Kyle wrote:
My wife and I recently fixed up a house to rent that was previously
owned by a heavy smoker. The entire house _reeked_ of old tobacco when
we bought it. We removed all the wall-to-wall carpet, we screbbed all
walls and ceilings with bio-degradable TSP substitute, primed (with
Kilz) and painted (two coats) all walls, ceiling and trim. The oak
hardwood floors were thoroughly scrubbed. We also had professionals
come in a clean the HVAC ducts, replaced the standard air filter and
are now cleaning the broken electrostatic air cleaner in the HVAC.

However, our new tenants say there's still a stink of tobacco smoke,
and they're concerned enough for their 1-1/2 year old son's asthma that
they're saying they'll have to move out if we can't get rid of the
smell.

We can't go back and re-prime the walls and repaint with something like
B-I-N (which I discovered doing some research in the newsgroup). What
other _reliable_ options do I have for abating the old smokey stench
the tenants say is in the house?


Wow! Lucky you! Where did you find these tenants? After all of that
cleaning, any lingering odor would almost have to be outside the living
space it seems. Perhaps, if it is doable, putting caulk along all of
the baseboards would eliminate the air movement through wall spaces.
Just a thought. Another option, that I wouldn't be very inclined to do
myself, would be to call up a restoration company that cleans up after
fires - tell them what you have done already and see what they have to
offer. A kid with asthma, huh?