Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[auriontrd]

Hello,

I bought a house about 2 months ago, for about a month I was not able to live in the place due to all the paperwork and the likes being filled out. Now I am faced with problem with the house having the smell like the house has been shut up or a caravan has been shut up and never opened for about three years.

I air the place constantly, I have tried air freshners and using bicarb on the carpets and deodoriser on the carpets but I just can't get the smell out of the house

Is there anything I can do that can get rid of this ?

Thanks

[mrscleannw]

Hello auriontrd and welcome to Mrs. Clean's Forum!
This is a common question and the best solution is as follows:
If you cannot find exactly where the odor is coming from, many people have had good luck with ozone generators. You can rent or purchase these machines. Some require you leave the residence for a period of time. These machines are supposed to eliminate the most stubborn odors.

Here's one of our responses in our forum is found below:

I am a landlord as well, and have run into many of the same problem that you are describing. Many times I replaced carpet and repainted walls to rid a house of cigarette odors. This method works, but can be costly for every property that has an odor problem. For some landlords, $2K is the yearly margin on a property! Anyway, I started to use an ozone generator as a part of the post move out clean up process. Immediately I was truly amazed at the results of these machines. At first I was skeptical so I decided to rent an ozone generator. After the first application I was a believer, and purchased one before the next property went vacant.
Try this, it is the best idea for a house that does not have a “localized” odor. It is supposed to work for stale smoke odor too!
Good Luck,
Mrs. Clean

[moni]

Incense and scented candles usually help and are also easy and cheap. Painting might solve the problem or cause the problem. Some paint goes bad and smells long after you think it is dry. Carpets have a limited live and should be replaced every 4-5 years. You may get more time if they are well cared for and cleaned regularly.

[1stclasscleaning]

With due respect to all the options mentioned if the real case of worry is the odor then I have a suggestion which would definitely prove fruitful in the long run.Try looking for eucalyptus oil.Pour it in a small bowl and place it in a corner of a room through which the air can pass through the entire household.That would definitely solve your problem.

[CleanMachine]

I've heard of the eucalyptus oil solution before. Have you tried it out? I've never personally done it.

[1stclasscleaning]

Yes infact it makes the air pure from germs too.Try it out, it is scientific.

[1stclasscleaning]

Now a days there are many artificial products to available in the market other than room fresheners which are used to keep house away from foul smelling and this smell problem generally arise in the rainy seasons mostly.I have used some that are claiming that they have natural herbs in it and got satisfactory results.

[1stclasscleaning]

Do you have any thing to say on the post I last posted?

[1stclasscleaning]

Gosh no one yet replied it seems that you people are too busy...

[1stclasscleaning]

Have I made any mistakes in posting in the thread I mean I have posted in the right post na...

[Infomation 1324]

Hi, I just read the above topic, and I'm not quite sure if any of the solution above did the job for you,Now depending on the sizes of your home, I have a cleaning service which I run, and I have move-out property all the time that have been vacant for a while, and they get a stuffy smell, or clients with pets, especially cats what I do and would like to recommend that you do as well, if you have carpet, invest in carpet freshner, sprinkle this down on your carpet, and leave for few minutes, in your case 30 minutes. then if you have a Sam's account go to Sam's wholesale and buy a product call Odor ban, if you don't have a Sam's account, I get most of my products from a janitorial store on line call Hesco, set up an account and order this product. They also have carpet fresher that is better than the store brand, around same price in cost but much more effective and much better with a longer lasting smell.
Now if you get the Odor ban, mix the solution, I use it to clean everything, Go around and wipe down counters, doors, around window sill and so forth. or you can spray it as a disinfective spray, or air freshner . Hesco has plenty of cleaning products and supplies.

[geraldine]

When cleaning smelly areas of your home I prefer naturally derived products safe for children and pets.It's a personal thing so do your research.

[1stclasscleaning]

geraldine I completely agree with you I too think that natural cleaners are always better than the artificial one.

[Infomation 1324]

I really don't agree with the natural product, One client home I service which she is all out in the natural cleaning product, which she paid a really good piece of money for the product, but it was not effective enough to get the job done, You need something to kill germs, and odor, all natural product donot have a smell to them, even the one's they claim too have a scent, They donot clean a tub that is dirty and so forth, to me it's a lot of work, and wasted money, If there is a natural product out there that can do the job, please let someone know in stead of someone searching for a product that may not be effective to get the job done. You have small children, what about dogs that live in the house with your children as well as cats, tell me what natural product you use that kills that dog or cat ordor, I tried this at one of my clients home that had two cat's and she had invested in a natural product that she wanted me to try, I tried it and left for the day, I got a call from her early that morning and she ask me what did I use, I said the natural you told me, she quote when I walk in my home it smell like cats, yes it did, because your natural product didn't kill any scent and it didn't work and that you had become immune too the smell of the home, you only notice the smell that had been in your house from leaving and coming back and realizing that you still smelled your cats, So she then said I will not use this product and as a matter of fact I am going to call the company and complain about its product, which she paid about 80.00 for the natural cleaning product, Please let someone know if you come across a product that is effective to clean, not just cause they tell you it's a natural product.