I think this is the best place to post this message.
I got an old IBM T43 form eBay, at a good price since it did not come with a charger.
When I received it the laptop it smells of cigarette smoke.
The laptop itself is clean with no signs of any tar build-up.
I was wondering if i should just get a refund or is they a way to remove the smell from the laptop.
Some people say that the smell will go away after a few weeks.
so if anyone has any ideas that would be extremely helpful.
Maybe try running a smoker’s candle in the room while you’re using it.
The laptop itself is clean with no signs of any tar build-up.
Smoke contains very fine particulates that stick everywhere.
HItting any surface of that computer with a clean cottonball soaked in alcohol will probably invalidate your claim of “signs of tar build up”. They may have cleaned the exterior that way, but probably didn’t clean the interior.
Generally, replace your fans. They have tiny crevaces that capture the smoke particulate, and their function of moving air puts them in contact with plenty of it.
You could take the fan apart and rebuild it, but it’s usually easier and cheaper to just replace them. Using cotton balls and swabs soaked in rubbing alcohol, wipe down all of the surface area of the mainboard and case. Repeat until you don’t see any discoloration of the cotton.
Some methods suggest doing the same thing with vinegar after the final alcohol wipes are done. In my experience, it doesn’t help much, but probably can’t hurt.
What if you just glue a carbon filters on all of the exhausts until the smell goes away?. 
But I would probably just leave it outside on the dry days to get the smell out.
Actually you should probably take it apart anyway you probably want to clean the radiators from all the years of dust anyway.
If it’s really bad, disassemble the laptop, rinse it well (soak it) with isopropyl alcohol, let it completely dry, then reassemble.
or Bath in 90-99% isopropyl alcohol and Crest Powersonic + Branson EC.
put it in a container with an ozone generator while its on and doing something to get the fan spinning. this is what they use to get the stink out of a used cars AC system.
Thanks,
Just got some isopropyl alcohol to clean the laptop.
thanks for all your advice.
That gif just… Scares me
The world belongs to the brave…
Take out the battery, and put it in a freezer (if available) for 24 hours? I have no idea if this method would ever work. So don’t actually do it.
My God… LCD, CMOS not to mention moisture condensation.
I wasn’t serious. But this thread just reminded me of something that happened to a friend of mine, where his leather jacket smelled like an ash tray and someone suggested to put it in a freezer for x amount of days.
People and their ideas 
I used to have a tooth that caused pain, so I removed it and the pain was over. A colleague complains that he feels a lot of pain in his leg. So I advised him on my method to remove the cause of the pain. Then he will no longer feel pain.
Just take it and submerge it in the highest percentage alcohol possible.
Ozone generator ?
Order new fans, get thermal paste and pads ready, disassemble clean every surface, reassemble.
If you plan on doing this kind of thing often (have a decent sense of smell), and tinker with electronics a lot, benchtop/laptop part sized ultrasonic cleaning baths are usually less than <$500
You know, you could actually do this. If the soap is non-conductive, and the water is distilled, this would work fine, as long as you allow it to COMPLETELY dry off before use, since distilled water can pick up metallic ions from the solder joints, and actually become conductive.
That sounds like a super-keen groovy idea, AAA++++ would read again.
Please film if you do it.
Probably you can but who will take a risk.
Better go in the direction of alcohol and ultrasonic cleaner.