Reddit user Flaky-Ad-6922 posted a picture on the portal showing strange brown streams on her apartment walls while taking a shower with her fiancé.
She explained that during their inspection of the apartment on the day they received the keys, she detected a light smell of cigarettes. She noted that she recognized the odor because she has relatives who smoke and used to smoke herself. However, representatives at the property management company assured the couple that the home was completely cleaned and painted before move in, attributing the smell to paint fragrance.
Following her post, commenters initially accepted her theory, suggesting that soot accumulating in a room filled with cigarette smoke could easily flow down walls when temperature and humidity rise.
Surfactant leaching in latex paint
However, the true explanation proved to be different. One commenter explained that the wall was experiencing surfactant leaching, where water soluble components of paint leach out. The commenter added that this defect is characteristic of latex paint and is activated by moisture.
A second user agreed, stating that the exact same phenomenon occurred in their newly built house and confirming it was not caused by smoke or nicotine. A third commenter recommended using a sponge or cloth dampened with water to clean the surface fairly easily.
Earlier, another Reddit user reported an oversight she made while cleaning a rented home prior to moving out. She explained that she had to scrub every corner of the property to avoid angering a demanding landlord.
