Persistent smoke smell - what to do?

[Amethyst]

We are the second owners of a house built in 2004. When touring the home (twice) we didn't notice off odors (then again, my sense of smell was damaged by a virus when I was 25, and will always be 30% of normal).

But the bedroom I use for my office, must have been occupied by a smoker. I replaced the carpet/padding and repainted the room, but the smoke smell persists. After the door has been closed for a while, it's really strong. I can't smell it in any other room.

I'd leave the window open, but this is Florida - A/C 9 months of the year.

Other than the carpet/pad and painting, what else can I do to make the smell go away?

Thanks!

 

[Sunset]

I have little experience with this, but this is what I would try:

1. Paint the ceiling and walls with Oil paint rather than latex.
2. Pull up the carpet and padding and paint the sub floor with oil paint (since its hidden use any clearance oil paint or outside oil paint at Home Depot).
3. Seal the gap from the baseboard to the subfloor with silicone caulking.
4. Let the padding and carpet air outside or give them a grocery store steam cleaner treatment.

 

[Running_Man]

Get an oxone producer and put it in the room for a couple of days, the oxone will combine
with molecules creating smoke to permanently eliminate odor without any real work!

https://hvacseer.com/ozone-generator-get-rid-of-smoke-smell/

 

[OldShooter]

Call a few companies like Servicemaster that specialize in home disaster recovery. They are the experts in smoke and odor mitigation. Best case you get some ideas that you can DIY successfully. Next worse case is you decide to bite the $$ bullet and hire them. Worst case is you hire them and it doesn't help.

 

[ivinsfan]

Did you use a Kilz type primer on the walls

 

[pacergal]

change out any window treatment, have air ducts professionally cleaned, clean and restain any wood work that has not been painted. Rent or buy an ozone air cleaner and run it in the room for several days. Perhaps check with professional automotive car wash/detailer to see what they use on upholstery/carpet--perhaps you could use whatever they do for your carpet.

Second using oil based paint on walls. That is the only thing that helped when we bought this house 30 years ago.

 

[Amethyst]

I thought of air duct cleaning, but have always heard it is an expensive rip-off that doesn't really do anything.

Think I'll try the ozone gadget.

change out any window treatment, have air ducts professionally cleaned, clean and restain any wood work that has not been painted. Rent or buy an ozone air cleaner and run it in the room for several days. Perhaps check with professional automotive car wash/detailer to see what they use on upholstery/carpet--perhaps you could use whatever they do for your carpet.

Second using oil based paint on walls. That is the only thing that helped when we bought this house 30 years ago.

 

[Jerry1]

change out any window treatment, have air ducts professionally cleaned, clean and restain any wood work that has not been painted. Rent or buy an ozone air cleaner and run it in the room for several days. Perhaps check with professional automotive car wash/detailer to see what they use on upholstery/carpet--perhaps you could use whatever they do for your carpet.

Second using oil based paint on walls. That is the only thing that helped when we bought this house 30 years ago.

Our house was so bad that we ended up having the ductwork replaced. It was a relatively straight forward undertaking since all the duct work is in the attic. Of course we didn't replace the run that was actually in the wall, but given all you've done already, that's likely where it is.

The ozone equipment works, but it can be dangerous to living things (people, pets . . .) so best to have someone handle it. I like the idea of calling in a pro. Good luck.

Personally, I think smoking should be something that needs to be disclosed on the sales documents. We knew they were smokers when we bought this house but we didn't think it mattered because we knew we were going to gut the house and remodel. Still, it was more than we could imagine. It's everywhere. Better than re-painting - clean and look for places you missed. If you got a fresh coat of paint to stick to the wall, it's unlikely that's what you're currently smelling.

We have a retractable awning. When the sun hits that, you can still smell the smoke. They must have sat under that and smoked a lot. It's not got many years left so we'll figure out what to do with that when the time comes, but at least it's outside.

 

[Sunset]

I thought of air duct cleaning, but have always heard it is an expensive rip-off that doesn't really do anything.

Think I'll try the ozone gadget.

I would think if it was in the air ducts, that all the rooms would smell.

Hopefully you read the ozone instructions, it's actually a lot of work and dangerous.
Perhaps you can block off the room making it airtight.
Still need to pull up the carpet for the ozone to work well.

 

[Winemaker]

Other than cleaning the ductwork, changing the furnace/AC filter, check with a local cleaning/janitorial supply store. There are some odor absorbing sprays, not cover up spray or air freshener spray, that I use occasionally in my rentals.

 

[latexman]

I've successfully used Chlorine Dioxide to remove, not mask, marijuana smells in cars (damn kids!). We all know how skunky that can be, especially the good stuff, and it lingers forever. I used AutoVaccine. One kit in a Toyota Corolla totally eliminated the odor.

It can be used for odors in boats, rooms and other "volumes". You just have to scale up based on volume. Take a look. It's $20 for 1, $70 for 5, and $165 for 10, plus shipping. Call or e-mail them for a recommendation on how many is needed. Give them the room size.

AutoVaccine isn't the only chlorine dioxide provider out there. Google something like 'chlorine dioxide odor treatment' or something similar. I have no connection with AutoVaccine. I just like their delivery system.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

The ozone equipment works, but it can be dangerous to living things (people, pets . . .) so best to have someone handle it. I like the idea of calling in a pro. Good luck.

IIRC, you're supposed to leave the house when they're being used. I have 2 of those devices, and they have a timer that controls how long they run.

Then, once it stops, stay out of the house for a couple more hours, and then open windows for a bit.

That's if I recall correctly and certainly read the device directions carefully.

 

[CRLLS]

An ozone generator will work wonders. It may several few short applications.

Another possibility would be washing surfaces with a product like original Odoban. You could also add it to the solution used in a carpet cleaner.

With those 2 tools, I would be surprised if the problem still existed after using both.

 

[Marita40]

I'd hire a professional for this--you want it done right, the first time. Look for servicemaster or another company that cleans up after fires. It is astonishing what they can do.

 

[latexman]

I'd hire a professional for this--you want it done right, the first time. Look for servicemaster or another company that cleans up after fires. It is astonishing what they can do.

I believe this is wise advice, especially if you have central HVAC, and no ceiling fan, where it's not practical to modify the system to circulate the ClO2 just in that room. I doubt you want to treat the whole house.

 

[JP.mpls]

Did you use a Kilz type primer on the walls

I think this is the answer. I've always used the oil based stuff, but it is getting harder to find. Hopefully to the latex version is just as good.

Also, what about cleaning the air ducts?

Good luck. JP

 

[Amethyst]

The smell is only in that one room.

The carpet and padding are new as of this spring. The odor seemed to disappear after the carpet was installed, and has only recently begun to be very noticeable. It's as if smokers are hiding in the walls.

I would think if it was in the air ducts, that all the rooms would smell.

Hopefully you read the ozone instructions, it's actually a lot of work and dangerous.
Perhaps you can block off the room making it airtight.
Still need to pull up the carpet for the ozone to work well.

 

[travelover]

I'd buy an ozone generator and give it a try. They are not expensive and worst case, it doesn't work and you are only out a hundred bucks or so.

LINK

 

[Amethyst]

Oh, and the "window treatment" consists of a plastic Venetian blind, which I cleaned thoroughly, slat by miserable slat.

 

[cathy63]

Remove the light switch and electrical outlet covers and see if the smell comes through in those areas now that you've washed and painted the wall and floor surfaces. I assume you also did the ceiling? If the smell is stronger in the wall openings, then it's in the drywall and insulation and it's going to keep seeping out.

You can try leaving the covers off while you run the ozone machine to see if that helps. If it doesn't, you can try sealing the odor into the walls with something like Kilz paint and a lot of caulk.

 

[Amethyst]

We have some nice leather furniture - sounds as if the ozone might degrade the leather.

 

[Jerry1]

You can rent an ozone machine. No need to buy.

As others have said, the hunt is on. Did you clean the glass? DW had to go over our Windows a few times. Also, look for where the sun hit or an outside wall heats up from the sun. We notice it on our outside shade when it heats up.

 

[Amethyst]

Absolutely!

Did you clean the glass?

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

I have little experience with this, but this is what I would try:

1. Paint the ceiling and walls with Oil paint rather than latex.
2. Pull up the carpet and padding and paint the sub floor with oil paint (since its hidden use any clearance oil paint or outside oil paint at Home Depot).
3. Seal the gap from the baseboard to the subfloor with silicone caulking.
4. Let the padding and carpet air outside or give them a grocery store steam cleaner treatment.

This article says using oil based paint indoors is a no-no.

"Because of their toxic fumes, true enamel or oil-based paints are a big no-no for interiors and depending on where you live, may be illegal for both interior and exterior use. “As VOCs vaporize, they cause accelerated depletion of the earth’s ozone, resulting in ground level ozone,” explains Savino. “The EPA has banned the use of oil paints in several states with high ozone levels because of ingredients (oil, mineral spirits) that have higher levels of VOCs than water-based paint.”

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/can-you-use-exterior-paint-inside/

I know you said it would be covered, but still why chance introducing a new problem to save a few bucks.

 

[ERD50]

The smell is only in that one room.

The carpet and padding are new as of this spring. The odor seemed to disappear after the carpet was installed, and has only recently begun to be very noticeable. It's as if smokers are hiding in the walls.

I'd be concerned that the new carpets absorbed the smell, and now they are a source.

I agree with others, try the ozone and/or hire a pro. It's obviously persistent, and can hide well.

Good luck!

-ERD50