Q: I have a roommate that just moved out, and he's been smoking in his (unventilated) room for a little bit less than a year. I tried scrubbing the walls down with Mrs. Meyer's general cleaning solution, and I tried scrubbing the walls down with a vinegar/ammonia/baking soda solution, but the stink keeps coming back. The ceiling tiles might be part of the problem; they're porous, so I think they've probably absorbed a ton of the stink…
... but in addition to having no idea as to how to clean them in general, there's the added conundrum of the ceiling being about fourteen feet high. I'm assuming I'll have to paint the walls, but if I paint, and the stink comes out through that, I'm going to be devastated, so if there's any way I could take care of the walls before painting, I would definitely prefer that.
Asked by Lorin
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You could try combining baking soda and water in a slowcooker, letting that heat up in the room and leaving it for a couple hours. It might absorb some of the smell.
Kilz. Over everything.
I definitely reccommend Kilz like Libbet mentioned. Also, you may want to consider replacing the ceiling tiles; those things are usually a fairly standard size and (at least when I looked at them a little while ago) not that expensive.
Kilz + new ceiling tiles are both great recommendations. I would also suggest taking a look at the flooring. Carpet can really hold on to smells.
Never ever ever will I ever live with a smoker or cat owner ever again. Ever.
Would it help to take down the ceiling tiles and air them out outside?
There are smell good additives you can add to paint. Just looked it up and their called Paint SCENTsations. Though it may just cover up the smell...
If you have a lot of time, you could get a bunch of air purifying plants. I moved into an office that was recently painted and had a terrible funk in it. I got a couple plants and the smell hasn't come back
If you paint, buy a bottle of cheap vanilla and mix it in with the paint. It won't affect the color and it helps with the paint/cigarette smell. Kilz can be pretty nasty. I second removing the ceiling tiles and airing them out. You also don't know what's above those tiles - there might be something else holding on to the smell up there.
I don't know about the ceiling tiles but Kilz and paint will seal the offending odor in the walls and it probably won't come out unless you live in a very humid area.
However one thing that works for me cleaning my chain smoking grandma's house is to put small (okay I use what might be considered "medium") bowls of vinegar in the room. This also seems to work well in my smoker husband's closet to keep the smell down. I don't know how/why it works though.