One other point about the flooring. For the last several decades (well, at least 30 yrs, and the house was built in 1949), there was carpet over the hardwoods. After my great grandparents died, my mom had the carpet removed. The floors are in pretty good shape, so I don't think they need to be refinished. Actually a good cleaning did them well, and they're pretty shiny now.
Like I said, I've had no experience with this flooring (only carpet and cheap vinyl before!), so any advice would be so helpful.
PS, I've never had experience with plaster either!

I have no ideas about the chewing gum, but suggest that the plaster repair is not that hard. I knew nothing about it until I started on our old house. I have done some pretty large holes with good success. There are quite a few posts on this site on how to fix plaster.

GOO GONE will help get rid of the gum, follow the instructions on the label. There's another product that can help get rid of dried paint, tar etc. I can't remember the name of the stuff, for some reason I think it had a name like Goop or something. It comes in a yellow squared off tin. You can find it at Home Depot or hardware stores.
Maybe it'll ring a bell withsomeone else here, but if you went looking for it you should be able to find it....as a matter of fact, I could use some of that stuff around here myself, ran out months ago and keep forgetting to buy some.

The paint removal product is Oops. But I haven't had much luck with it when the paint is fully cured, and it doesn't work on oil-based paints.

Little rounded-top drip or spatter spots can often be removed with patient single-edged razor blade work. Practice in a closet first. You will get the hang of it, but not without messing up a few times and dinging your floor. When it's done right, you can just slip the edge of the blade under the drip and pop it off. Scraping doesn't work, though.

Plaster repair can be learned as the previous poster noted. If the plaster holes are large enough to be energy-loss issues. you can temporarily patch them with pieces of dry wall and joint compound. Screw the dry wall pieces on, don't nail. Reinforce the loosened edges of the plaster with plaster washers, if necessary.

I'd concentrate on cleaning everything up first, though. You've got not only grubby tenants, but old house issues. And cleaning is an excellent way to feel like you are putting your stamp on the place, while avoiding the new-owners' first ideas trap. Let the house tell you what needs to be done.

You didn't say if you have purchased this house. Working on a relative's house can have some perils, so make sure you've got a clear agreement, before you do anything major.

Welcome to your (new) home.

Molly~

PS: Replace all those smoke detectors, ASAP!

Molly, I'm so glad you said that about cleaning. I've read the advice to "let the house speak to you first" advice from you and others on here and it is so tempting to want to immediately start ripping up carpet and remodeling rooms. My husband and I both wondered if cleaning up the landscaping and interior on our new/old house wouldn't be gratifying enough to let us patiently wait for further renovations, so I hope you are right!

Pebbles, good luck with your house, it sounds like it has found the right caretaker.

Redbirds,

If it will make you feel better, try ripping up the carpet in a concealed place (closet) and see what you see. Perhaps you won't miss it if you pull it all up, and it certainly counts as "cleaning" in my book.

Also included in my definition of "cleaning", is painting, though you might obliterate some clues to former features by painting over them.

If you pull wallpaper, be sure to keep samples. If your house is very old(pre-20th c.), be cautious about removing wallpaper though. There may be very interesting lower layers, that are worth investigating before tossing them.

With landscaping, you won't be able to tell what you've got until you've been through an entire year. A very good thing to do about landscaping at this time of year is make an accurate scale plan. (You don't need a professional survey; you can do it just by running measured lines from a couple of known points until you've got the dimensions down. Then locate everyother point off of your markers.) Use the time in the winter to identify all woody plants, and mark on the plan. Buy a bunch of plant labels and begin, as early as you can, labeling everything you find, and marking it on the plan. Be cautious about early weeding and garden cleaning if you are new gardener as many things may look like weeds at first. Better to let a weed grow than yank out something you didn't recognize. If I'm working in an unfamliar climate or garden I also make a "parking" space where I can transplant anything I'm not sure of and can't identify enough to know whether it's a keeper. Most times, it is just a weed, but you never know and that has saved my bacon a few times.

Molly~

Re: gum on floors. Products previously mentioned.

Re: repairing plaster walls. Just use a wide drywall knife (like 10") and put plaster over low spots. Let dry thoroughly, then sand. Repeat if necessary. Then paint.

Re: paint on wood floors. Paint removal products generally don't work on paint older than 24 hours. That said, take a metal spatula, like for spreading drywall mud, and carefully scrape the majority of paint off. Sand the rest off. This means the finish of the wood floor will be scratched and you will have to refinish the whole floor to get the new finish to look consistent on the whole floor.

Unfortunately, the hard way is the best way to go on the wood floor.

If you're living in the house and the sanding raises too much dust with the windows closed this time of year, you can use a damp sponge and rub it smooth. DH had his crew do that when he had a job in a hospital.