do you have any tips for...

My parents have finally decided to move into another house or appartment.
The one they live at now they have to pay 1,400 euros a month plus water and electricity, they have to pay for so much water because you pay by "square metres of your house instead of how much you use.
I felt so sorry for my dad because his hairs are going white from all the money worries... along with other problems.

After i come back from sicily BF and I are going to my parents to repaint the house. because the house walls have to be clean before you move out of this appartment.
Yesterday i went there and noticed how dark the walls have become from smoking in it for 3 years!

Because we are buying the 5 - 10 euro buckets of paint,
Do you know how to remove nicotine from the walls instead of paiting over it?
I'm not going to work my butt off for it, but just so it does a better impression for the agency so my dad DOES get his bond back.

He isnt able to work on houses anymore because he broke a bit of his spine and lucky not to be paralized, so Bf and i will do the work for them.

Wish I had good advice for you Fran, but I do have a hug for your dad Money worrys can be so overpowering and overwhelming. And that is REDICULOUS how they charge for water! I swear!!! Are they TRYING to get everyone to move into shoeboxes????
Hopefully someone here can offer you some good advice on removing smoke stains.

Fran are the walls washable?, because warm soapy water should remove it, it may not be perfect but it's worth a try?.

Failing that a coat of cream coloured paint will brighten it up a lot!.

If the paint is washable how about some good ol' soap and water? Also here in america they sell Mr. clean magic sponges they remove everything off a wall! Isnt it the landlords job to paint?

What a nice thing to do for your parents, Fran! Super girl, you are
I thought also of Mr. Clean Erasers but you would need soooo many! and I know that sometimes they take the finish off.
I would try the washing of the walls..if I were you.

If I were "me", I would just paint over it...It is going to be such a BIG job to get rid of nicotine as it stains so badly..What about priming the walls first with a base coat then painting with your choice of colour?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

If I were "me", I would just paint over it...It is going to be such a BIG job to get rid of nicotine as it stains so badly..What about priming the walls first with a base coat then painting with your choice of colour?

Cheers

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I agree I would paint over it... Ok so it may be more expensive but it will be the far easier option at this stressful time.....

There is something called Kilz primer sold here in the states; it's MADE for stuff like this.

We used it in my house, on the floors after the carpet was torn out. The 27-yr old shag carpet was totally soaked with doggie urine, to the point the wood subfloors underneath were black and stinky with old pee. (sorry for the graphic stuff here)

Anyway the Kilz primer seals "smoke stains, water stains, pet stains" etc. Blood, pee, poo, tobacco, you name it! If you get some of that primer, you could have it tinted, and just use that. We used 2 coats of the primer before putting down padding & carpet.

And I did use Kilz on the walls, too, in my bedroom, to go over wallpaper that would not come off. The stuff is amazing, really sticks and yeah it does totally cover up stinky stuff.

ohhh also... maybe you could buy an industrial size pot of white / cream paint - these are usually cheaper and you will be able to use it in other rooms too. I think it's known as trade paint or sommit

Try vinegar and water half and half mixture. I worked in a place where everyone but me smoked, and they did not want to paint over the nicotine stains when it went no smoking. It worked pretty well with the kind of paint that was on the walls, and did not require a lot of hard scrubbing.

We've done this before. You have to at least clean the walls with some type of cleaning chemical or the nicotine will bleed to the top of the paint.

It's not hard to clean. Just get a bucket and a mop and basically mop the walls. When it's dry, if you still need to, then you can paint.

Good luck!

Fwan, use coffee maker filters to scrub the walls. I used to work in a bar and that's what we used to remove the nicotine from glass and other things.

Just because I'm feeling totally anal today...

It's actually the tar that has to be removed from the wall, not nicotine. Nicotine is the addictive chemical, tar is what sticks to everything. That's why it's so hard to clean or paint over too.

here in germany we have a rule that You either find the house already painted and cleaned so when you move out you have to do the same for the next person
Or
You find the house disgusting and you leave it the way you left it for the next people.

When we moved in frankfurt the house was all painted so when we leave we have to do the same thing.
I have found the product that also removes nicotine, i just hope it doesnt distroy the wall paper. Then we will paint over it.

In my room i once put a sponge on the wall and it went pink so it was weird.
The money for the paint isnt a problem, we are just buying cheap paint because thats what they used too.

I was asking about washing the walls down because we had to do 2 coats of paint in the house i live in now, they had nicotine on the walls too.
and now you can see the nicotine and its just getting worse.
There is also a leak on the roof and im searching for a new appartment

This year its all about moving and painting

Wish I had some tips for you Fwan - but we've never had to deal with smoking issues. Lots of luck though - it's lovely of you to do this for your parents. All moving and painting - that's the joy of having your own place

Nicotine will seep thru walls when it is humid...even thru kilz. Mr Clean erasers will not work since they degrade so quickly. If you can find a cleaning product called TSP

Here are links talking about it and how to purchase:

http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/tsp.html

http://www.chemistrystore.com/trisodium_phosphate.htm

http://www.hytechceramics.com/tsp.html

My brother is a house painter going on 30 years now and this is all they use. We also used it when we cleaned apartment rentals, etc.

To give you an idea,

my house that I have been in for 8 years was not properly cleaned before primed and painted...after 8 years, if I take a steamy shower, the brown gook will drip down the walls.

Ewwwwwww, that is disgusting!

Originally Posted by carolcat

Ewwwwwww, that is disgusting!

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I know isnt it!

"It's actually the tar that has to be removed from the wall, not nicotine. "


hahahahaha..
Actually, I found that funny that we all thought that...And I even smoke
duh!!

Originally Posted by Loveysmummy

"It's actually the tar that has to be removed from the wall, not nicotine. "


hahahahaha..
Actually, I found that funny that we all thought that...And I even smoke

duh!!

Click to expand...

Okies tar
SHH!
how would i know? i dont smoke although i have the equivalent of S*it in my lungs because im always around smokers.

I get really angry at bf if he leaves the ashtray on the bedside table
I wake up from the smell ooooozing around the bed

once again shh dont tell anyone of my mistake

ugh, how do you kiss him then, Fran?


hahaha
But really..Tell him to smarten up!

Many apt's in certain cities in Canada now have no smoking rules.
(so my search is narrowed )