I hired carpet cleaners 4 days ago. They left a chemical smell all throughout the house. I called them back and they said they had to use more cleaning fluid than usual because the carpets were dirty. They used precleaning fluid plus steam cleaning.
Today I hired another more well-respected company to try and get the odor from the first group out. They steam-cleaned the carpet, but the chemical smell is still there.
What can I do to get rid of this chemical smell?
Open the windows and set up several fans blowing over the carpets. Turn on your furnace fan to the "always on" position for several days.
In addition to the advice already given: burn several of the candles that are designed to get rid of smoke small (not just "regular" candles -- these really do help). You also might want to try some of the plug-in air fresheners for a few days. Monitor the candles carefully, especially if you have children or pets.
MaryL
Thanks for these suggestions. I will try them. I hope the chemicals are not dangerous to me or my dog though.
I have never heard of any problems. I had a very strong odor of smoke in my house when a microwave oven malfunctioned and did not turn off (which literally turned the food to charcoal but also released the most incredibly heavy, smoky stench). I have a cat, and the candles did not hurt either of us. I used the candles that are designed to get rid of smoke (but does not actually place an odor in the air) and also used some vanilla-scented candles. However, I was always careful not leave them burning when I could not be present to watch them. You should probably place them on a counter out of the reach of your dog, and do *not* get the kind of candles that are used for aromatherapy. There are som with essential oils that really are dangerous for cats (but I don't know about dogs).
Incidentally, I ran my air conditioner and/or fan most of the time for a few days, and the filter was actually sticky with residue when I changed it a few days later. Of course, the smoke actually had particles that the filter could "catch," but you might also want to try this.
MaryL
These are NOT going to remove any smells but just add more.
That's true of the plug-in air freshener, but the candles that are designed to eliminate smoke odor do not leave any scent of their own. I don't know how it works, but I did find that that was true in my case. Scented candles, of course, will do just as you said.
MaryL
Actually any combustion will help eliminate odors, but if you have a habit of burning candles you'll end up with a layer of hard-to-remove soot on your ceiling. It's hard to beat opening a few windows for cross-ventilation.
I was only talking about a solution for what sounded like a one-time (but very pungent) problem. Certainly, that was how I used the candles -- after a lot of very strong smoke got into the air during a microwave accident (which literally turned everything inside to "toast"). I thought I was going to need to hire a professional service and had serious concerns about permanent damage because I know that smoke residue can get into fabrics and ruin them. So I thought this called for more than just opening windows. I even found that the filter on my air conditioner was completely clogged with sticky residue after a couple of days of running the fan constantly. Those candles almost worked miracles for me. I don't smoke, so this was a one-time-only need -- but they worked so well that I thought the person who wrote for help might also like to try it. I would think that it would be good to alternate this with open windows (depending on weather and where the OP lives).
MaryL
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