How do you get rid of "old house" smell

[TallyLassie]

We bought a split level home last year and have done lots of remodeling.

However, the house still stinks, you know that earthly, old, stale smell. I even notice it on my clothes.

Other than constantly burning candles, how do you rid a house of that smell?

 

[SpecialK]

In our old house, we had to rip up all the carpets and refinish the floors, paint every wall in the place and finally take out the bathroom floor. Not pleasant. Good luck.

 

[luvmyboys]

Napalm and a match.

Kidding!!!

My mother had that problem too when she purchased an older home, and frankly, the only way to get rid of the smell was what the other poster said-- completely refinish floors (the smell had seeped into the floorboards--when we started sanding the smell was OVERWHELMING). Also painted, had furnace and air ducts cleaned out.

Good luck. Bad odors are insidious, and can be so hard to live with.

 

[GeorgeG]

You may have some mold issues that could require major wall/floor/ceiling removal just to find. It's probably best to bring in a professional inspector to look the house over first. Just make sure you get a reputable inspector and/or contractor. If it is mold, it can cause serious health issues.

If the smell is in just one or two rooms, that might help narrow the search. The attic would be a good place to look first to see if the roof has a leak.

 

[TallyLassie]

The house has been almost completely redone, but you are right is does smell damp and moldy. It must be in the attic or crawl space. I know when we moved in there were several gallons of bleach in the garage......

We had the home inspected before we moved in.

Our house has not gotten a lot of air circulation lately. The temperatures have been in the 70s and low 80s so we have not used the air or heat.

 

[freckles and boo]

The first thing I would do is go out and purchase a dehumidifier. I got a great one at Menards for $120 last year. Our basement no longer smells like a basement.

 

[Taylor]

Get a couple of dogs the size of ours and I can guarantee the house will smell different immediately.

 

[freckles and boo]

Get a couple of dogs the size of ours and I can guarantee the house will smell different immediately.

Yum. Musty and "doggy".

 

[Taylor]

Yum. Musty and "doggy".

The poster at no time said they wanted to "improve" the smell, only "change" it. Thus, I offered my suggestion

 

[MELSMICE]

I was thinking mold/mildew also.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

New carpet and 10 cans of Lysol

 

[TallyLassie]

New carpet and 10 cans of Lysol

We don't have any carpet. Most of the house was wood or vinyl, with just some in the living room. We ripped out that carpet and put down hardwood and where there was vinyl we put tile. We have redone almost all of the house.

The house was built in 1966 and everything was pretty much original to the house.

 

[agnes!]

*Get the ducts cleaned.
*Undercoat-paint the walls & ceilings with Killz and then re-paint with color of choice.
*Replace all your furnace filters & replace them every month. Consider putting a whole-house air-cleaning system onto your AC/furnace.
*Get a whole-house dehumidifier installed.
*Check and make sure that your attic is well-ventilated.

agnes!

 

["Got Disney"]

it sounds like mold and that can be hard to get rid of and also cause health problems as the OP mentioned.

if you seem to have problems with your sinuses all the time or headaches or feeling overly tired they are some of the causes of mold. I would get it inspected. Did you do that before you bought it? also if it is mold your insurance will most likely not cover the problem.

Also if they find out about any mold or water damage that can cause you if you choose to want to switch ins. companies down the line they may refuse you.

We had water damage and no one told us that it is a no no to report it. we found some mold on the floor area and sprayed it down with water and bleach to kill it. That is what the big companies do and you have to be out of your home for 6 months.

Best to get it inspected and make decision from there mostly since it in cures health problems...some you may been having and not even though to relate to that.

Good luck and stay healthy.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

We bought a 40 year old house that had that smell. We gutted the kitchen and took down some walls in the living room. We also gutted the bathroom. We had the hardwood floors sanded and sealed. We painted the whole house too. Now the house smels like paint and the polyurethane from the flloors.We didnt find any mold in the walls, it was just that other people's hosue smell.

 

[TallyLassie]

The poster at no time said they wanted to "improve" the smell, only "change" it. Thus, I offered my suggestion

Actually, we have the dog and cat thing also going on, but the musty smell even over powers that. I don't really notice the smell so much when I am there, but when I leave and smell my clothes they sink!

I think the issue is the humidity since we have done so much remodeling. When we replaced the bathroom floor there was no slab under the bathroom vanity (just dirt). Seems they had a water leak and had riped up the floor to fix it and had not replaced it.

I am going to try the dehumidifier.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Aaawwwww Moe! You ain't thinkin' of getting rid of the dank?? ~Carl (from Simpsons when moe was going to clean up the bar.)

 

[Planogirl]

Interesting, this problem with mold. What are some of the signs of mold? My brother had a bad problem with it when he had a leak and it caused him lots of expense and health issues.

 

[GeorgeG]

Sometimes the only sign of mold is the smell. Quite often it is hidden behind walls, ceilings, siding, or in basements. Anyplace you can have a leak or condensation from rain, faulty plumbing or even foundation seepage you will find mold. Just finding it can be a major chore and expense, then comes the removal and repairs.

 

[TallyLassie]

As I said earlier, I KNOW the house had some problems in the past. There were gallons of bleach leftover in the garage. I thought they used it to clean the exterior, but who knows. The house has a partial basement (split level) and a crawl space.

I have ordered a dehumidifier from Amazon and have my fingers crossed. I also ordered one of those water sensors.