A house we really like has a heavy cigarette smoke smell up in the bedroom area.

[Writer]

Should we walk away?

[Nickster]

1. Some Kilz should take care of it along with a new paint job.

[Writer]

4. Okay. :)

[jobycom]

8. Then you have to get that Kilz smell out of there.

[Nickster]

14. That's why you throw another coat of paint over the top of the Kilz

[SeattleGirl]

9. Excellent idea.

I've used Kilz before, and it does work.

[Frank Cannon]

30. And new carpet too

Had the same problem in I house I moved in, also with years of stinky cat ownership. Kilz and carpet made it a brand-new room.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Writer!

NO, do not walk away!

Heavy smells of any sort can be cleaned...

You might even be able to use it to bargain down the price!

Go for it!

:woohoo:

[Writer]

5. Okay, thanks.

We thought that we might have to negotiate that they replace their carpet.

[Critters2]

16. You could do that. Even ask that they paint it.

If they want to sell, they'll negotiate.

[Connonym]

3. if you really like the house

a fresh coat of paint and carpet cleaning should take care of the odor. It's a buyer's market, see if you can make that a condition of sale if you really like the place.

[Writer]

22. Yes, we're going to angle for a $5-$6K credit.

It's a great house, but we're not cash-rich.

We have a good realtor, though, who'll lead us through - hopefully. :)

[Shakespeare]

6. Not necessarily.

My sister and her then-husband bought a house about ten years ago that had been occupied by HEAVY smokers (the whole house was nasty with it).

By the time they finished painting and cleaning it up, you'd never have known smokers used to live there. You might have to replace the carpeting in that room (if it's carpeted, or have the wood floors professionally cleaned to strip away the nicotine buildup).

It'll require a little work on your part, but if it's just one room, it shouldn't be too bad.

[Writer]

21. That's great to know.

Thank you.

[Guava Jelly]

7. You could start smoking

Than it wouldn't bother you :dunce: The kills and paint advice sounds pretty good to me.
:hi:

[Connonym]

10. or you could just lick the nicotine off the walls and save some money

[Guava Jelly]

12. eeew

:rofl:

[Writer]

17. LOL

Mmmmm. Tar! :9

[grasswire]

27. does nicotine really stick to walls?

And furniture?

We have a cat that liked to lick one particular piece of furniture -- an old vanity that had lived in the home of a heavy smoker. We speculated that she was getting nicotine from it. Is that really possible?

[Connonym]

28. I'm not sure if it's nicotine but there's definitely a stain of some sort left on the walls

I remember when we painted my ex-MIL's kitchen it was disgusting the yellow layer we were able to wipe away from the 15 years of smoke that had accumulated. I remember it too when they repainted the break area at work (back in the olden days when we could smoke at work) the walls behind the vending machines were white but the walls were yellow. Could be tar or just smoke but it really is gross.

[Ahpook]

29. I used to smoke fairly heavy.

While moving out of one apt. i noticed rings around pictures and mirrors i had hanging on the walls. :)

Yeah, it seems to stain:)

[LeftyMom]

11. No, it's fixable.

You'll need to:

Remove the existing carpet (a light smell would come out with deep cleaning and ozone treatment)
Treat the walls with Killz. Possibly also the slab under the floor, if the smell is really, really bad.
Repaint and install new carpet.
If there's a lighter smoke odor in the rest of the house, have a carpet company bring out an ozone machine.

I had to do this in a couple of rentals, and it's no huge deal.

[Writer]

18. Great. Thanks!

[Wapsie B]

13. I'd talk to a company like Service Master or a place that does crime-scene cleanups.

They might know if they could get the smell out of the house.

[Writer]

19. Service Master is a good company.

Thank you.

[bigwillq]

15. I am sure you can

do something about the smell.

I would look into what can be done before passing on the house.

Good Luck. :)

[Writer]

20. Muchas gracias.

[Blue-Jay]

23. Buy it and then burn the place down for the insurance money.

[Writer]

24. I think that sounds like a logical, reasonable plan.

I'll make sure to call the insurance company and forewarn them. Then I'll go pick up lighter fluid and some matches.

I'm sure this will work out well in my favor.

Thanks!

:hi:

[harmonicon]

25. don't walk away - take it if you like it

As others have said, just paint and clean the carpet. Even just leaving doors and windows in that room open for a few days will do wonders. If it still smells after that, then you should think about replacing the carpet. There's no point in spending money on things like that when a good clean may be all that it needs.

[datasuspect]

26. only if it smells like dead bodies or sulfur.

[applegrove]

31. You can get stuff at the hardware store that will help you wash down the walls.

Then you can paint. If it is the right house in the right neighbourhood I wouldn't pass it up just for the extra work you will have to do on it.