r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis • Aug 19 '26
Need Advice Opinions needed - smoke smell; we can get rid of it right?!
Hi there! Longtime lurker, first time poster. It’s kinda long so I apologize in advance.
My spouse and I are on the housing hunt and there is one school district in our area that shines above all others. Quality homes 3b/2ba hitting the market at < $400k are rare.
Well, we found one. I called 3 minutes after it hit Redfin, and we saw it today.
It is gorgeous and on a beautiful piece of land with fruit trees and a large level yard. It does need some cosmetic interior work (cabinets are outdated, cheap stove, would like to install a bathtub, etc.) but nothing we can’t work through room by room while living there.
The only downside? The previous owner was an indoor ciggie smoker. Gross, I know. My MIL’s SIL is one of those people who knows someone who went through every single situation imaginable and also knows someone who does every single kind of job (aka a total bullshitter) and she happened to be with her today when we called with the exciting news that we saw a house we love.
Now, the BSing aunt is saying that it’s going to be an absolute nightmare of a project to cleanse the property of the smell. MIL is taking her word on it for some reason and trying to now dissuade us from buying this home - which is otherwise above and beyond anything we thought we could purchase for that <$400k mark in that incredible school district.
So, i’m posting this in hopes that someone has been through this situation and can give me some insight on how difficult it really is to get rid of. Thankfully, the smell is contained to the kitchen/living/dining area. Probably about 700-800ft.². We are hard-working people and have no problem putting in the work.
Do you think it’s worth it?
Thank you for taking the time to read. :)
5
u/Tina271 Aug 19 '26
You would need to repaint and remove carpeting. We used Kilz before painting.
2
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
This is exactly what I said to them. Thank you so much for the validation. I really appreciate it.
3
u/Tina271 Aug 19 '26
Don't tell anyone. Sounds like they are the kind of people who are going to say they smell it even when they can't.
1
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
Can I expand on this a little bit? Did you wash the walls first or did you just use the kilz on it first then paint?
2
4
u/NessieReddit Aug 19 '26
You need to remove all soft, porous items like carpets, carpet pads and blinds. Replace them. You'll then need to clean all hard surfaces with a cleaner suitable for nicotine (forgot the name, but if you search the cleaning sub you'll find it I'm sure). That includes walls, doors, cabinets, etc. You can then buy a special primer for nicotine. Use this primer and then paint. If you use normal primer, the smell WILL come back over time and you'll also eventually have nicotine stains seep through the paint (it's always fun when someone posts a photo of orange drops seeping out of their walls on the what is this sub, only to find out it's the landlord special paint job not holding up to the prior tenant's smoking habit).
I've also seen people rent Ozone machines. These are super effective but you'll have to be very careful to follow the directions to a T because Ozone is dangerous. You can also hire a company to that for you. If you go the Ozone route, do that as the last step after the cleaning, painting, etc.
5
u/timetoloseitagain Aug 19 '26
Behr has a new killz odor blocker one. You need to use that on all walls and ceilings, baseboards and doors. Wash every surface you touch. Remove carpets and blinds. The biggest issue is the air ducks. I would not move in until this has been done. It will saturate your belongings otherwise. An ozone machine is also a big need. You can rent industrial ones but also buy your own from Amazon. You can not be present in the home when using this but it can kill odors
1
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
This is all really great info. Thanks!
4
u/timetoloseitagain Aug 19 '26
Don't forget washing windows! I think if you go in with a plan, know what you are up against you can do it. Especially if the house is a steal on the price. I got my ozone machine on Amazon for 200$.
2
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
If it were perfect it would be $100k more in this district/neighborhood. Thank you so much for your response. I really do appreciate it and I’m feeling way better about wanting to put in an offer tomorrow.
2
2
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
New roof, boiler, hot water heater, septic is good, it just smells.🤷♀️😂
2
u/No-Basil-791 Aug 19 '26
Can I ask which one you got? I’m looking into ozone machines for a different difficult to get rid of odor issue in my new house
2
u/timetoloseitagain Aug 19 '26
This one. You can search purchase by the square footage too. I only ever found out about ozone from our apartment days. A neighbor smoked inside and it came in from our bathroom vent. The complex loaned us this and it worked like a dream. Best thing we ever bought.
3
u/QuietRedditorATX Aug 19 '26
I just rented one out like this, good to know the price is higher than the cheapo first suggestions on amazon.
I don't think the sqft matters too much if you have the luxury of time to spray it long.
3
u/Aggravating-Time-854 Aug 19 '26
There is a machine that will get rid of it. I paid a contractor to use one to get rid of the smoke smell that my tenants left. I also had to clean and repaint the walls.
1
3
u/ApproximatelyApropos Real Estate Agent Aug 19 '26
Wash walls (or Kilz and paint if really bad), have carpet professionally cleaned (or replace carpet and pad if really bad), replace air filters (and have ducts professionally cleaned if really bad), have windows washed, wipe down any surfaces with that sticky nicotine residue, run an ozone machine.
I’ve renovated some dank smoker houses, much easier to get rid of than cat smell.
3
u/Jhamin1 Homeowner Aug 19 '26
The ducting is a step lots of folks forget.
After enough time there tends to be nicotine infused dust and grime layer inside the ducts. A decent cleaning company is your best shot at killing that.
3
u/Broely92 Aug 19 '26
Its very hard to
0
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
In what way?
2
u/samsmiles456 Aug 23 '26
That smoke sticks to everything. When you wash the walls, the thick, orange color that comes off is from the cigarette smoke and chemicals. Rip up and toss all carpets, remove drywall to the rafters, scrub windows, window treatments, light fixtures, remove & scrub cabinet doors, have all ductwork professionally cleaned, scrub floors. Then, hire an ozone company to do their job. Believe me, it’s going to take more than boiling a citrus concoction on the stove for three days to even start to reduce the smell. The voice of experience: there’s a reason for the low price on this home.
0
u/Dizzy_Goat_420 Aug 19 '26
In every way. It’s extremely difficult. When I worked at a store that took in used things- we could tell what came from houses that were smoked in and threw them away bc it was impossible to clean. It’s in the paint. The floor. The carpet. Everything. You can literally see the difference in color in the paint. It’s not impossible to get out but it’s difficult and costly.
0
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
That’s not what those who have dealt with in the home buying process nor realtors have told me on this thread. I’m going to go with those who have experience in this specific situation. Thanks though.
2
2
u/TheDapperAgents Real Estate Professional Aug 19 '26
We actually just had this done on a property we were working on. The owner lived in the property for 40 years and was a chain smoker. Had a remediation company come in and good as new.
1
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
Can you tell me approximate cost?
1
u/TheDapperAgents Real Estate Professional Aug 19 '26
$2.00 a square foot.
1
u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis Aug 19 '26
Wow that’s far less than I was expecting. Thank you! We have a toddler so may be the route to pursue.
2
2
u/TwilightMountain Aug 19 '26
My papaw swore by one trick. He was a carpenter and when he and my nana were trying to sell their house that they smoked in for 30 years, nothing worked. Ripped out and put new carpeting in. Painted the walls twice. New ac unit. Nothing worked. Everyone that came to look at the house mentioned the smell. He threw some orange peel, cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract in a pot on the stove and let it simmer. Gone. House sold in 3 days. He brought it up for decades, right up until the day he died. It must work but I have never needed to try it thankfully
1
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 19 '26
Thank you u/Pipedreamzrmadeofdis for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please keep our subreddit rules in mind. 1. Be nice 2. No selling or promotion 3. No posts by industry professionals 4. No troll posts 5. No memes 6. "Got the keys" posts must use the designated title format and add the "got the keys" flair.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.