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Author Topic: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?  (Read 15276 times)

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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #25 on: October 05, 2009, 12:19:16 PM »
Quote from: franksolich on October 05, 2009, 08:00:37 AM
What'd you do with the three turtles they left behind?


We still have them, the girls feed them every morning.  They have an area behind the shed in the back yard. 

There is a gate on either side of the shed and their "home" is behind there.  They are actually registered and I have no idea how to care for them.  I just did what the previous owner told me to do as far as feeding them.  She told me that they don't have to be stored in the house in the winter (they hibernate like bears for the winter).  She said we can either store  them in the garage or leave them outside because it doesn't get that cold here.  Her husband was the one who always wanted to bring them in the house.  The previous owners moved down the street and told us if we want to get rid of them to tell them first because they will take them but they thought the girls would really like them.  They are pretty cool to watch.  The one that is 55 years old is HUGE.
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #26 on: October 05, 2009, 12:20:24 PM »
Quote from: debk 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?

I hadn't thought about tablecloths but had thought about ties.  I am determined to find out.
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Offline thundley4

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #27 on: October 05, 2009, 12:30:09 PM »
I notice that there is a pool. How close are those recesses with the rods?  They do look like drying racks for towels. Are they situated with air flow around them?
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Offline BEG

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #28 on: October 05, 2009, 02:34:17 PM »
Quote from: thundley4 on October 05, 2009, 12:30:09 PM
I notice that there is a pool. How close are those recesses with the rods?  They do look like drying racks for towels. Are they situated with air flow around them?

The pool was built after 2000 and house was built in 1949.  The things are original to the house and in the closet so they wouldn't get much in the way of air flow.  Besides, they are in the hall closet and original master bedroom closet.  I don't think you would hang a wet town in a closet. 
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Offline Wineslob

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #29 on: October 05, 2009, 02:59:16 PM »
Quote
What'd you do with the three turtles they left behind?



Quote
The one that is 55 years old is HUGE.


Turtle rides?
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Offline RobJohnson

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #30 on: October 08, 2009, 03:52:15 AM »
Quote from: debk on October 04, 2009, 08:34:55 PM

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



Good idea.

You could also try an ozone generator/ozonator. That is what the pros use.
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Offline Randy

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #31 on: October 09, 2009, 07:33:21 AM »
I have these and they work awesome for funky odors. As a matter of fact one is out on the hood of my car rejuvenating itself (you have to read the directions to understand) right now.

http://www.achooallergy.com/basement-odor-eliminator.asp
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Offline Thor

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #32 on: October 09, 2009, 08:56:54 AM »
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Offline cottondress

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #33 on: November 28, 2009, 08:17:11 AM »
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.

Ok...Im getting up there.Ive been worryed about wrinkles and gray hair and all that stuff...now you tell me Im going to smell??? What age will that be starting at...yoiks!
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Offline debk

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #34 on: November 28, 2009, 11:05:09 AM »
Quote from: cottondress on November 28, 2009, 08:17:11 AM
Ok...Im getting up there.Ive been worryed about wrinkles and gray hair and all that stuff...now you tell me Im going to smell??? What age will that be starting at...yoiks!


Some elderly people have a tendency to not bathe as often....not because they don't want to...but because they are afraid of falling getting in and out of the bathtub.

It's weird....sometimes when you walk into a house (I'm a Realtor)...you can just tell that an elderly person lived there. It's not the same as walking into a teenage boy's room - which can be just gross! But like a teenage boy's room, it's a distinctive smell.

Same with someone who is Asian or Middle Eastern. In those homes...it's how they cook their food. Very distinct smell of curry and a variety of other "exotic" (certainly to an E TN native) smells. Some also burn incense quite often, especially if there is some type of religious altar somewhere in the house. The smells permeate the walls and carpet. The house is most often immaculate....but because of the smell that hits the buyer in the face when first walking in the door....the house can be very difficult to sell.
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Offline bkg

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Re: How do you get rid of "old house smell"?
« Reply #35 on: November 28, 2009, 01:10:58 PM »
I have a friend whose house has the drawers under the closet. Always thought it was a cool idea.

Dig the study.
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