Any tips on how to get smoke stains off wall?

[wishful_thinker]

We are buying our SW from my boyfriend's sister and both her and her ex-husband smoked. It doesn't really smell, but it bothers me that you can see how stained the walls are. I plan on doing a complete sweep of the house when I get home from work. I was cleaning the guest room and guest bathroom and I finally got the musty smell out of there (those rooms have mostly been closed off so my cat didn't get in there, he's been marking everything) ...so I want to tackle cleaning the walls and ceiling today. I'm eventually going to paint every room, but not until we pay off the house. So does anyone have any tips to get smoke stains off the walls without painting?

PS, I've read a few tips via Google, but I figured I'd ask here...since my walls are different. It looks like wallpaper, but with further inspection...it looks like the design is just printed on the wall. I don't know if that's the mark of a great wallpaperist or if it's really just printed on the wall. But I wasn't quite sure how to clean it.

[Harry]

Hi

I used Simple Green and a large sponge. Then I rinsed twice. Mine was pretty easy because I had removed the carpet, pad and tacks plus I have plywood floors.

Harry

[gandjsmom]

I used Krud Kutter on the stains in my place. A co-worker who deals in antiques recommended it. It worked really well on getting the stains off but I still noticed the smell (I'm a smoker and the smell bother me) even after shampooing the carpets. I don't think I will be able to totally get rid of the smell until I can replace the carpets.
It was kind of gross yet satisfying to see all that yuck run down the walls.....lol
I know many people on here will say the only way to get rid of it will be to prime and paint but the Krud Kutter will be a good for now fix.

Good Luck

[Yanita]

Hi,

Krudkutter is an excellent product and one I use extensively in my residential cleaning business. Another good one is Greased Lightening but it has a harsh chemical smell to me.

As for the type of walls/wall paper you have it is called wallboard. The paper and sheetrock are bonded together at the factory.

Yanita

[wishful_thinker]

Ohh...ok, thanks Yanita. I actually have some Greased Lighting already at home, so I'll give that a try before I buy something else.

[Yanita]

Your welcome.


Yanita