I'm looking for ideas on how to get the stale smell out of my house.?
Question:My husband and I recently bought a single wide mobile home dirt cheap to help us save up money to buy a real house. Now I know why it was so cheap. There is a TON of work that needs done, from replacing all the electrical and plumbing to replacing part of the roof. I clean almost constantly. There are the two of us, plus our 4 kids, collie, and 2 indoor/outdoor cats (mousers). My question is, How do I get rid of the staleness while we're on our quest to remodel? We're doing it slowly, finding things on sale and fixing with those. Part of the problem is that I am pregnant and every little smell bothers me. I leave all the windows open during the day, and all but 2 of them are cracked all night. This stale smell just makes me want to vomit!! Please help me!
Answers:
vinegar might be helpful -- i've used it before to get rid of a smoky smell that lingered after using a fireplace. you can read http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/tips/a/... for ideas
I found that fresh paint or washing walls help a lot. You need to remove the smell, not just cover it up.
Also, if there is carpeting, replace it and the padding too. The carpet is harboring old stench of previous owners.
In the meantime, try using Oust air sanitizer.spray it in each room, make sure to read the label first...since your are pregnant.
Pour lemon fresh amonia into several small bowls and place them on the counters around the house, then everybody (pets included) leave the house for a couple of hours. The amonia will pick up all odors quickly. When you go back into house open windows and let the fresh air in! At night when the house is closed up place a small bowl on a counter away from your bedroom, let it freshen while you sleep.
Another thing is when you paint use Kilz to prime with first before your choice of color as it will seal in any mold or mildew you more than likely have. Very important to use Kilz, not the generic version..it is worth it to spend the little extra and do it right. This will really help with the smell.
Also look for Odo-Ban, usually in the automotive dept. Awesome for odors and it has a nice fresh smell to it.
get a nice size air puerifer about $75-100 any diy wash wall's wit TSP VERY SAFE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/air_purifie...
Yhis might be a last resort. They are expensive.
The first thing your husband MUST do is to make sure all the roof vents are clear. Some mobiles have the laundry vented into the wall, and that could be a main source of the smells.
Next, make sure that the bathrooms are not leaking. A leaky tub will soak the insulation underneath, and cause a lifetime of misery.
He might need to crawl under it and look for signs of leaks.
A good filter in the AC
http://www.ushomefilter.com/arm_hammer_m...
will make all the difference in breathing the air. You might also need to pull the grates, and scrub the ducts as far as you can reach with a pine sol type cleaner. Plenty of crud falls in the floor vents on MH's.
I feel for you and your hubby. Being able to breath clean air is a blessed thing. Especially while pregnant.
if you have a rug cut open a tea bag and put it all over your rug and let it sit, then vaccum it up. the sent will stay on your rug.
You have your hands full! When we lived in a house with old carpet I sprinkled baking soda by the box fulls before I went to bed and vacuumed in the morning after everyone left for school and work, it didn't eliminate all the odor but made it tolerable. Also if you put white vinegar in a sauce pan and boil it for 10 minutes it will help neutralize the air, just make sure you don't boil it dry or you will have a worse odor than before. Good luck!
much of the stale smell in older mobile homes is actually a damp rot. I found that by really cleaning every bit of it and wiping with a weak bleach solution I got some but not all of the smell. It waasn't until I located any wood/shelving that had been rotting that I was able to get rid of the smell. I found that in older mobile homes, the shelving is substandard and under the sinks, it often is damp and rots, peeling or chipping away. Once you get rid of that, the smelll should go too. I took mine out with a sledge hammer and rebuilt the shelves in a "rustic look" with just shelves and covered them neatly with a curtain. Never had that smell again once I did that! Good luck.
More Related Questions & Answers...