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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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618606 No.618606 [Reply] [Original]

Hey all,
I just moved into a 1 bedroom apartment that is in a prime location and reasonable priced.

Unfortunately, the last tenant must have been a smoker since I get hit with stale cigarette smell every time I enter. This sucks because this is supposed to be a non smoking building.

So any tips on getting rid of the smoke smell?

The walls have been repainted before I moved in, I thoroughly cleaned the hardwood floors (no carpet in this apartment), and wiped down all the doors/windows/radiators/fan etc. with lysol spray.

The smoke smell is still there...

The most frustrating part is that I cant pinpoint where its coming from...nothing really smells like cigarettes when I sniff it up close...but its definitely overpowering when you enter from outside.

Thanks for any help!

>> No.618611

Have you tried not being an over sensitive little bitch?

>> No.618614

bleach and water mixture. use a sponge mop to apply to all surfaces, including ceiling and doors.

>> No.618618

>>618611
You know, I would have said the same thing before I moved into this new place.

I cant describe why, but the smell bothers me a lot.

I have to work pretty hard to pay rent and feel that maybe I should ask the landlord to do something about it, not sure what will help though.

>> No.618620

Try complaining to the landlord. If the place is supposed to be non-smoking, they should've charged the last tenant a cleaning fee.

>> No.618619

the apartment have ventilation system?
another thing you can try is to cover your nose with clothes and wait until sensitivity increases then test any part of the apartment until found the source of evil.

>> No.618623

>>618619
Just a window AC and baseboard electric radiators.
I like your tshirt gas mask idea... will try.
>>618620
I think I will do this Monday, I hate being racial but my landlord is about the most stereotypical Jewish businessman i've ever seen. Hopefully he doesn't try to downplay my complaint.

>> No.618629

>>618606
help my dad when i was younger clean up his duplex.

the dood who rented it was a heavy smoker walls yellow from nicotine.

we used simple green in a pressure spray on the walls and left windows and doors open to help air it out

>> No.618647

Shit in a bucket, mix it with water, and paint it on the walls. That way you smell something other than cigarettes.

>> No.618702

>>618606
Air filter. When your home keep all windows open and occasionally your door. Keep a good air flow for a while it should help. Kinda like if you smoke inside your car, keep a crack on the windows to allow air flow so it will actually air out. For your apartment try the same concept. Can get scented candles too

>> No.618788

>>618606
armenian paper (can be bought in ladie's shops or hippyshitlike ones)
that stuff will cover and neutralize any bad odour
not sure if it's available in your country though

>> No.618790
File: 41 KB, 395x301, PapelArmenia.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
618790

>>618788
dang forgot pic

>> No.618792

Incense. It's cheap as fuck and will completely cover up the smell. And smell nice as fuck.

>> No.618816

>>618606

I had the same problem. The only thing that really helped was to repaper the whole room...

>> No.618827

The "smell" is a fine layer of tar on everything. Not enough to be sticky, but enough to have crept into everything. You ever have a white t shirt get dirty, then you wash it and even though it's clean it still has discoloration where the dirt spot was? Same thing. The tar is so fine you can't feel it, but it's there. Everywhere. Under the sink. Inside the ac vent walls. In the carpet. Not ontop of the carpet, inside the carpet fibers. You'll never be able to get rid of the smell 100%. I'd complain to the Jewish neighbor through. At every normal apartment they replace the carpet before a new tenant moves in. Start there, make him replace the carpet and window ac unit

>> No.618828

>>618827
*Jewish landlord

>> No.618832

>>618827
> carpet
Did you even read OP's post?

>> No.618835

>>618827
wut? replace carpet?
this is absurd.
at best they wash it and tell you it's new so they can fuck you on the bond.

>> No.618846

>>618606
Rent an ozone machine from a rental store. that's what motel/hotels do when smokers smoke in a non-smoking room. make sure to leave while the process takes place.

>> No.618847

>>618832
No.

>> No.618850

Smoke rises due to heat. What's above?
Oh, it's the ceiling.
ABOUT TIME TO WASH THE CEILING THEN

>> No.618853

>>618850
This. Repaint the ceilings with kilz paint op.

>> No.618859

>>618623
Jews aren't a race
Judaism is a religion

>> No.618864

That is a hard one, When i had this problem, Me and my ex smoked. We cleaned the carpet, It was kinda scary seeing all that shit in the carpet cleaner, atleast 4 passes of jet black water full of ash.

All you can really do is compain, Atleast in the uk if you record all the compaints and action is not taken in a timely manner, You can legally withhold rent.

In the meantime though, Clean ac filter, Air the place out as much as possible and start using air fresheners.

>> No.618886

You may need to hire a professional if it really bothers you. There are disaster recovery companies that deal with this. The ozone machine was a good suggestion, but you may need to hire someone. Ask the landlord to do it. It is their responsibility legally.

>> No.618887

>>618859
non-religious Jew here. We're both.

>> No.618898

>>618887

No you stupid fucks just think you are.

>> No.618921

>>618898
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews

>> No.618959

>>618611

Sensitive smoker spotted!

>> No.618980

>>618606
Repaint walls - 85% fixed

>> No.619002

Hey OP, I've heard that ozone generators (the fucking stupid "ionic air freshener" things that Sharper Image used to sell) will help. The problem is, those will absolutely DESTROY your lungs and your eyes. Best to borrow some from a (stupid) friend while you go on vacation, and turn them off when you come back (then drop your suitcases off and open the windows to let the place air out for a few hours before you go inside).

>> No.619010

>>618921

Many years DNA testing has basically confirmed the obvious: that most of the "jewish" people basically had the same or similar genetic make-up as all the surrounding muslim states. They didn't like that though. Only about 20% of the Israeli population had any traces of (as best as they could even determine) any genetic make-up from the original "tribes"

There are some that really don't want to believe that the Japanese were once Chinese, and so were North American Indians, too. Oh well. Science isn't for everyone.

>> No.619278

give your walls/carpets a good wash down, light incense for a couple of days then use a plug in air freshener. it'll either go away, it'll be covered by new smells or you'll get used to it. good luck. :)

>> No.619333

>>618623
The good deal you seem to have gotten on rent is because of the smell. He would have charged you more if he had to repaint and re-carpet the whole place to get rid of it.

That is definitely what you would need to do to eliminate it.

>> No.619353

Activated carbon, and a lot of it. Just leave it in buckets around everywhere, forever.

>> No.619395

>>619002
you arent supposed to be in the room with ozone generators. it displaces o2 but o3 breaks down in 20-30 minutes.
hotels usually have ozone generators for rooms people smoked in. it runs on a timer, set it and leave come back in an hour everything is fine.

>> No.619396

>>619353
stops adsorbing after a while. the micro fissures fill up. you can -sort of- reprocess it yourself with a blowtorch but really just needs to be replaced.

shit gets expensive yo

>> No.619462

>>619395
Yeah, that's what I kept telling my ex-gf. She had no sense of smell, and lived in terror of someone dropping by her place and smelling something bad in it (garbage, dog crap, whatever). So when she heard of these things eliminating odors, she got three of them and kept them blasting nonstop. :-/

>> No.619471

get some vinegar and pour it in to few small cups, put them somewhere around and leave them for 2 hours, go back inside and light up a regular match, the smoke will smell kinda funky. it totaly works, tried it on my car.

>> No.619472

>>619462
ozone is bad for your health

http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/health.html

>> No.620546

As a professional cleaner I have a solution. But it may be hard to come by the supplies you will need. First remove everything from the house. Chairs, fridge, etc. The house should be completely bare. Next clean the house like you normally do, wipe down everything with hot and not to soapy water. Open the windows and use portable fans to help move the air around so it dries faster. Next is the hard part. You need pure industrial/chemical grade ammonia. This stuff is hard to get in large qualities because of meth. Anyway you need to be wearing heavy duty gloves and eye protection. If you do not have breathing equipment, be sure the house windows are open when you are inside. Next wipe down everything you cleaned with the water with the ammonia. After you are done you need to close up the house for about a half day. Then open it for the next half. The carpet is going to be the hardest to clean. Rent a rug doctor and use the rest of the ammonia(about a quarter cup per full water in holder). This will more than likely stain the carpet. But if you do the whole carpet it may not look so bad. In my work I tell my customers that I can do this, but it may be better in the long run to just have the carpet replaced. Another trick you can do ( that I suggest you practice outside first ) is the bath-salt fire. Use a large wok and fill it with bath-salts and lighter burnable alcohol or lighter fluid. Light it, there should be a large and short lived flame. The bath-salts ionize everything and bond to smells. This may help.

>> No.620561

>>618606
Seconding ozone generator. Just leave the place for a few hours while it runs and air it out before you go back in.

>> No.620575

>>620561

Third for Ozone Gen.

>managed apts in college for 6 years
>other than replacing all sheet rock / fixtures / carpet, OGs were best way to get weed / cigarette smell out of an apt.

They arent cheap, especially the commercial models, but if you run it for a week (you cant be in the apt when you do it) it will kill any and all smell. Time it to when you go on vacation or out of town. And ask you landlord to clean the registers / intake / squirrel cage on your airhandlers. Dust accumulates on these things and soaks up smell, you could even go with a vent cleaning. Hydroflouric (sic) acid diluted 1:1 with hot water will strip all the dust /gunk off the metal surfaces, especially aluminun (the fins on condensor). You have to clean from the inside out, not just surface areas.

>> No.620578

i washed down a place i had about 10 years ago with regualr old ammonia i just got a sponge mop, a bucket, and 10 bottles, and just started wiping the walls, shit came off like fog. and if i got the mop too wet, it ran like hell.

the neighbor lady came over one day and asked if i painted, it was such a drastic difference.

>> No.621195

>>618898

Non-religious jew here too
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi_Jews

>> No.621203

You can get rid smoke smell with vinegar..

Just put some vinegar in bowl and insert it middle of room and let it be 24-48 hours and you should be good

>> No.621204
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621204

>>618846
or buy some cans of these

>> No.621837

>>618606
4th for ozone generator.
we use it at a carwash for exact reason you will need one.
dont inhale ozone too much if you can. dangerous gas.

>> No.621896

try spraying a mixture of water and clear vinegar on the walls. seems strange but it removes the smell and after ventilating the room some hours you will get rid of both smells.

>> No.622298

Person allergic to smoke here:
Wash walls, ceiling fans, ect. with white vinegar and hot water. Shampoo carpets with hot water and a few drops of liquid tide. After cleaning carpet; sprinkle baking soda lightly over carpet and vacuum up after an hour or so. Clean your vents and replace AC filter. Air out the apt with portable fans.

>> No.622306
File: 2.61 MB, 300x236, scared.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
622306

>>620575
>Hydroflouric (sic) acid diluted 1:1 with hot water

Jesus Christ! I hope you never set foot inside a chemistry lab.

A 1:1 mixture of vinegar would suffice. And not kill everyone in the building.

>> No.622308

>>622306
I thought the same thing.
that shit is deadly

>> No.622320

I had the same exact problem, but we had carpets and shitty linoleum.
We fixed it on our own!

>Get a new air filter
>Carpet clean if applicable
>Vinegar on EVERYTHING
>Then normal mopping, cleaning, painting to cover/remove vinegarts
>If you have Wallpaper, strip it and paint. its 2014
>If its paint, clean the ever living hell out of that wall

>> No.622888

>>618853
>>618980

>> No.623009

>>622306
He was trolling. I'm 100% sure. When I was doing some hobby chemistry I had a thin film of hydrochloric acid in a large aluminum pan. I didn't realize what I did at first... Then I looked at it and it started to bubble. Ten seconds later my yard was engulfed in a thick black cloud of toxic smoke. I ran.

>> No.623112

grab an ozone machine from amazon for like 75 bucks. run it for an hour, check, then air out.

>> No.623138

>>623009
you shouldn't have gotten black smoke from that.
hcl reacts with aluminium to produce hydrogen and heat. unless something started burning you should have been fine.

>> No.623190

>>623138
Hot hydrochloric acid releases gaseous HCl, which is nasty stuff (but not black).

>> No.623461

Seal every window, wall socket/switches and exterior doors.
Get an air purifier that also ionizes the air or maybe 2.
Run both of them in apartment with no living thing inside.
Leave them running for 24 hours and come back.

Smell will be gone.

>> No.623463

>>622306

Isn't hydrofluoric acid the one that will dissolve everything but certain plastics

>> No.623609

>>623190
It's one of the few acids that dissolve glass (to SiF4/H2SiF6). The acidity itself is not the problem though (it's a weaker acid than HCl going by pKa) but the toxicity and the fact that it protrudes skin very quickly and deeply and can mess with your metabolism, enzymes and even bones easily

>> No.623610

>>623609
Meant for
>>623463

>> No.623625

>>623463
HF isn't an especially strong acid but it is extremely toxic and is very readily absorbed through the skin, whereas the same amount of HCl will "just" give you burns on the afflicted area.

>> No.623659

>>623463
Watch Breaking Bad, huh? It will dissolve glass, which is atypical for acids.

>> No.623674

>>618611
welcome to DIY faggot. get your worthless "help" and get the fuck out.

anyway OP, what about the ceilings? a lot of places dont bother painting them, just the walls. also, carpet, blinds, anything with fabric. check it all. otherwise, just open the widows with some fans and draw out the air for a few days. perhaps get a purifier.

>> No.623686

Don't use ozone, when in contact with nicotine it forms aerosoles that carry the chemicals of cigarettes into the air, causing asthma and other shit. (source: http://www.lungenaerzte-im-netz.de/lin/linaktuell/show.php3?id=1942&nodeid=18)) Hotels only use it because usually the guest only smokes a few cigarettes.

You could use some sort of odor neutralizer spray containing stuff that destroys the smelling molecules...

>> No.623784

>>623686
Well of course you should transport the oxidised components away in any case by heavy ventilation after using an ozoniser

>> No.623933
File: 52 KB, 650x450, 1397196042492.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
623933

This. Spray a shitload of it all over the place.

(Get the original scent. The others are too overpowering.)