Who should I hire to remove the smell of cigarette smoke from my home?

Question

I bought a house that has had a cigarette smokers in it for 40 years. Would a general contractor be able to fix this? Or do I need to first get a company that usually handles massive fire damage or something to remove the smell? Does someone need to clean the HVAC stuff?

Answer 1

A general contractor is not needed for something like this.

A fire/smoke remediation company would likely be best to talk to, but this is pretty easy stuff to DIY for the most part. At a minimum, I would expect the HVAC needs cleaned very well, all air filters need replaced, every surface cleaned very well, carpet replaced, every wall/ceiling repainted (likely after putting a stain blocking primer on), and an air purifier run to help clean any lingering scents.

Answer 2

I have a rental and it had a smoker for many years. I rented an ozone generator. It worked! New tenant is a non smoker and couldn't smell tobacco. I rented it from local tool rental place. It looked something like this.

I also cleaned and painted everything.

Answer 3

I happen to own a large commercial ozone generator that was used to remediate mold. My wife's niece's apartment was inundated with smoke from a fire in a neighbor's apartment and they couldn't get ride of the subsequent smell. They borrowed my ozone machine and it cleared out all odor problems in a day.

Answer 4

I think the answers above are good. I have no experience with ozone generators, but I'd just simply introduce some categories.

1. Really smooth surfaces can be washed with a TSP-substitute.
2. Painted walls can be prepped, primed, and painted.
3. Stone surfaces can be power washed.
4. Rugs can be scrubbed with a carpet cleaner.
5. Consider the use of HEPA filtration or ERVs.
6. Of course, anything can be rehabbed (or coated) if you're willing to accept the costs.

If you go the ozone route, be careful since O3 is a powerful oxidizer and is considered an atmospheric pollutant at certain levels, and let us know how it goes. (See also this article on how ozone generators are unregulated and their misuse can be toxic.) I'm not sure that you can generate enough ozone to strip a layer of nicotine from a wall, but who knows!