Febreeze?

Good luck.. I purchased a used car from a previous smoker and after 2 yrs & detailing - I can still smell some components of prior smoke usage.

Paint is the only sure thing.

I'd just bite the bullet and paint. Because I think that you can wash the walls with whatever you want, but you will find at the end that you still need to paint the walls. So, I'd save the time and money and effort needed to wash the walls and just go ahead and paint them. It will get the unit back on the market faster.

Then I'd install some sort of hard-wired smoke detector that the tenants can't disable to prevent further smoke damage. There are detectors that can sense cigarette smoke--the average smoke detector can't.

There are also ionization treatments for smoke smells, but I don't know anything about them other than that they exist.

You can first try renting an ozone machine. My understanding is that is what apartment complexes use (and some car detailing shops).

Even regular latex paint is not all that successful at sealing in smoke odors.

Shellac based primer is the sealer of choice.

You can use Kilz primer/sealer/stain killer to paint the walls and ceilings. They have several formulations - I'd go with the solvent based one.

Then I would make it a no-smoking apt - in the lease.

"Then I would make it a no-smoking apt - in the lease."

I think they probably did that--
OP: "against our rules"

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cleaning/msg0423255929383.html

I've had good luck with bowls of white vinegar placed around the space for a few hours to get rid of cigarette smoke odor.

I don't know if it's still available, but I've seen Kilz paint. It has the sealer and the paint mixed together.

If you want to try cleaning before painting, try TSP. It's far more effective than the combination of things you mentioned.

BTW-I don't think an unremovable, hard-wired smoke detector exists. Even hard wired detectors require batteries in case of an electrical outage. The detector must be removed for battery replacement. I live in an area with a large population of young renters. My city just adopted an ordinance requiring hard wired detectors in all rentals. It was quite controversial, and I learned a lot about smoke detectors in the local reports about the ordinance. People will find a way to remove them. Sounds stupid, but it happens.

Paint and paint and paint again.

We bought a house that reeked of tobacco smoke (got a great deal) and had to paint several rooms four+ times to get rid of the smell. We steam cleaned the baseboard radiators, replaced 80% of the flooring, replaced all lighting cans in the ceiling (which were brown with smoke), and demo-d whatever we couldn't get clean (panelling). Even the kitchen cabinets reeked of smoke as we tore them out. One bathroom had so much smoke damage that brown streaks would run down the walls after someone took a shower, and this was AFTER repainting.

It's all fresh and clean now, whew.

Thanks all! We've tried everything mentioned except painting. Hopefully this will do it! No insult to smokers but the scent is pretty offensive to non smokers. I guess some people just don't care that others are bothered. This has been pretty expensive to rid odors from just one tenant who has only been here 90 days! I'm still pissed!!