I just wanted to know how hard is it to get smoker smell out of my townhome? does steam cleaning do ok or do I also have to paint the walls and cieling?
A lot depends on how long and how heavily it was smoked in.
The first rental property I bought was a 4plex and one unit already had a smoker in it. When that tennant left, I was faced with rehabbing the unit along with eliminating the smell. He had lived there 3 years and smoked fairly regulary so needless to say the place had a nice bouquet.
First off, smoke gets everywhere and I mean everywhere! Inside cabinets, under the sink, into the stove, dishwasher, smoke alarm, electrical outlets and wall switches... you get the picture. There is a fine layer of tar on every surface that has any contact with the air. Smoke also gets into insulation behind the walls thru gaps and cracks in light fixtures, wall outlets etc.
My approach was to strip the place, wash every concieveable surface with ammonia, repaint every square inch, ceilings and all, replace every window covering, all carpeting.... I mean everything and thats what I did.
After $7,000 and 2 months of work, the smell was still there. Unbelieveable.
I then called in a specialist. There is a service that sprays a bio-molecule whatchamagig that thru some chemical physics property binds to the odor particles and eliminates them. This is the same stuff they use in houses where they find dead bodies that have been laying around undiscovered for a while like at a crime scene.
It was guaranteed to eliminate any odor. The guy brought in a big machine that fumugated the place for $250.
3 days later... VIOLA! The smell was still there. It was just like the Seinfeld episode.
I got my money back. I never got rid of the smell and I have a policy that I NEVER rent to smokers.
I also own rental properties, I use an "ionizor" (sp?)machine. Try your local rental store. These work like majic. You will leave it in there for a day or two but when you return, it will be free of the smell.
The "Fresh Air Living Purifier" you mentioned is an ozonator and particle ionizer. The ozonator is what does the trick for eliminating odors by producing Ozone. Ozone is nothing more than an oxygen molecule with an extra electron and is fairly unstable. That means that unless more ozone is being produced, the ozone molecule breaks back down to oxygen quickly. Ozone in high concentrations can be toxic when inhaled.
The ionizer in this machine just causes air paticles and dust to settle out faster.
I cannot explain how ozone neutralizes odors but I have used it in boats with some really bad smells coming from the bilge and it worked great.[ Edited by jrbrein on Date 02/19/2005 ]
A lot depends on how long and how heavily it was smoked in.
The first rental property I bought was a 4plex and one unit already had a smoker in it. When that tennant left, I was faced with rehabbing the unit along with eliminating the smell. He had lived there 3 years and smoked fairly regulary so needless to say the place had a nice bouquet.
First off, smoke gets everywhere and I mean everywhere! Inside cabinets, under the sink, into the stove, dishwasher, smoke alarm, electrical outlets and wall switches... you get the picture. There is a fine layer of tar on every surface that has any contact with the air. Smoke also gets into insulation behind the walls thru gaps and cracks in light fixtures, wall outlets etc.
My approach was to strip the place, wash every concieveable surface with ammonia, repaint every square inch, ceilings and all, replace every window covering, all carpeting.... I mean everything and thats what I did.
After $7,000 and 2 months of work, the smell was still there. Unbelieveable.
I then called in a specialist. There is a service that sprays a bio-molecule whatchamagig that thru some chemical physics property binds to the odor particles and eliminates them. This is the same stuff they use in houses where they find dead bodies that have been laying around undiscovered for a while like at a crime scene.
It was guaranteed to eliminate any odor. The guy brought in a big machine that fumugated the place for $250.
3 days later... VIOLA! The smell was still there. It was just like the Seinfeld episode.
I got my money back. I never got rid of the smell and I have a policy that I NEVER rent to smokers.
End of story.
hey,
I also own rental properties, I use an "ionizor" (sp?)machine. Try your local rental store. These work like majic. You will leave it in there for a day or two but when you return, it will be free of the smell.
Hope this helps
steve
The "Fresh Air Living Purifier" you mentioned is an ozonator and particle ionizer. The ozonator is what does the trick for eliminating odors by producing Ozone. Ozone is nothing more than an oxygen molecule with an extra electron and is fairly unstable. That means that unless more ozone is being produced, the ozone molecule breaks back down to oxygen quickly. Ozone in high concentrations can be toxic when inhaled.
The ionizer in this machine just causes air paticles and dust to settle out faster.
I cannot explain how ozone neutralizes odors but I have used it in boats with some really bad smells coming from the bilge and it worked great.[ Edited by jrbrein on Date 02/19/2005 ]