I suspect, it needs to be primed with a bonding sealing type primer, and then repainted with a couple coats of paint. I can see all of it in your pictures, and it most likely will not all come off. You can try a clorox bleach gel cleaner in a spray bottle. If that wont remove it, then, most likely nothing will.

I have the same kind of 3 season room and both of us are smoker. Nicotine washes of easily with soap and water. I fear the aluminum hasn't been cleaned for quite awhile and the metal yellowed over time. I clean mine every year and it is nice and white. I use Awesome from the dollar tree diluted in a bucket of water and a rag every year. Try that sprayed on directly (don't dilute), let it sit for a minute and clean with an a magic eraser.

When we bought our camp from non smokers the vinyl window frames and aluminum sills were yellowed. The Awesome worked well.

If that doesn't work you might have to paint.

have you tried a degreaser?

Hi all and thank you ( I thought i responded to this earlier but it didnt go through.)

I am going to try the degreaser and the AWESOME. if neither of thise work, then primer and paint it is!

Stop wasting time. Kilz primer and two coats of paint. Sorry............

I have also heard that windex (the original) removes it. Guess, thats worth a try. I wouldnt use Kilz primer, I would use a good primer by zinnser. Make sure its a shellac based, bonding sealing type primer.

Kilz primer can cover a multitude of sins. Follow instructions carefully, as it's not like regular latex primers. It seems to seal off what's underneath and leaves a surface that is easily painted with latex paint..

Try shaving cream. That’s how we cleaned computers donated by casinos.

IMO a really good primer 2 coats and paint that is the only solution and make sure the primer will do the job oyu want no paint and primer combined will do this .That carpet has to go there is no way to get the stink out of it.

We bought our house from a chain smoker one year ago. We hired a disaster crew to scrub every surface, replaced appliances and light fixtures. Then they set up an ozone generator for seven days and an air scrubber for four weeks. We had our painter prime every painted surface with an oil based primer, then we left for a month. There was no smoke odor when we returned so the painters applied two coats of paint and three in the room with the most nicotine

damage.

We did a lot of research before buying this house. You can’t completely eliminate the nicotine, it seeps into everything, but you can lock it in with an oil based primer. I’d also recommend removing the carpet if you can smell smoke after dealing with the walls and ceiling. And make sure to thoroughly clean the ceiling fan too. If potential buyers can smell smoke, they will walk away rather than go through this process.

Everything in this house is going to need to be replaced to get rid of the smell. The carcinogens will stay forever. I’d hire a disaster remediation company. It’s awful that your in-laws left you with this.

I believe it will come of with TSP. Can buy in Lowes or hardware store. I would also add a little bleach. It works wonders.

Just clean the hard surfaces, carpet and drapes. Get some odor eater canisters and put in the rooms. That's it. We never had a problem selling our homes. We are both smokers and had buyers before the homes even hit the mutl list on our past two homes. One in 1989 and the other sold in 2014. Both by a family of non smokers. Smell is suggestive. I've been in homes that smell like grease, perfumed candles, cleaning products, mold, spices, sickness etc. Every family makes there own odor depending on how they cook, products they use, etc. It quickly disappears and then is replaced with your own odor.

Here’s some good info.

https://www.homelight.com/blog/buyer-buying-a-smokers-house/

Smokers can’t even tell that they smell like smoke.

Good article, Lynzy. Replace every single light bulb. As soon as they heat up the nicotine will cook and ooze. Same with appliances, ceiling fans and light fixtures. Get rid of them. Research ozone generators. We had our ductwork and a/c system professionally cleaned and inspected, in addition to everything mentioned in my previous comments. No smoke smell at all now, but we are having a whole house air purifier installed because of the desert sand.

The seller insisted she didn’t smoke, but forgot her cigarettes and lighter the first time we looked at the house. We walked out after five minutes. We came back again when they offered to reduce the price by $20k to cover restoration costs. We threw out every single thing they left here.

The non-smoker husband died two months after closing, not sure from what, they were both elderly and unwell. We had neighbors over for a cocktail party and a toast to Jim and they were all amazed that they could not detect cigarette smell. It can be done, but it’s risky and very expensive and should only be done by a professional disaster team. And don’t live there until everything is finished!

I’m just getting started with my new steam cleaner, and the results are amazing so far. It might not clean your scuzzy metal, but it will liquify anything down to the metal.

This may seem odd, but WD40 spray might work as it cleans oxidated film built up on aluminum windows from weatherization and it may help on your vinyl ceiling. I tried everything to get the rusty white-ish film off my chrome window screens and it worked like a charm. Be sure to open windows with lots of fresh air when using it.

Most of the cleaners you tried are acids. To remove cigarette stains, you need a strong base, like TSP, Mr. Clean or the like. And lots of elbow grease. Kilz or BIN primer will work fine at hiding it, but the smell can remain.

Sorry you have to deal with the yuck. Cig smoke is built up tar so is glue like. Won't hurt to squirt a test spray of WD-40 which was developed to clean gunk build up on space ships and can clean crayon marks and soap scale on shower doors and tons of uses. If this doesn't work, nothing will...then, prime and paint time I guess. Good Luck. TSP is pretty good on dirt and oils but not on other yuck stuff. I tried everything on my storm windows and wah-la it wiped it right off to original finish and color with a spray of WD-40. Not harmful to humans but stinks when using and I would follow up with a bucket of Dawn dish soap to wipe away any lingering film. Use a mask and safety glasses and nitro gloves if wary. Google it. You'll be surprised what it can tackle!

My mother and I washed every inch of a similar property with Dawn. If that doesn' do it, try tri-sodium phosphate. Apply, rinse off and see. If it works then prime with OB KILZ or Zinzer (2 coats) before 2 coats of paint.

Try 409 cleaner. I helped clean a smoker's room with it and it melted off.

Rent a steam cleaner

Clean, prime, paint it. Rent an ozone generator to run for a day to remove the smell of smoke from entire house if there is a lingering odor.

From a professional remodeler: try ammonia