Thank you for your advice! --70.119.xxx.xx

TSP is the best cleaner to clean nicotine 0ff walls. --66.74.xx.xxx

I feel for you Pat. --75.11.xx.xx

Did you allow smoking? If not, take pics of the nicotine running down the walls(and it will) as you start to clean the walls. TSP as above. Wear gloves and cover under the bucket as well as anything you don't want etched as above. --73.230.xxx.xx

Then the real fun begins and it usually starts here. --24.183.xxx.xxx

When you wash the walls & trim make sure that you wear some good quality rubber gloves, so the nicotine doesn't get absorbed through your skin. We use mops for the first washing & follow-up with hand sponges. --72.93.xxx.xx

We wash walls from the bottom up and wipe away with a dry towel. If you start from the top and go down, the drips stain below them even worse than they are and sometimes do not clean off. I learned the hard way. And yes, try not to drip if possible. --75.11.xx.xx

I don’t allow smoking in any of my houses. in my contracts. I advertise no smoking. there are many applicants who do not want to live in a rental that has been smoked in. clean it & change your pool. --166.205.xxx.xx

How did they get past your inspections? --108.201.xx.xx

You likely will have to paint the ceilings, if you can't wash them due to rough texture or popcorn type ceilings. Use an odor blocking primer, which will also serve as your coat of paint. No additional top coat needed. --75.91.xxx.xxx

The ozone machine will prolly need a week, and you will end up painting everything inside the house - that normally wipes out a double deposit and 5-800 bux extra, put in smooth floors - so much easier to clean up when this occurs. Carpet is a stain and stink magnet. --76.190.xxx.xxx

Let the walls dry and they apply a sealer primer for smoke damage. It will seal in what every smoke is left. --47.156.xx.xx

They were probably were very heavy smokers where will have to clean walls completely then paint with oil based primer or oil based paint. Carpet can try to clean by renting a Rug Doctor after painting to try to get rid of smell in carpet. --68.69.xxx.xxx

Yes, contract did say no smoking, but obviously they didn't listen. Didn't find out till they move out. They probably started smoking toward the end of the lease. No refunds for sure. --70.119.xxx.xx

Yes, contract did say no smoking, but obviously they didn't listen. Didn't find out till they move out. They probably started smoking toward the end of the lease. No refunds for sure. --70.119.xxx.xx

Nicotine smell is usually stuck in the grease on the walls. Just get a box of Trisodium Phosphate at the hardware store, mix it in water and wash the walls with it. Brown nicotine will run off so put news papers, if they still exist, below where you are cleaning. The grease on the walls holds the smell. When it's gone so will the smell be gone. Check ceiling too as it's impossible to paint over. --71.188.xx.xxx

Still working on one of these now. Every square inch needed to be washed with TSP, often twice. Radiators, ceiling fans, door knobs, phone jacks - you name, it had to be washed. You will need to seal not only the walls, but ceilings, and trim too. I estimate it took about 60 hours to clean a 900 square foot apartment. It is not a quick job if the smoke is bad. --100.34.x.xx

Use a floor mop on the walls when using TSP. It eats up the hands if you don't use gloves. --24.101.xxx.xxx

Best I've used is yellow MrClean with a few drop of blue Dawn. The color is important. Runs right off the walls. Roll up towels along the trim to catch it. Wear gloves, didn't do that once and myself and my good help said the next day that neither could sleep, was giggerly, found out later the nicotine gets on your skin and in your system, as written above. I'm an excellent sleeper so this was totally obvious to me. Wide awake all night! Also when you are all done cleaning Zepp makes an excellent product called Smoke Eliminator or something like that, spray can. That works well to spray along the edges of trim and such where you can't clean but holds odors. I use this even for houses without smoke smell, it's fresh clean scent. May take a few times spraying. I would spray heavy right before I leave and lock up house. Letting it work in contained shut up house. --172.58.xxx.xxx

Use a paint roller to apply TSP from the bottom up. Leave the carpet in place to absorb the drips. We painted with BIN to seal it, and the resulting color was such a nice warm white that we put on a single coat and called it a day. --172.58.xxx.xxx

Thank you so much for all these great tips!! --172.58.xxx.xx

Will get Zep spray. Thanks! --70.119.xxx.xx

I use a mix of Dawn and Mr Clean and a sponge mop. Dawn seems to cut the tar like it cuts grease. The ceilings are always a problem as they get coated and we could not even get KILZ to cover without two coats. I have standardized cleanup and repainting charges in Lease that hurt. "Remember You Rented a Non-smoking Apartment". Protect your skin. Tobacco workers wear gloves to prevent across skin nicotine poisoning. That's why transdermal nicotine patches work. Had a woman overdose on me once by putting on 50 nicotine patches. It was ugly. --216.23.xxx.xx