I was purchasing my first home, but alias I decided to take on the challenge.
We should start with what the issue is with a home having a smoke smell. Whether it is cigarette smoke or smoke from a fire, smoke penetrates surfaces in the home. Meaning smoke scents stick to EVERYTHING. They stick to the walls, floors, glass, insides of vents, doors, shelves, cabinets. When I say everything, I mean it. This smoke can cause asthma triggers, allergy attacks, and other health concerns. Besides the fact that it takes away from your home smelling, well homey.
SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?! When something is dirty, we clean it. The tricky part about this is that smoke smells are not easy to clean and we want to make sure we do not just try to cover them up. You may see the primers in the paint section that promise you to keep smoke smell sealed off, and you are going to want to get this product. BUT DO NOT STOP THERE. While we are talking about this, let’s discuss your materials needed.
Materials: 2 cleaning buckets, sponge mops ($3 ones from Big Lots work great), White vinegar, restoration grade smoke cleaner (anything that says it cleans smoke and soot, i had a contractor get it for me, but it can be found online. It comes in a concentrated form), rags, sponges, paper towels, rubber gloves, Paint roller, Paint tray, Primer that seals odors (Zinser and Kilz both make these)
I don’t pretend to be an expert, but hopefully these steps can help you remove smoke stains/ odors from hard surfaces.
Step 1: clean glass/ plastic surfaces
Mix 2 parts Vinegar and 1 part water in a bucket. Use either a sponge or rag to clean glass with the solution. Wipe dry with a paper towel. Repeat until there is no more residue.
Step 2: Clean walls/ ceiling/ wood surfaces
Follow instructions on your smoker cleaner. Most are concentrated and very powerful so be careful and use gloves. If you do not have this, use the vinegar solution. Start with the ceilings and work your way down. Use the sponge mop and the solution to scrub the ceiling. Make sure the mop is damp, not saturated. You do not want too much moisture on the walls. You can use the mop on the walls as well. You may want to use the sponge or rag as well. Go over all areas once. If there are any drips of water, wipe them with a dry rag. Let this dry. If there is still residue, repeat. I suggest doing this at least twice. I let this dry over night before repeating. Again, soaking drywall with water can ruin it. Please make sure you are not using a dripping mop or sponge. It should just be damp. I would also suggest waiting a few days if you can to make sure nothing else seeps out of the walls.
Step 3: Prime the walls
Now, we have made it to the step you have all been waiting for, paint! DO NOT SKIP THIS! I know what you are thinking, there is primer in most paints now. While that may help, and it does a great job of covering colors, you need to make sure you get a primer that seals odors. This is usually the most expensive of the Primers, but it does its job. Even though you have cleaned the walls, as your home gets more or less humid, some of that smoke residue will seep out of the walls. This primer prevents that odor from coming into your home. BEFORE YOU PAINT, make sure that you wipe the walls with a wet rag/ paper towel. This will get rid of any left over cleaner. Make sure it is dry before you start to paint. My suggestion is to wait a few days and air out the home before you put color over this. If the walls are still emitting an odor you may want to clean/ prime again before painting. If there is just a faint smell left, your colored paint should lock in the rest of the odor.
