Stain Removal Tips | Nicotine Stain Removal Tips - Wall and Appliance Stains

STAIN REMOVAL TIPS

Your Guide to the Most Common Types of Stains and What You Can Do for Removing Stains

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Nicotine Stain Removal Tips - Wall and Appliance Stains

Tobacco smoke stains or cigarette smoke stains on various surfaces are frequently, but erroneously called nicotine stains. The stains discussed here are condensed tar from tobacco smoke deposited on painted walls, wallpaper, and cabinets, and stains on appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, and sinks.

So, when people inquire about nicotine stain removal, what they really are inquiring about is tobacco smoke tar stain removal. Tobacco -- pipe, cigar, and cigarette -- smoke contains vaporized tar. Tar is the result of incomplete burning of the tobacco's resins, oils, and various other organic compounds. The tar then condenses and dries on the various surfaces. Degreasing methods are what are required to remove the stain from non-porous surfaces. For porous surfaces such as walls and wallpaper, degreasing may or may not work -- repainting or re-wallpapering may be required. You need to treat each surface according to what it is made of.

Nicotine (Tar) Stain Removal from Non-porous Surfaces

For non-porous surfaces, cleaners formulated to clean grease should work. Anything from dish soap to EASY OFF oven cleaner.

Refrigerators

For refrigerators, you need to use something that is a degreaser before you bleach them. Bleach will not cut through the oils in tobacco smoke deposits. Products that you could try include ORANGE CLEAN, SIMPLE GREEN, or even vinegar.

Kitchen Cabinets

AWESOME grease remover is reputed to remove nicotine tar and grease from cabinets well.

Dishes

If dishes are just smelly, put them in the dishwasher with your regular dishwashing liquid but add vinegar in the other side. Vinegar takes out smoke smell. For light stains, remove them by washing in warm sudsy water, or by wiping with a cloth dipped in warm sudsy water. Rinse well and wipe dry. To remove stubborn stains, dampen a cloth and dip it into baking soda. Wipe away any remaining stain, rinse, and dry with a clean cloth.

Porcelain Bathroom Sinks and Kitchen Sinks

Removing stains from resting lit cigarettes on the edges of sinks is more difficult. Cleanser and vinegar may not work. One suggestion is to try ZUD powdered cleanser. If using COMET scratch free cleanser, make a paste of it with water and leave it on the spot for several minutes. Another suggestion is to apply CLOROX gel, leave it on the spot for several minutes, then take a scrubbing pad to it.

Air Conditioner Grills

For removing cigarette smoke stains from air conditioner grills, try FLASH multi-surface cleanser with bleach. Be careful not to get any on floors, walls, or carpeting.

Nicotine (Tar) Stain Removal from Porous Surfaces

In most cases, the tobacco smoke tar has probably absorbed into the wall and ceiling surfaces, not just been deposited on the surfaces. You probably are going to have to repaint, especially if the tobacco smoke stains are very heavy.

You can try cleaning, first. If the walls are white, you could try first with a soapy solution and a clean damp rag, then a bleach solution.

One suggestion I have seen is to use -- if your walls are smooth -- SWIFFER sweepers. The dry version is for dust and the wet version can be used for possibly removing nicotine stains. Using these, you won't need a ladder. You can also attach your own cleaning rags to them and use your own cleansers. Make sure to test the wet version on an inconspicuous area to see how it affects the paint, to see if you want to use it on the entire wall or not.

Wall Surface Preparation

Painting and wallpapering can be easy jobs if done right. Don't make the mistake of applying fresh paint or new wallpaper to an old wall without first preparing the wall. You can't just paint over the tar-stained walls, wallpaper, and ceilings. A regular paint job or new layer of wallpaper will simply not do the trick to cover the old tobacco smoke stains. Without special treatment the tar will quickly "bleed" through the new coat of paint or layer of wallpaper.

You need to closely inspect the walls. Any old wallpaper should be removed. This way the nicotine (tar) concentration in the walls will be reduced. Thoroughly clean the walls to further remove the nicotine from the walls and lower the concentration.

Do this by removing any loose dirt with a dry sponge -- a rubber sponge available at most hardware stores. Rub the dry sponge along the wall to lift dirt from it.

Washing Walls

For washing the walls, add to a bucket of water a small amount of dish soap -- about as much as it takes to clean a sink full of dishes.
Or --
Use a bottle of 90% pure rubbing alcohol. Alcohol doesn't require rinsing and evaporates quickly. You'll also need clean sponges or a clean sponge mop, and two clean, empty buckets.
Or --
Try the commercial cleaning product ZEP 505 and the degreaser PURPLE STUFF from Walmart's automotive section. Spray, wipe, then wash/rinse.

Repairing Walls

Next fix holes, dents, and scratches in the walls. Make sure the walls are smooth and dry before you start to prepare them for painting or wallpapering. Vinyl surfacing compound will be needed if there are nail holes or open joints to be filled. Sandpapering may be necessary to smooth filled areas.

Stain Blocking Primer Coat

Before painting or wallpapering, you need to apply a stain-blocker primer coat. KILZ, a white primer, is often mentioned. Some have mentioned that KILZ by itself for painting textured ceilings that can't be washed, is sufficient.

Another primer mentioned is COVER-STAIN, a fast drying white pigmented oil-base stain-killing primer-sealer for interior and exterior surfaces previously painted or new work. Any latex or oil-base paint or any wallcovering can be applied over COVER-STAIN. This economical primer combines universal application, fast re-coat time and conventional paint thinner clean-up, making it ideal for new construction or repainting. COVER-STAIN can be tinted with most "universal colorants" up to four ounces per gallon. Tinting helps top coat hide in one coat.

Now that preparation is done, NOW you can paint or wallpaper. Good luck.

Bamboo Shades

Here's a little "bonus track" I happened across from
http://www.ehow.com/tips_3170.html

"MURPHY'S OIL SOAP is great for cleaning wood floors and other surfaces, and is also excellent for cleaning bamboo shades.

"First, find a place outside where you can drape or hang your damp shades to dry in the sun for about 30 minutes once they are clean. Then, fill the bathtub with hot water and the recommended amount of MURPHY'S OIL SOAP.

"Next, roll the first blind all the way to the top before removing it from its hooks. Don't worry about dusting or vacuuming the blind as doing so is completely unnecessary. The soapy water will remove dust, cobwebs, even nicotine!

"Gently carry the bundled shade to the bathtub and lay it in the hot, soapy bath water. Agitate the water with the rolled shade for at least one minute to ensure that the hot, soapy water penetrates into and around all of the rolled layers of narrow bamboo slats. If the shade is very grimy, the water will change color quite quickly.

"Once the shade has been throughly cleaned in this way, you can drain the water from the tub, rinse the tub, and repeat this action to rinse. Or, simply stand the blind on one end and let the shower spray run down inside the bundle. Either way, the soapy water will run off down the drain. Let the bundle remaining standing on one end until most of the water has drained out, at least one minute.

"Then, gently carry the bundle outside, let the shade down and drape it or hang it to dry for at least 15 minutes. Your shades will look and even smell so much better. Doing this once or twice a year will not over-dry your bamboo shades but will leave them sparkling clean.

Disclaimer

Note that many stains cannot be removed. Some stain removal chemicals, agents, or even commercial stain removal products can damage or discolor fabrics, making the result even worse.

If you have any doubt as to the safety of your fabric or the fabric color, test the chemical(s) or product(s) you want to use to remove stains on an inconspicuous location on the garment.

If in doubt, consult a professional cleaning service.

No liability is assumed -- use this advice at your own risk.

Stain Removal Tips | Nicotine Stain Removal Tips - Wall and Appliance Stains