Doggy smells: removing

[bruce_phipps]

I'm buying a house from someone who has a dog and is a smoker. I am a dog hater and non-smoker and am keen to remove any doggy/smoking smells when I get moved into the house.

Tips, please on removing doggy odours.

• I am replacing most of the carpets.

• I'll replace or wash out most of the curtains/blinds.

• They are leaving a old leather chesterfield type settee -- a vacuum and wipe down with soap & water should freshen it up?

• Ceilings don't seem too yellow from cigarette smoke -- a good sign. Thanks Bruce

[The Natural Philosopher]

Burn everything you can, and then wait...

it fades in time.

[Christian McArdle]

Remove and destroy all carpets (without exception) and curtains. Scrub all walls and ceilings with sugar soap. Repaint every surface. They may look clean now, but when you put a dab of new "Pure Brilliant White" next to it, you may feel quite nauseous at the contrast.

If you must attempt to reuse the curtains, they'll need at least 3 washes at

60C, preferably in someone else's washing machine.

I'd be worried about the sofa. However, it is leather, so you might get away with it after a good scrubbing. If it had been fabric, then it would be straight in the skip.

Christian.

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

Any carpets that aren't replaced get professionally cleaned. Make sure they use a deodoriser as this is really effective.

Wash the walls and ceilings with detergent. Wash all the remaining curtains.

Dunno what you can do about the sofa as the smell will be in the stuffing.

Having done all this some smell will probably remain but will fade given time.

sPoNiX

[Andrew Gabriel]

I had the doggy odour problem when I moved in. It turned out to be coming mainly from the one area the dog must have used as a "basket" substitute, the hall floor nestling into the bottom step of the stairs. I gave it a damn good vacuum often for a month, and the smell went. So keep an eye out where the dog might commonly like to lay down or ask the owner where it sleeps.

[bruce_phipps]

When I last viewed the house, the dog's feeding bowls were near the kitchen door. So maybe it won't pong so bad.

I'm still going to replace the carpets, though. Then I'll fill the house with *my own* smells!

Bruce

[Mary Fisher]

Dogs, kids, husbands ...

... not in this house though, except the husband.

Mary

[[news]]

word !

RT

[Scott]

Why not buy a dog? Then at least it will mask the orginal smell, and you will have a friend for life... well about 10 years.

[Sheila]

You poor thing Bruce. The answer is simple ~ get rid of all the furnishings and then leave all the doors and windows open for a few weeks. You could try owning a dog, you might be a better person for it and it's better than golf. Of course you might also look at another house. OTOH if you are not capable of basic house cleaning tasks without instruction you might consider renting a bijou high rise apartment. Is England becoming a nation of dog haters?

Sheila

[Scott]

No, I love dogs

[Sheila]

Yes. I wasn't talking to you, but so do I ;

[Frank Erskine]

You can get rid of a lot of smells around the house by burning a few candles. This tip was given me by the proprietor of a taxi firm who took over a business where previous drivers hanging around the office stunk the place out with cigarette smoke and takeaway meals all day and night.

Neutrodol carpet powder is quite effective too.

[Mary Fisher]

I don't think so. But many of us don't like the smells which many animal owners allow their pets to leave. So saying, I don't like a lot of the human smells some folk have in their houses.

I'm not a dog loveror hater either. We've had cats, I wouldn't have them now but they didn't smell. We have chickens, I won't tolerate smells from them either (yes, they do sometimes come in the house!)

I think that one of the problems of smells in houses - from any source - is because we have so much soft furnishing. Carpets are a particular culprit, they stay in place for years sometimes, collecting smells, dirt and livestock. The current fashion for hard floors makes a lot of sense, we've had them for years.

Mary

[Owain]

"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote | Dunno what you can do about the sofa as the smell will be in | the stuffing.

As may be any fleas ...

Owain

[Eiron]

Many years ago you could get a man from the council to fumigate a house. No evidence was required, I just told him that it was infested. I don't know if the service is still available.

Can you still buy tins of Zyklon pellets?

[Mary Fisher]

Oh yes. At a price.

Mary

[bruce_phipps]

Should I be unduly worried about inheriting a flea-infested sofa from a dog owner? Or are today's dogs healthy and flea-free?

Bruce

[Mary Fisher]

That's like asking if today's people are healthy and flea free.

Mary

[Eiron]

Most people are free of fleas, except the dog owners.