cleaning a very musty and smelly house?

[John Nagelson]

An aunt of my wife's has recently moved into an old people's home and we are setting about cleaning her house. It smells as if she hasn't opened a window or got a cloth out for 25 years. We've had it checked by a surveyor and there's no damp or other structural problem; the place just stinks.

I am planning to

• get rid of all carpets, wallpaper, skirting boards, architraves etc., for replacement

• use sugar soap on walls, window surrounds, floorboards, ceilings, etc., giving them all a good scrubbing

• buy or hire a couple of industrial-spec fans with high throughput, e.g. Sealey ones with a throughput of 50 cubic metres of air per minute or even more, put them by a window or door, and leave them on for as long as it takes - and if possible do the same under the floorboards and in the loft

Is there anything more I need to know? Generally I hate "air fresheners", but is there some chemical preparation that might be useful to blow through the place and won't make it smell like a taxi?

The place is wet-plastered - should I remove some of that too?

John

[Bruce]

The word that springs to mind is "overkill" but I appreciate it must be very musty/smelly, otherwise you wouldn't be posting.

Have you considered using baking soda?

Google on "baking soda smells".

[dom]

Excellent.

Excellent.

You might find a dehumidifier works better.

[The Medway Handyman]

Do the above, then hire an ozone generator for a week

that will sort it out.

[Andy Dingley]

It's just the soft furnishing: carpets, curtains, upholstery. Maybe wallpaper, but that's only usually a problem if it's damp. Woodwork is fine.

Nor do you need fans. The normal rate of air circulation at this time of year is plenty.

Steam wallpaper strippers make great steam cleaners for tiled bathrooms and kitchens.

[Lobster]

From my own experience of doing up properties in pretty naff condition, I'd have thought that if you renew all floor coverings and soft furbishings and redecorate throughout, that should cover it.

If there are floorboards etc which have been soaked in urine that might present a greater level of challenge, but sounds like that's not the case?

David

[The Natural Philosopher]

Dint bother with air fresheners.

Wash all paint, vacuum all carpets, throw away all rubbish, and leave ventilators open.

That will get you about 90% there, and the rest is down to using the nose to suss the truly manky bits.

Mould smells will die once you have dryness, only stale smoke, dog and cat tend to stay..and carpet shampooing may be cheaper than new carpets. That really does restore a sense of cleanliness.

[Part timer]

week

will sort it out.

Hire? In the spirit of the group's name, DIY one:

[mogga]

Do nothing and price it realisticly. Whilst you might want to play nice it's probably not worth the effort.

Speak to the local EA and get them to price it realisticly.

Get property bee installed on firefox and have a look at the local area on rightmove. You'll see how many houses are overpriced and not sold for a long time.

[Fredxx]

I can't disagree more. First impressions count a lot, and I would do anything I can easily do to make the property more attractive. Smelling nice is one important step. People like to imagine they are living there!

[Dave Liquorice]

The smell will mostly be in the soft furnishings, remove all those and a good wash down of painted/hard surfaces will do wonders along with a bit of normal ventilation.

Unless the previous occupiers were smokers in which case you'll probably needs to wash down all the walls and ceilings a couple of times to get rid of the nicotine/tar then redecorate. If you don't the yellow gunk will come through emulsion/paper in fairly short order.

If you are going to sell price then it's not really worth doing much to it. The chances are what ever you do will just be ripped out or redecorated by the new owners. Just be realistic over the price you put on it.

[Huge]

Quite. As a realtor(*) of my aquaintance says "If it smells it won't sell."

(* Yes, in America.)

[Fredxx]

I never knew they existed. Are they effective? I am aware that from a health POV, the OP would be well advised not to occupy or frequent a property full of ozone!

[george [dicegeorge]]

by the time youve cleared out the smelly carpets you'll be used to the lower level of smell so get someone else to check it.

even a subconscious smell could put people off, so after days of sunshine and open windows perhaps introduce a smell-

[mogga]

The only people buying round here at the moment are the cash rich developers and landlords. They will see past the whiff.

Get local EAs out and ask their opinion on price now and if you waste time and energy removing stuff.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Fresh brewed ground coffee.

[Dave Liquorice]

Freshly baked bread, easy enough with a bread maker...

[The Medway Handyman]

Very effective on smoke damage. They chuck out more ozone than is good for you, so the property has to be enpty.

[george [dicegeorge]]

skunk!