They are funky but nicotine stained!!!!

pigpen

I'd give them a quick sanding.. nicotine leaves a greasy sticky residue which stinks sanding it off.. or sugar soap works too and elbow grease it removes the deposits.. If the seat pads are removable get rid of the old covering and recover sooner rather than later.. fabric holds nicotine stench like nothing on earth.. you could leave them outside for an airing the fresh air might also help.

mumoftwo

I have used the sugar soap that took all the stains and sticky residue off, the chairs look great but the wood still stinks, I will try the floor cleaner, thanks for the suggestion.

Pigpen, I think you are right,the seat pads are holding the smell, they are stinking, even though I steam cleaned them and fabrezed them to an inch of their life. I think I need to recover them asap, shame because I quite like the material, If it isn't raining tomorrow, I might fling them in the garden for an airing

tigerfeet2006

Ooops!! sorry I didn't read the first post

hermum

Do you have a garden shed where you can store them until you have time to do them up? There could be enough ventilation to help clear the smell & at least they won't be smelling out the house?

mumoftwo

hermum wrote: »

Do you have a garden shed where you can store them until you have time to do them up? There could be enough ventilation to help clear the smell & at least they won't be smelling out the house?

Yeah, we have a garage.

Ben84

Oops! I was replying to the original first post about the plastic scales. Will have to remember that not everything on page one is recent. I'm guessing the OP has figured it out by now. Or is possibly still scrubbing them...

Anyway, as for the chairs. Of course none of my comments about plastic are relevant to wood, just wanted to warn the OP that often plastic turns itself brown from age and it won't clean off by any methods.

For actual cigarette smoke/stains, I've generally found that things often just need time and air until the smell fades away. I clean off what I can from hard surfaces, shampoo fabrics if possible, then just give it some time to deal with any lingering smell. Applying baking powder (dry) to fabrics and leaving it a few days before you vacuum it off helps a lot too with all kinds of odours.