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