Sprayed vinegar on back of cupboard (porous wood) will the smell go away?

vacheron

Remember that smell is simply molecules of vinegar which have dethatched from the surface and entered your nose.

Therefore, if you can smell vinegar, the vinegar (and therefore the smell) is slowly disappearing!   

icicat

Yeah hopefully it will go soon. The room starting to smell less of it a little after removing the wood. I really hope it will eventually leave the wood. I might have to leave them in the loft for a few months.

icicat

Hey all, So to me the room doesn't smell of vinegar anymore. However, my partner cannot go into the room without triggering her asthma. She says she can still smell it. I'm wondering if when I sprayed it the particles could have settled on the walls and ceiling? Would it take weeks to go away? I may have to dismantle all the furniture I sprayed on and clean it all and clean the walls and carpet. I really hope it goes away. Maybe lighting a candle can mask it?

SandyShores

A lot of advice says to run a dehumidifier for 15 mins or an air purifier.  Few more suggestions on this article.

ps I recently bought some white vinegar cleaning spray and some baking soda to clean limescale from the basin/loo, and it definitely is potent.  We have external fans in the bathrooms though so that helped move the smell on.

icicat

yeah I do run the dehumidifier from time to time. Problem is the weather is so cold I cant really open the big windows. I've also ordered an air purifier so hopefully that will help

ThisIsWeird

icicat said:

Hey all, So to me the room doesn't smell of vinegar anymore. However, my partner cannot go into the room without triggering her asthma. She says she can still smell it. I'm wondering if when I sprayed it the particles could have settled on the walls and ceiling? Would it take weeks to go away? I may have to dismantle all the furniture I sprayed on and clean it all and clean the walls and carpet. I really hope it goes away. Maybe lighting a candle can mask it?

You are doing pretty much everything you can, and it will all ultimately disappear. You have removed the most affected parts - the back panels, cleaned down the other internal cupboard sides - probably worth doing again with sugar soap or similar (a 'clean' smell), and you bare ventilating it - but it's almost certainly worth increasing this aspect, and I'd even call it 'key'.
This is a bedroom? It's not used during the day? Cool - do you open the windows wide all day and eve, radiator off, and door closed? If not, please do so.
Not only will this help to remove the last traces of the vinegar smell, but something else almost miraculous will happen too - the damp will largely, possibly completely, disappear. The mould spores will not come back.
Yes, the room will be cold, but it will be dry. And the best thing against cold is 'bed', so make sure that is snugly and warm with a good duvet, and even an all-night leccy blanket if really needed. (I have a timer to turn mine on a half-hour before bed, and it's off as soon as under the sheets...)
If you can bear it - and it is very bearable - close the windows before bedtime, but not fully - leave them on 'vent' setting all night. Yes, cold-but-dry
You can close the windows fully around a half-hour before bed and turn on your rad, and repeat just before wake-up (rad at least), to make your bedroom welcoming at these desirable times, but save your heating - and dry your room - using ventilation at all other times.
Do you currently wake up to find condensation on your window panes? If so, use that as your guide as to how effective this can be - I'll lay odds that all morning cond will disappear, or at least be hugely reduced. And, if your windows are dry, almost certainly so will your walls be.
Your partner suffers from asthma - are you sure it isn't the mould spores which are triggering this?
The mould marks on the internal walls is unusual, and that would normally suggest either very high levels of humidity - and condensation - or the air flow being restricted around that area by, say, furniture. Or, an actual internal leak.
Could you post photos, please, to show its location and extent?
Which smells or perfumes do your partner actively like - coconut? Vanilla? Lavender? Pine? Fruit?! Can you get a smelly that will disguise the remaining vinegar? Is she actually allergic to vinegar, or is the smell of it a 'trigger'? 

The back boards you have removed - make sure to store them perfectly flat, or they will likely warp and make refitting a 'mare. What colour is the inside panels of the wardrobes - wood or white? Once you get the back panels bone dry, I think it would help to paint them, using, say, a good satin white with a mini foam roller. This will help prevent future damp getting into it, but will especially make it easier to clean and wipe down. I guess you should ask your LL first...
Are the cupboards still sturdy sans their backs? If so, be in no hurry to replace them, as this extra ventilation will almost certainly help protect your clothes too, and keep them mould-free.

tmatthews2

This smell will go, just keep the area well ventilated for a while.