Smell in house: natural remedy apart from vinegar?

jk0

I get this with tenants. When I was renovating a rental flat recently, I could still smell my old tenant up to about 3 months after she left. All the windows were open a crack all that time also.

Solution was to steam clean all the kitchen units, chuck out all carpets, and redecorate.

rosie383

Eventually all of the carpets will be gone and we will just have the floorboards sanded and varnished.
I'm like a little block of ice now. Opened every window wide as soon as I had the house to myself and kept them open for 3 hours while I ran around cleaning and tidying. I've been sitting doing PC stuff now for a couple of hours and need to move again. I will do it again every day that I can manage.

Molillie

If you like candles, tealights, etc, they can also help remove smells, (lit, not left as decoration) The candles don't need to be scented, but I like beeswax ones when I can get them. They gradually seem to burn off smells hanging in the air. My German teacher (who is German) always does this, and is disgusted by the idea of synthetic air-fresheners, which she thinks are toxic.

rosie383

I do prefer candles rather than sprays. I have only had pretty ones and haven't actually been lighting them, just looking at them which is daft. I shall be lighting one this evening.

The house smells better today. Well, it smells of neutradol which is an improvement! I did the neutradol shake n vac thing and also opened a couple of their gel things. Also have the windows open again and was quite shocked at how much condensation there was today compared to yesterday and I had them open for hours yesterday. Strange.

I also got some of those dehumidifier things from pounders so hopefully they will help. Going to go and do all the plug holes now just in case. Oh, didn't find any bicarb in poundland so where else does it cheap please?

Anne_Marie_2

Have you tried shake and vac on the carpets. Actually you don't even need that, if you have any talc lying about the house, that will do. Leave it on the carpet for a while to absorb odours and then vacuum.

Have you a steam cleaner? If so, would it be worth having a bash at the carpets with that?

VfM4meplse

We had a similar problem in the summer: Deodorising the home of a smoker.

The good news is that four months on, I can no longer smell smoke (this may change when the heating is turned on).

The bad news is that it took a total ceiling-to-floor refurb and tens of thousands of pounds to get it there

katkin

What about incense? I'm also fond of essential oils - a little on a cotton wool ball behind a radiator smells lush.

changed_username

I think a good dehumidifier will solve your problems but you need to look for one with these features.

1) Laundry Mode. You are drying laundry indoors which causes your humidity levels to rise by up to 30% resulting in a perfect breeding ground for Aspergillus Fumigatus spores which can cause permanent and severe respiratory damage.

By using a de!!!!ifier on Laundry Mode the humidity in the room will be kept down thus resulting in drier air so no more mildew spots on the window and no more breeding of spores.

You will find that certain dehumidifiers (such as the Meaco DD8L) can heat up the surrounding air by up to 12C therefore allowing you to turn of the radiators as well.

2) Ioniser. If you have wet, damp or mouldy smells in your house them get a dehumidifier with an ioniser as these can keep the smells at bay. Ionisers attach negative ions to positive ones (such as dust mites, dirt, pollens etc) and pull them down making breathing easier and eliminating certain smells.

Ionisers are also great for people with asthma, hay fever or other respiratory problems.

rosie383

Update: House has been aired much more over the past week and is definitely better.
I also got my new rotary drier so it is so good having the washing out.
The dehumidifier box granule jobs from poundland are absorbing humidity for definite and there is a noticeable difference in the rooms.

I have been down on my hands and knees with a brush and some Aggie's (from How Clean is your house?) power stain remover for carpets from pounders again. Have done half of the living room carpet and it has come up great. Who the heck thinks about putting a beige carpet down when they know they will have countless people traipsing through the house viewing it, and a horde of removal men in filthy shoes by the looks of things???? At least now I don't mind walking on it in my socks!

rosie383

Well, the smell in the house is much better. Especially when I discovered that Dh's football boots were rank! After a whizz in the washing machine they are a bit better. And of course, windows are being opened daily as much as possible.
My question now is ... Is there any point opening all the windows when it's very wet outside? I have been doing it anyway, just wondered if it is the best idea or not.
Also, does putting the heat on every now and again help or hinder the damp problem? I imagine that if the heat is on it will generate more steaminess. The family would love it if I put the heat on, believe me.