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Author Topic: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?  (Read 15281 times)

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Offline BEG

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How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« on: October 04, 2009, 08:20:18 PM »
Our house has an old house smell in only two areas.  In the study (which use to be the master bedroom) and the hallway leading out of the study into what use to be the only bathroom.  The bathroom kind of has an old house smell too.  The bathroom has the original sink, bathtub and the original cabinets (including a built in one in the wall).  The study has the original closet with a set of drawers under the closet doors (first time I've seen something like that).  Here is a picture of the closet: 

The original wood floors are in the study and the hallway.  The cabinets/desk in the study are from the last 8 years or so.  The previous owner stored their three tortoises in the closet in the hallway during the winter.  They left their tortoises by the way and I refuse to store them in our house.  :whatever: One of them is 55 years old.   The closet kind of smelled and I don't know if it was old house smell or tortoise smell so I hung some cedar blocks and also this thing called an Earth Care odor remover.  I used a few of those odor removers when we had a rat die in our attic last year.   Let me tell you that is the worst smell EVER...but I digress. 

Anyway, I hung another one of the Earth Care odor removers in the study but the smell is still there.  It doesn't always smell and it isn't over powering but I'm use to new houses that have no smell (unless you count the rat smell of last year).  Do I have to just live with the smell or does anyone know of a way to eliminate it?  I don't want to just cover it up with air freshener, I want to get rid of it.  Would an air purifier help?  We are planning on painting, would using kilz first help?
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Offline ColonialMarine0431

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2009, 08:26:14 PM »
Try burning candles. As a smoker I can attest to the fact that they help kill odors. By the way, what's with the old school desk in the corner?
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Offline Chris_

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2009, 08:34:14 PM »
You may be able to reduce the smell by having the ducts cleaned and using HEPA filters on the HVAC.
A portable air purifier that has a carbon filter will also help.
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Offline debk

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2009, 08:34:55 PM »
Depending on the age of the former owners, and you said one was quite ill....it could be it's an "old people" smell.

It's something that often occurs in houses that have elderly people living in them. As a realtor....we often see it in houses that are "estate sales" or when someone's parents have gone to an assisted living situation.

Call Serv-Pro, or some industrial cleaning type company, that cleans up after fires or floods.

Before I moved into this house, we had the house completely cleaned by Serv-Pro, after the entire interior was painted and the carpet replaced. The prior owners had a gazillion birds....or so it seemed - they had these huge cages, one had 30 some finches and another had about 20  :o :o :o, 3 dogs and 2 cats!!! The dogs and the cats were only a semi problem, but the birds were a humongous issue for me.

By the time we moved in....there was no smell whatsoever.

I know you've had the carpet cleaned, and you are doing some painting...so ask Serv-Pro or whoever is out there, if they have some heavy duty deodorizer that you can purchase. Not a floral but something else.

Also, make sure you don't have any mold anywhere. Is your house on a slab or a crawl? If it's on a crawl, make sure there is a moisture barrier over the dirt. A pest inspector will check for you....but that was probably checked out in your home inspection.
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2009, 08:35:34 PM »
Quote
By the way, what's with the old school desk in the corner?

It's where she makes me sit when I've been a bad boy.

 :naughty:

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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2009, 08:40:13 PM »
Using diluted Murphy's Oil soap to wipe down all the wood work and mop the harwood floors can also help.
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2009, 08:42:13 PM »
For closets put a couple of boxes of open (tear the top off) baking soda on a shelf or corner of the floor (some place where they won't get knocked over) for a few weeks.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2009, 08:48:17 PM by rich_t »
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Offline ColonialMarine0431

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2009, 08:45:11 PM »
Quote from: rich_t on October 04, 2009, 08:35:34 PM
It's where she makes me sit when I've been a bad boy.

 :naughty:



Does she pop you on the knuckles with a ruler like The Penguin?
 :rotf:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hlm6_blues-brothers-penguin_fun
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2009, 08:48:51 PM »
Quote from: ColonialMarine0431 on October 04, 2009, 08:45:11 PM
Does she pop you on the knuckles with a ruler like The Penguin?
 :rotf:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hlm6_blues-brothers-penguin_fun


Not after she found out I liked it.

 :uhsure:
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2009, 08:55:35 PM »
Quote from: ColonialMarine0431 on October 04, 2009, 08:26:14 PM
Try burning candles. As a smoker I can attest to the fact that they help kill odors. By the way, what's with the old school desk in the corner?

It's an old school desk my Mom got out of an old school house that was moved to my grandparents farm many moons ago (before I was born) that has since been torn down.  She refinished it and use to have it in a bedroom.  She gave it to me about 10 years ago.  I didn't know what to do with it so I sat it in the corner.  It has to be older than dirt.

Does anyone know what the thing in the picture is?  It's in both the original closet in the study and the hall closet.


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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #10 on: October 04, 2009, 08:57:45 PM »
Quote from: debk on October 04, 2009, 08:34:55 PM
Depending on the age of the former owners, and you said one was quite ill....it could be it's an "old people" smell.

It's something that often occurs in houses that have elderly people living in them. As a realtor....we often see it in houses that are "estate sales" or when someone's parents have gone to an assisted living situation.

Call Serv-Pro, or some industrial cleaning type company, that cleans up after fires or floods.

Before I moved into this house, we had the house completely cleaned by Serv-Pro, after the entire interior was painted and the carpet replaced. The prior owners had a gazillion birds....or so it seemed - they had these huge cages, one had 30 some finches and another had about 20  :o :o :o, 3 dogs and 2 cats!!! The dogs and the cats were only a semi problem, but the birds were a humongous issue for me.

By the time we moved in....there was no smell whatsoever.

I know you've had the carpet cleaned, and you are doing some painting...so ask Serv-Pro or whoever is out there, if they have some heavy duty deodorizer that you can purchase. Not a floral but something else.

Also, make sure you don't have any mold anywhere. Is your house on a slab or a crawl? If it's on a crawl, make sure there is a moisture barrier over the dirt. A pest inspector will check for you....but that was probably checked out in your home inspection.


It's not "old people smell" as they were only a few years older than us.  We just had the carpet replaced yesterday.  We do have a crawl space and I know our inspector went down there but I don't know if he noted there was a moisture barrier or not. 
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Offline ColonialMarine0431

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2009, 09:02:37 PM »
Quote from: BEG on October 04, 2009, 08:55:35 PM
It's an old school desk my Mom got out of an old school house that was moved to my grandparents farm many moons ago (before I was born) that has since been torn down.  She refinished it and use to have it in a bedroom.  She gave it to me about 10 years ago.  I didn't know what to do with it so I sat it in the corner.  It has to be older than dirt.

Does anyone know what the thing in the picture is?  It's in both the original closet in the study and the hall closet.




Maybe a place to hang shoes by their heels?
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2009, 09:12:50 PM »
Those bars alternate in distance from the back wall?
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Offline Chris_

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2009, 09:25:06 PM »
Quote from: BEG on October 04, 2009, 08:55:35 PM
It's an old school desk my Mom got out of an old school house that was moved to my grandparents farm many moons ago (before I was born) that has since been torn down.  She refinished it and use to have it in a bedroom.  She gave it to me about 10 years ago.  I didn't know what to do with it so I sat it in the corner.  It has to be older than dirt.

Does anyone know what the thing in the picture is?  It's in both the original closet in the study and the hall closet.



Probably used to hang blankets/quilts.
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Offline Ralph Wiggum

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2009, 09:27:46 PM »
Not buy a house with "old house smell". :evillaugh:

I'm sorry, BEG, just teasing.

The idiots we bought our house from had wall to wall urine soaked carpet (From the dogs, not the humans, as far as we know).  We ripped everything out, had the hardwood floors (which were underneath the carpet) refinished, re-painted all the walls.  Pretty much gutted the entire house.

I don't know what to tell ya'. :(
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2009, 09:38:59 PM »
Quote from: lug-nut on October 04, 2009, 09:25:06 PM
Probably used to hang blankets/quilts.


Or linens in general is what I was thinking.  The staggered distance from the back wall would lend itself to that function very nicely.
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2009, 10:00:20 PM »
Quote from: rich_t on October 04, 2009, 09:12:50 PM
Those bars alternate in distance from the back wall?

How utterly observant of you.  I feel all "OCDed" out by you.  
« Last Edit: October 04, 2009, 10:01:54 PM by BEG »
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #17 on: October 04, 2009, 10:01:33 PM »
Quote from: rich_t on October 04, 2009, 09:38:59 PM
Or linens in general is what I was thinking.  The staggered distance from the back wall would lend itself to that function very nicely.

I was wondering if it was for shoes with heals like ColonialMarine said, I hadn't thought about it being for linens or blankets.  Hmmmm.....
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Offline rich_t

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2009, 10:05:42 PM »
Quote from: BEG on October 04, 2009, 10:00:20 PM
How utterly observant of you.  I feel all "OCDed" out by you.  

Ask my wife....

I am very very observant most of the time.  It rather irritates her on occassion.
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2009, 10:06:28 PM »
Quote from: BEG on October 04, 2009, 10:01:33 PM
I was wondering if it was for shoes with heals like ColonialMarine said, I hadn't thought about it being for linens or blankets.  Hmmmm.....

If those pipes had hot water circulating through them I'd say they look like a towel warmers you'd find in an old house on Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2009, 10:13:02 PM »
Quote from: Lord Undies on October 04, 2009, 10:06:28 PM
If those pipes had hot water circulating through them I'd say they look like a towel warmers you'd find in an old house on Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.

They don't have water circulating through them and I highly doubt they would have them in the hall closet or bedroom closet.  I wondered if the one in the hall closet could be to hang gloves and scarves on.  Then I noticed the one in the bedroom closet and figured it probably isn't for that.  Someone here surely knows what they are for....I tried googling it and haven't come up with an answer.  It's hard googling for something you don't know the name of or what it's used for.   :p
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Offline Lord Undies

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2009, 10:16:00 PM »
Quote from: BEG on October 04, 2009, 10:13:02 PM
They don't have water circulating through them and I highly doubt they would have them in the hall closet or bedroom closet.  I wondered if the one in the hall closet could be to hang gloves and scarves on.  Then I noticed the one in the bedroom closet and figured it probably isn't for that.  Someone here surely knows what they are for....I tried googling it and haven't come up with an answer.  It's hard googling for something you don't know the name of or what it's used for.   :p

I thought the closets mentioned used to be a part of the original bathrooms.  I have comprehension problems.
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Offline debk

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #22 on: October 05, 2009, 12:58:06 AM »
Hanging tablecloths.

Good old ones...are usually starched almost to the point of standing on their own. The family ones I have, I send to the cleaners. It's the only way to get the wrinkles out!


Hanging ties?
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Offline franksolich

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #23 on: October 05, 2009, 08:00:37 AM »
What'd you do with the three turtles they left behind?
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Offline thundley4

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #24 on: October 05, 2009, 09:10:16 AM »
Quote from: franksolich on October 05, 2009, 08:00:37 AM
What'd you do with the three turtles they left behind?

Soup?
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