How do you get rid of household odors...

[bliss_eternal]

--when they do not originate in your home?

Our neighbors (downstairs) cook with a lot of heavy oils and spices(garlic, onions, etc). The smells from their cooking tend to come into our apt. With it being summertime, heat rising and the humidity--it's generally not pleasant, particularly with my allergy issues.

The apt mgmt. said they have spoke to them about using their oven vents and opening some windows--but they ultimately can't MAKE them. So, I need to do what I can do to make things better for myself.

I have some scented candles, which help somewhat but tend to mask the odor sometimes and not really get rid of it. We also have an ionic breeze, which can be helpful, too.

Any other good product suggestions or remedies for this?

Thanks!

(also posted in DIY, home improvement board...just hoping for a quicker response):hi:

[barb162]

1. open the windows on one side of your place and put a window fan in

on the other side and use it as an exhaust fan

[bliss_eternal]

6. Good idea--

I just put on my air conditioner/fan and opened up the bedroom windows. Hope it helps.

Thank YOU!

:D

[catzies]

2. Beeswax candles (not paraffin) take out embedded smells.

They also put ions in the air like your ionizer. If you can, ditch your pretoluem-product candles & get beeswax.

[bliss_eternal]

4. Fabulous tip--thank YOU so much!

There's a Whole Foods in my area--I know they will have some!

:bounce:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

3. Bowls of white vinegar

Use wide-mouthed bowls - like baking pans - and fill them with white vinegar. Put them everywhere. Change the vinegar every six hours or so.

Then start apartment-hunting, because there's nothing anyone can do about a problem like that.

[bliss_eternal]

5. Yes, it's true--

At least in this bldg. they are WILLING to ask the tenants to use their vents and open their windows to help it somewhat.

My former bldg. we had the problem for a while (until the tenants moved out)--but they wouldn't even try. It was sometimes just unbearable. Also there was little ventilation in the old place, so no where for the odor to go. We get a pretty decent breeze here so that helps...

Won't be looking for a new place until some of the prices come down on condos and homes--don't want to live in another apt. This is it--our last apt. dwelling.

Thank you for your awesome tip!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

8. Get maintenance to check the roof

The ventilation system is housed on the roof, and there are things up there that can be opened - and should be cleaned regularly, but very often aren't. That'll help a lot with the draw on the fans and maybe keep some of the odors out of your place.

White vinegar is one of the world's truly great tricks. It's an excellent antibacterial, the best for cleaning (I used to part-own a cleaning service, and you pick up these things) everything - windows, greasy stoves, everything. Get a cut, douse it with white vinegar.

It's good for other stuff, too.

Maybe you can buy them a cookbook - maybe a "How To Thrive On Raw Foods" or something like that - and they'll take the hint ............?

(OK, that last one was a joke........)

[bliss_eternal]

11. What about cleaning my kitchen floor with it?

The white vinegar I mean? Will that help, too...

Since the smell comes up through the floor (their ceiling, our floor), I thought maybe treating our kitchen floor, walls, etc. might absorb some of the odor--or maybe I am reaching here.

I don't know lots of cleaning tricks--so I'm excited to talk with someone that does! :hi:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

16. I can't hurt

You have wooden floors? I wouldn't use vinegar on wooden floors, especially if you have a security deposit. If you don't, it might seem like the smell's coming through the floors, but it's not - it's coming up primarily through the air ducts - so make sure someone checks those vents on the roof.

Have you spoken with the people downstairs? Would that be possible? If your stove fan has a filter, take it off and clean it - run it through your dishwasher, if you have one, or else soak it in :::: drum roll ::::: white vinegar!

What a lousy problem to have. I feel for ya, kid ........

[bliss_eternal]

20. You're so sweet--I appreciate your empathy!

Really--it means a lot. I had a melt down before dh left for work, sooooo sick of apt. living. Sometimes, the mgmnt. just get 'tudes about things and it is frustrating. So thank you for the kind words.:hug:

Actually, our kitchen floors are tile/linoleum, so I am guessing that the vinegar won't hurt those.

I'll ask dh to talk with them about checking the roof and other vents tomorrow--another good idea.

I took him to work, when I came back in the apt, it smells like a citrus garden in here! LOL! LOL! So all the tips I've utilized thus far (white vinegar, bees wax candle, febreze and carpet treatment) helped considerably. I had to laugh though, as the scent now is a bit overwhelming--I really got into it. But I LIKE this smell!

Thanks again. :hi:

[1monster]

7. Citrus Slice air freshener

"Citrus Slice is a supercharged, high-potency air freshener made from nature's own citrus fruit. The concentrated citrus extracts in Citrus Slice destroy oders on contact and leave the air clean and fresh with a natural citrus fragrance. Ideal for every environment, home, office, and car!"

This stuff is wonderful. It leaves the air smelling like freshly cut navel oranges.

A little goes a long way and that's good becaue it is something like five dollars for eight ounces.

I can't find a web site for it, but if you can't find it in your stores, here is their number: 478-742-7896 Kennesaw, GA 30144

[bliss_eternal]

9. Gosh--thank you so much. I LOVE the smell of citrus..Will

it really get rid of the smell?

I've sprayed Febreze and stuff like that, which I don't care for just in environmental concerns--I hate putting too much of that stuff in the air. But it doesn't seem to help do anything but mask it.

[1monster]

14. I have nine cats and a dog. And I'm recommending Citrus Slice. Does

that help? :D

[bliss_eternal]

19. Whoa--I'm calling that number first thing on Monday!

Thank YOU for the recommendation! That should definitely do it!

:thumbsup:

[supernova]

10. Febreeze if it's in your furniture and drapes

Febreeze really makes the room smell fresh, you don't have to have pets to try it.

I make a point to open my house every week or so.

[bliss_eternal]

13. I did Febreze for the carpet earlier--I love the citrus one!

After spraying the carpet and furniture, I treated the carpet again with the carpet deoderizer powder, and vacuumed after a few minutes.

I like the way the combination of the two smells in the apt.

[gizmo1979]

12. My wife would say

through me out of the house.

[LisaL]

15. Hey. My downstairs neighbors tried to burn the place down.

They had things cooking but went out. The smell was awful. I thought the house was on fire.

[bliss_eternal]

23. Yikes! That sounds scary!

That's so dangerous, to leave something cooking and then leave the house. What were they thinking?

Unless of course it was in a crock pot or something like that. That's a little different(safer).

[Darth_Kitten]

17. I put a towel across the bottom of my door.

Neighbours can be so lazy and so stupid. :eyes:

[ls317]

18. Orange Peels

Burn some orange peels

[bliss_eternal]

22. Hmmm, hadn't thought of this. Thank you!

:hi:

[rug]

21. I move

[shanti]

24. get used to burning incense

nag champa is my favorite and seems to cover up a lot of nasty smells.

[LeftyMom]

25. Baking soda

You can buy a big bag at Costco for about $3. It absorbs smells,or you can just throw scoops of it at the neighbors until they get the hint.

[lavenderdiva]

26. I used to work for the nation's largest sanitary maintenance company

and the product we used to recommend is 'Ozium' by a company named TIMEMIST. It is an Odor Sanitizer. Here is the manufacturer's information on the product:

"Effectively reduces airborne bacteria and eliminates smoke and odors. Cleanses the air with glycolized action: Lighter-than-air particles remain suspended for 3-4 hours, sanitizing, deodorizing and leaving a fresh fragrance. Use in schools, medical facilities and food-processing areas. EPA Registered."


This product will get rid of ANY bad odors. Most spray 'fragrances' just cover-up the actual offending scent. This product actually chemically cleanses the bad odor from the air, and gets rid of it. It has a blue label on a white can, and doesn't really leave any scent behind, other than a 'clean' scent. You can buy it in scents like citrus, country fresh, and vanilla, but I personally like the original Ozium, no scent. You can find this product in any Janitorial Supply Store in your city, just look in your Yellow Pages under 'Janitorial Supply'. If they don't stock it, they can order it for you, but most of them stock it, and sell to the public. I have also seen it in car supply stores, such as AutoZone, etc. in small cans for your car.

I hope I don't offend anyone here by sharing my story of how it helped me, but if it worked in this situation, it will help ANYONE. My mother passed away almost 10 years ago, and was dead in her home for approx. 3-4 days before I found her. Now, I won't go into specifics, but suffice it to say, the odor, that hit you when you walked in that door, was enough to knock you over with a feather. I used this product in her home, and it completely got rid of the smell. It was a miracle! Thank God I knew about it, because Glade or Renuzit or something like that just wasn't going to work....