How To Clean Nicotine Off Walls
Nicotine from smoking sticks to walls and can be very hard to clean. It can turn walls a yellow color, which needs to be cleaned prior to painting.
Items Needed
Sponge
TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) either powdered or liquid version
Bucket of water
Empty bucket
Instructions
- Mix TSP with water according to the package instructions. Use the "heavy cleaning" formula if available.
- Thoroughly clean the wall using a sponge instead of a rag. Sponges lift off the nicotine rather than push it into the wall like a rag or towel would.
- After washing a section of the wall, rinse the sponge out in a clean bucket of water.
- Repeat this process until the nicotine is off of the wall
If this does not remove all of the years of built up nicotine you can prime over the stained walls using Bin primer made by Zinsser. This is a shellac-based primer that will seal in both the stains and the odor from the nicotine.
Which Primer Should I Use?
With so many primers to choose from, which one should you use for your job? The easiest way to find out which primer you need is to know exactly what you expect the primer to do for you. Too often people use the wrong primer for the wrong project and end up watching their hours of preparation and work peel off like a bad sunburn.
Simply click on what you are priming and our site will direct you to which primer you should be using.
What are you painting?
New drywall Oil-base Paint Pet Stains Water Stains Tile Glass Floor Nicotine Stains
Peeling Paint Formica Steel Copper Masonite Stucco Aluminum Vinyl Wood Knots
Cedar Wood Pressure Treated Wood PVC T 1-11 Fiberglass
PVA Primer (poly-vinyl acetate)
Product: Many manufacturers make PVA primers, you won't notice a difference unless you use it everyday.
Uses: PVA primer is for priming over newly textured surfaces and bare drywall.
Clean-up: Soap and water can be used to clean out your equipment.
Shellac-based primer
Product: Bin made by Zinsser
Uses:
Interior & exterior spot priming to seal stains (grease, mildew, marker, gasoline) before painting.
Bin primer will also seal in the odor casued by fire damage.
Can be applied to floors prior to painting or carpeting to seal in smells from pet accidents
Shellac-based primers can technically be used on almost any interior surface. For exterior stains it is only
recommended to spot prime problem areas.
Clean-up: Use denatured alcohol to clean your brushes, rollers and tools.
Water-based Primer
Product: 1-2-3 Primer by Zinsser
Uses:
New drywall, plaster, over oil-based paint, new or old wood, concrete, tile.
1-2-3 primer has excellent adhesion and does not require sanding prior to priming. If you have a similiar
interior/exterior primer check the label to see if any prep work is required before priming.
Clean-up: Clean brushes and tools with warm soapy water
Oil-based Primer
Product: Cover Stain by Zinsser
How To Clean Painted Walls
Over time your walls are bound to get something on them. Whether it is dirt, grease or nicotine you should be able to clean it off of your wall. The ease of cleaning will depend on several factors, including; the quality of the paint on the wall, how shiny the paint is, what you got on the wall, how long it has been there and what you use to clean it off.
Household Cleaners For Washing Painted Walls
- One part liquid dish soap to two parts of warm water works very well as a cleaner and degreaser. This can be used to wash down walls prior to painting or to wash down kitchen cabinets.
Store Bought Cleaners For Washing Painted Walls
- TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) is a great wall cleaner. If you buy the powdered version of TSP you will have to rinse your walls down after cleaning them to remove the phosphate residue. If you use liquid tsp concentrate, you can simply rinse the walls down and they will be clean and ready for painting.