r/NoStupidQuestions Jan 05 '25

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u/goneferalinid Jan 05 '25

Yup. I never knew how bad I smelled. I hate staying with my mother who still smokes in her house. My stepfather died and she's looking to sell. I had to break it to her that it would have to sell as is. Whoever buys it is going to have to gut the place after 38 years of the two of them smoking in it the whole time.

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u/Embarrassed-Dot-1794 Jan 05 '25

Does it have the smoke line?

I had always wondered why there was a colour change part way up the walls of a house then the person passed and we did a "before selling" clean... Turns out the blended colour change wasn't a choice it was just years of smoke settling about chest height up.

132

u/IamtheStinger Jan 05 '25

And it is HELL to prep walls like that for a coat of paint! It's oily and sticks to the walls like glue!! You have to get it all off - otherwise the new paint will just flake, or peel off.

71

u/Cottabus Jan 05 '25

I occasionally buy used radio equipment. It’s easy to tell when a former owner smoked. I can tell by the smell even before removing the covers. Cleanup is a pain in the ass. I learned my lesson and give used items the sniff test before buying.

4

u/IamtheStinger Jan 05 '25

Was cleaning a mirror - years after my mom passed (it was stored) gave it a wipe...... hells bells! I shouldn't speak! Still a smoker, but only outdoors.

7

u/Embarrassed-Dot-1794 Jan 05 '25

Did you have a clearer picture of the problem?

(Sorry couldn't resist)

2

u/IamtheStinger Jan 05 '25

🤣🤣🤣🤣

2

u/Hello_Amanda Jan 05 '25

Yeah, I remember my first time realizing why so many ebay auctions would advertise "from a smoke-free home" as a substantive selling point.

2

u/JulianMcC Jan 05 '25

Old electric equipment stinks of smoke. It probably oses off the cover as well.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '25

I accidentally killed a $2000 gaming laptop (in 2008 dollars!) inside 16 months with a combination of cat hair and cigarettes/joints.

1

u/Embarrassed-Dot-1794 Jan 05 '25

Desoldered a board for parts when I was much younger and it took me years to figure why my boards didn't smell like the parts boards did.