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Thread: Getting rid of nasty smells?

  1. #1
    Registered User Icey's Avatar
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    Getting rid of nasty smells?

    It's OK, I haven't trumped

    My flat purchase went through yesterday and we got the keys and went over there ... and I nearly cried. The flat has been left in a truly revolting state

    When you walk in the front door you are literally "hit" by the stench of dog, the carpets look like something from "Life of Grime" and the kitchen has a thick layer of grease and dirt on every surface.

    Do people really not take any pride in their homes? When I sold my flat in the summer I handed it over with the kitchen and bathroom sparkling and the carpets hoovered etc. Apparently, I have unrealistic expectations of people

    So, does anyone have any advice for banishing the dog stench?

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    Registered User Beowulf's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Have no sense of smell myself, but when I purchased my flat I had the carpets cleaned. Febreeze on the fabrics (in they left any would help) but basically the best way to banish any smell (so I have been told) is lots and lots of fresh air.

    A good kitchen cleaner will get rid of the grime (had to do that too) and a wipe down afterwards with some warm soapy water with a squeeze of lemon juice in it will banish any smells (again so I've been told)

    the citrus alsop helps cut away any remaining oliyness.

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    Senior Member rubyred's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Icey View Post
    It's OK, I haven't trumped

    My flat purchase went through yesterday and we got the keys and went over there ... and I nearly cried. The flat has been left in a truly revolting state

    When you walk in the front door you are literally "hit" by the stench of dog, the carpets look like something from "Life of Grime" and the kitchen has a thick layer of grease and dirt on every surface.

    Do people really not take any pride in their homes? When I sold my flat in the summer I handed it over with the kitchen and bathroom sparkling and the carpets hoovered etc. Apparently, I have unrealistic expectations of people

    So, does anyone have any advice for banishing the dog stench?
    When my daughter bought her car, it was obvious from the smell inside it that the previous owners had a dog. She used an air freshner called Neutradol, it comes in a spray, powder and a block, it was very effective.

    good luck and lots of happiness in your new home, [once you've got rid of the nasty smells.]

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    When I got my house the living room carpet was the main culprit of smell - cat and spilt beer I think. I dumped it, and bought a new, really cheap carpet. I also had to replace the underfelt. It worked. It does tend to be fabrics that hold the smell.

    And yes, I'd also leave a house clean and nice, but some people really don't care. (My house had been let out so it had been the tenants who had messed it up and not the owner.)

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    Commercial Operator StokeBloke's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Welcome to your new pad Icey

    Don't let anything take the edge of the joy of your new place. The carpets and soft furnishings will be the culprits for holding the smell of animals. Vacuum the carpets vigorously then hire a carpet shampoo machine from your local dry cleaners. A lot cheaper than re-carpeting the place. Air freshner and febreeze will not make your new home clean, it will just mask the smell of the grime

    Whatever happens, look at it as making the place spick and span and all your own.

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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Check the curtain rods.

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by StokeBloke View Post
    Vacuum the carpets vigorously then hire a carpet shampoo machine from your local dry cleaners. A lot cheaper than re-carpeting the place. Air freshner and febreeze will not make your new home clean, it will just mask the smell of the grime
    I agree, it will really help to clean the carpet - in my case, as it was due to liquid and the underfelt was also smelly, and because I got the replacement carpet really cheap, it was better to replace. Depends on the quality of the existing carpet. If its good quality then cleaning is probably a better option.

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    Registered User Icey's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Nope, they're all going.

    The couple had a baby, several cats, kittens and a pony of a dog in there and the carpets are rank. The wood effect flooring is also coming out as it is peeling away from the chipboard that is is stuck to.

    I am tempted to have a bleach explosion in there in the same manner as the Sony advert

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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    The best thing - and I am big fan of these, is Lampe Berger.

    Basically, the design is this: you light the wick for just 2 minutes and it burns the charcoal bit very,very hot - then you blow it out - and let it do it's work.

    Within a few minutes it works a treat - absorbing all bad smells of any description - and releasing the nice smelling stuff as much as you want.

    See http://www.lampeberger.com/

    I'm a big fan of it - and just used it again now as I'd left some prawns in the fridge for about 4 weeks .....within a few moments Lampe Berger sorted it. Definitely recomended - and they come in all sorts of designs.

    Will last a long time.

    (I do not work for Lampe Berger!).

    Cheers,

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    Registered User Icey's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by JiveLad View Post
    The best thing - and I am big fan of these, is Lampe Berger.

    Can you get them in the UK? The website only has a choice of US, Canada or France

  11. #11

    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    I've used Febreeze with great results on cat pee.

    (Some of the dancers here are also spraying their shirts with Febreeze before they wear them so they won't smell so much when they get sweaty. They reckon it works well, but I don't know if Febreeze is really intended for contact with skin like this.)

    Good luck with your cleaning.

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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Green-eyed Monsta View Post
    I've used Febreeze with great results on cat pee.

    (Some of the dancers here are also spraying their shirts with Febreeze before they wear them so they won't smell so much when they get sweaty. They reckon it works well, but I don't know if Febreeze is really intended for contact with skin like this.)

    Good luck with your cleaning.
    What a strange thing to do . It tends to only be stale sweat that smells bad so maybe they should try Persil or Daz?

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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Icey View Post
    Can you get them in the UK? The website only has a choice of US, Canada or France
    Yes - well I bought 2 at a local store last year. There are loads of places - eg:

    http://www.scentsandscentsibility.co...mpeberger2.php

    http://www.laprovence.co.uk/c-23-lampe-berger.aspx

    ...just Google Lampe Berger and select UK sites only - gets you lots......

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    Registered User Magic Hans's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Joss sticks!!!

    Works a bit like cigarette smoke ... ie diffuses into porous type fabrics.

    So clean and disinfect as much as poss, then select a (half decent) pleasant joss stick ... lavender ... sandalwood ... jasmine .... whatever takes your fancy!

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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    To get rid of pet smells etc, you really need an enzyme based product. Many of the products that you buy off the shelf just mask the odour . An enzyme based product attacks the source of the odour, and gets rid of it. I used to work for a company called Certified Laboratories, who made hygiene and maintenance products. We Used to sell a product called "Double Action" to nursing homes & hospitals for odour control. It tells youa bit more about it on this link...http://www.certifiedlabs.com/certifi...=DOUBLE+ACTION

    hope that helps

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    Registered User Icey's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Looks like I have a list of products to try once we have ripped out the carpets and flooring. I'm hoping that by getting rid of those it will reduce the worst of the smell and a damn good clean and a coat or of paint will do the rest.

    Thanks for the recommendations

    Has anyone got any horror stories of flats or houses states to make me feel a little better?

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    Registered User Lynn's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Icey View Post
    Looks like I have a list of products to try once we have ripped out the carpets and flooring. I'm hoping that by getting rid of those it will reduce the worst of the smell and a damn good clean and a coat or of paint will do the rest.
    That worked for me.
    Quote Originally Posted by Icey View Post
    Has anyone got any horror stories of flats or houses states to make me feel a little better?
    I've heard a few of people who have rented their property and when they've got it back its been really awful.

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    Forum Bombshell - Our Queen! Lory's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Icey View Post

    Has anyone got any horror stories of flats or houses states to make me feel a little better?
    When I bought my first house, the lady who'd owned it, had died in it.

    When we went to view it, her last dinner was still on the table... lovely! But I was 18, keen to get on the property ladder and it was in London and cheap!

    She'd lived there since it was built in the 30's and I don't think she'd ever redecorated, hence the toilet still had the original wooden toilet seat and high wall mounted flush cistern.

    The stench in that tiny toilet was too much to bare. So, first thing we removed the net curtain (which was stiff with dirt) then the toilet seat and thoroughly bleached and disinfected but it was no use, the smell was still there, so we stripped the wallpaper and took up the lino but no, I still couldn't bare it in the end, we removed the whole toilet, changed the window, re-plastered the walls but in the end we discovered the smell was coming from the urine impregnated floorboards..., so they had be changed too, it was only then, that the smell disappeared

    In actual fact, in the end, there wasn't a single room that we didn't totally gut but it proved to be worth it in the end.

    Good luck in your new home Icey

    And BTW, i've heard that a solution of bicarbonate of soda is good for nutralising smells
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lory View Post
    And BTW, i've heard that a solution of bicarbonate of soda is good for nutralising smells
    I was just about to say that!

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    Registered User Feelingpink's Avatar
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    Re: Getting rid of nasty smells?

    I flatted with someone once who managed to give his room a vile smell - but no idea how. He travelled a lot for work & offered the use of his room to my visiting sister. I went to air out the room the day before and couldn't get rid of the stench, except using some drops of Nilodour on the window for a full 24-hours. Amongst other things, he didn't seem to do any washing - just buy new shirts ... and in tropical Queensland ... well, you can imagine. We had to ask him to leave.

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