Cleaning a Smoker's Home and Removing Nicotine Stains and Smells

Cleaning will improve a smoky home, but heavy staining and lingering smells in walls, ceilings and soft furnishings often need sealing, repainting or replacement. Dealing with a smoker's home is a decorator job as much as a cleaning one.

What nicotine staining and smoke smell actually are

In a home where people have smoked, you will often see yellow or brown marks on walls and ceilings and notice a lingering smell. Smoke can stay in the air for hours and spreads through the rest of the house.

If a mark does not come off with ordinary cleaning, ask a decorator or cleaner what they would do instead of trying stronger products yourself.

Why opening windows does not clear a smoky home

Many people assume that smoking next to an open window or keeping internal doors shut will stop a home from smelling. The NHS states clearly that opening windows and doors or smoking in another room in the house does not protect people. Smoke can linger in the air for hours after you have finished a cigarette, even with a window open.

Even if you strictly limit smoking to one specific room, the smoke will spread to the rest of the house. This is one reason a smoky home can keep smelling after the cigarette is out.

That is why the smell can be noticeable in rooms where nobody smoked. The NHS advises a smoke free home and car, and says opening a window does not give protection.

What a clean can and cannot fix

A clean is a sensible place to start in a smoky property. Hard surfaces such as glass, tiles and kitchen units can usually be wiped and washed by a cleaner, which can improve how the home looks and smells, although how much it helps varies.

However, cleaning has limits. A heavy nicotine stain on a painted wall may not wash out, and scrubbing hard can damage the paintwork. Smell held in carpet or the filling of a sofa may not clear with cleaning either.

When you are deciding how to tackle the property, you have to accept that cleaning is only part of the solution. A cleaner can prepare the hard surfaces and remove the worst of the surface grime. They cannot reverse heavy smoke damage on walls or ceilings. Once the property is as clean as it can be, you will usually need to call in a decorator to finish the job.

Walls and ceilings and why they usually need sealing and repainting

Painting directly over nicotine stains with standard emulsion may not hide them, which is why a stain blocking primer is used first. One paint maker describes its stain blocking primer and undercoat as perfect for blocking stains such as grease, nicotine, crayons, rust and soot, and a decorator may suggest a product of this kind.

The maker says to apply the primer and undercoat before the topcoat. Ensure the surfaces to be painted are sound, clean and dry before you begin. The maker says to apply one coat to stained surfaces and two coats for difficult stains.

The table below shows the application details for a stain blocking primer and undercoat.

The paint instructions do not cover how to wash walls before painting. Ask your decorator or cleaner how they prepare walls for painting and let them use their preferred approach. Never mix cleaning products yourself when trying to wash down stained walls, as this can be dangerous.

Carpets, curtains and soft furnishings

Soft furnishings such as carpets, curtains, fabric sofas and mattresses can hold a smoky smell, and smoke spreads through the house, as the NHS says. A home can still smell of smoke after walls are washed and painted if the soft furnishings have not been dealt with.

A professional carpet or upholstery clean can lift surface dirt and improve how the fabric looks. In a home that has been smoked in heavily for years, cleaning may not be enough to remove the smell completely, so ask a cleaner for an honest view before you pay.

Heavily smoked curtains, blinds and carpets may need replacing, which is a decision to make with a decorator or cleaner. If you are a buyer or new owner, it is sensible to allow for that possibility rather than assume a standard machine clean will remove the smell. Ask for itemised written quotes for both options.

Smoking and the end of a tenancy

Tenants moving out of a rented home often worry about their deposit if they have smoked inside. Shelter states that you only need to clean your home to the same standard as it was when you moved in.

However, a clause in your tenancy agreement requiring you to pay for professional cleaning is not fair and the landlord cannot make you do it. Shelter's pages cover England, and rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If your smoking has caused damage that requires redecorating before new tenants move in, the landlord can keep money from your deposit to cover this. They cannot keep any of your deposit for fair wear and tear even if they redecorate. Your landlord or agent should have made an inventory with you when your tenancy started. The inventory should record the age of items, their condition and how clean they were. All deposit schemes have a free dispute service if your landlord makes unfair deductions.

What a landlord needs to show to claim from a deposit

When a landlord wants to claim money from a tenancy deposit for smoke damage or smells, the onus is on them to prove their claim. A deposit scheme's guide for agents in England and Wales says that if the check-in inventory notes any smells, the tenant is unlikely to be held liable at the end of the tenancy. If there is no reference to smells on the check-in report, the default is that no smells were evident on moving in.

The check-out report must contain a written description of any smells. This matters because photographs cannot evidence smells. Issues that are not recorded in the check-out report and are discovered after the tenant moves out are unlikely to be considered in a dispute. Most tenancy agreements contain a no-smoking clause, but a deduction will only be reasonable if there is a record of smells or damage at the end of the tenancy.

An independent contractor's written report and estimates completed within a few days of the tenant moving out can help support a deposit deduction.

A deposit dispute case study

One deposit scheme case study shows how a claim for smoking damage was decided. A tenant smoked in the property during a tenancy of almost three years. The agent claimed the walls were discoloured and smelled of smoke, and that the whole property needed repainting. The deposit was 1,100 pounds with 850 pounds disputed.

The adjudicator found that only two rooms had deteriorated beyond fair wear and tear. They allowed the landlord to retain part of the deposit to paint the living room and bedroom only. The adjudicator also made an allowance for fair wear and tear for the time the tenant lived there. The contractor in this case said one fresh coat would remove the odour and discolouration.

In that case the claim for the whole property was cut back to two rooms, with an allowance for fair wear and tear. Every dispute is decided on its own evidence and this guide cannot say how yours would turn out. If you are facing a dispute over smoke damage, reading about cleaning deductions from your tenancy deposit will help you understand the process.

What to ask a cleaner or decorator to quote for

Smoke damage cleaning and repainting costs vary too much to give a reliable figure here, so gather your own prices. Ask local cleaners and decorators to visit the property and provide itemised written quotes, so you know exactly what is included.

Compare what each quote includes, not only the total, and check that preparing the walls and using a stain blocking primer are part of any decorating quote.

Here is what you should ask a cleaner or decorator before you hire them:

• What specific tasks are included in the quote and what is excluded.
• How they prepare the walls and ceilings before painting begins.
• Whether their quote includes a specialist stain blocking primer and undercoat.
• How many hours the job will take and how many staff will attend on the day.
• Who supplies the cleaning products, specialist paint and equipment.
• Whether they have proof of public liability insurance and can show it to you.
• Whether the quote is itemised and in writing.
• How they store and manage your keys if you are not at the property.

If you are arranging an end of tenancy clean, book the cleaner for a date after all your belongings are moved out but before the formal check-out inspection. Give the cleaner a copy of the inventory so they know exactly what standard is expected of them. Keep the receipt as proof of the work, and remember the check-out report needs a written description of any smells because photographs cannot evidence them. You can read more about what is required in an end of tenancy cleaning guide to help you prepare for the inspection.

Common questions

Can I just paint over nicotine stains?

Standard emulsion on its own may not hide nicotine stains. One paint maker describes a stain blocking primer and undercoat as blocking stains including nicotine, applied before the topcoat. Ask your decorator what they would use.

Will a professional clean guarantee my deposit back?

No. A clean cannot guarantee any deposit outcome. A deposit scheme's guide says a deduction is only reasonable if there is a record of smells or damage at the end of the tenancy, so the check-in and check-out reports matter.

Can a landlord charge for a professional clean?

Shelter England says a clause requiring you to pay for professional cleaning is not fair and the landlord cannot make you do it. You only need to return the home to the same standard of cleanliness as at the start of the tenancy.

Does smoking count as fair wear and tear?

Shelter says a landlord cannot keep any of your deposit for fair wear and tear, but can keep money for damage that requires redecorating. In the case above, the adjudicator allowed an amount for fair wear and tear for the time the tenant lived there and only allowed costs for the two rooms that had deteriorated beyond it. What counts in your case depends on the evidence, so this guide cannot say.

Next steps

Before you spend money on cleaning or decorating a smoky home, follow this checklist to get things right.

• Decide your budget and exactly which tasks you need help with.
• Check your move-in inventory to see the original condition and whether any smells were recorded.
• Ask local decorators and cleaners to visit the property to provide itemised written quotes.
• Ensure any decorating quote includes a stain blocking primer and undercoat for the walls.
• Ask the tradesperson for proof of public liability insurance before they start work.

Tackling nicotine stains and smoke smells takes time, and a thorough clean and a decorator's input are both often needed to get the right result. If you are ready to start gathering your quotes, you can find a house cleaner near you to wash down the hard surfaces and prepare the home.