Smoke Smell in Townhome...Unrentable??

Hello! I am the leasing consultant for a large rental-only townhome community. We have a gorgeously updated townhome that has become a big issue...

A previous resident (who knows how long ago) was a heavy smoker, and now the unpleasant 'smoky motel' smell is overwhelmingly noticeable in the entryway and kitchen (its the first and only thing you notice when you walk in the front door ). We have had the home deep cleaned twice, had the air vents cleaned, had the walls 'Kilzed' and painted, and replaced the flooring in attempts to alleviate the odor. I even cooked a huge batch of chili in the kitchen to try to get some 'life smells' back into the place, and it still stinks like smoke!

Is there anything we can do to make this townhome rentable? Or are we doomed to leave it vacant until another heavy smoker comes around and doesn't mind the smell (and if this is the case, how do we advertise/explain that?)?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I believe that everyone who has ever worked in this industry has experienced a similar situation. Here are some things that you may want to try:

Repaint the walls. Again.
Stale cigarette smoke can absorb into the walls. Serious odors may require more than one coat of paint.

Shampoo the carpets. Again.
Ask a professional carpet cleaner to use heavy deodorizers.

Change the furnace air filter.
It may seem insignificant, but you'd be surprised what a big difference this makes!

Run an Ionizer.
An industrial ionizer fan is my go-to smell eliminator.

When it comes to deodorizers, bring out the big guns.
My favorite brand or deodorizer is OdoBan . It disinfects, deodorizes, and leaves a fresh scent behind.

Open the Windows.
Let in some fresh air and sunshine.

And now for some, uh, "creative" hacks:

Canned Air
The stuff you use to clean your keyboards? Yeah. Spray the crap out of each and every outlet with that. It sounds weird, but stale cigarette smoke can accumulate in the outlets. Try it out sometime!

Houseplants
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that plants make the air cleaner. Or maybe it does. NASA released a list of common houseplants that remove volatile air compounds. You can check out the list here . Cigarette smoke contains benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and ammonia so go plant shopping accordingly.

Vinegar and Citrus Peels
Boil a large stock pot full of vinegar and citrus peels. You will never win a cooking contest with this recipe, but it removes airborne odors.

Believe me, there is hope for your vacant home! The worst I saw was when our formerly white walls were so caked in nicotine tar that they become post-it note yellow. It takes a little bit of elbow grease and a bit of a stubborn attitude, but this is a treatable thing.

You're going to want to scrub the daylights out of the cabinetry and doors, as well. Inside and out. Wood absorbs those odors and will contribute to the lingering smoky smell.

In extreme cases you may need to pull and replace the trim in the unit as well. As stated, smoke gets into wood.....

Kathryn is on point! The Ionizer helps. There is also a fragrant paint, which sounds weird, but it does help change the first "smell impression". PPG sells it. I would do that last after trying all the other things.

You may also roll some primer over the subfloors. Unfortunately that will require taking up the beautiful new flooring you said you just installed. But just as the walls will absorb smells so will the floors, even if they're slab.

The only thing I can add, because I think everyone has said everything, is once it is rented, it is true that their lifestyle may/will erase the smoke odor. I know that car detailers also use a product that removes smoke smells from cars that I know works. And I use the ionizer all the time when the unit is sitting, and I have had ducts professionally cleaned which helped, too.

zorbx is a product you can mix in with the paint to absorb odors.

Hey Michelle,

Any luck with removing the smell of cigarette smoke from your vacant home?