New Place, Getting Rid of the Last Tenants Smell!!

Smells like a new paint job but first use a primer called KILZ, it seals in everything.

A ton of work but its worth it.

call or visit EcoClean
2828 N 36th St Phoenix, AZ 85008-1303
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They can provide the service, advice, or products

I had the same issue. The only thing that worked was cleaning the air ducts (after cleaning walls, carpets, and the rest with no difference!)
Good luck, J.

Paint! Fresh paint kills the smell; go to home depot they have some with baking soda in it. It works great! Get permisson of the owners.... talk to them they may even give you a discount on the deposit or first months rent! Good luck!

I am sensitve to smells, so I know these work. Try placing bowls of white vinger around rooms, it absorbs smells.I tried this for the first time years ago in my daughters closet when their shoes smelled so bad. A cleaning product that works GREAT is ODOBAN. I used to buy it at Costco. It disinfects and gets rid of smells. I first used it to get rid of cat urine smell that is disgusting and hard to get rid of, worked great! I think there is directions on the bottle for using on concrete, which can absorb smells.

Good luck!

Try calling a company which does clean-up after a fire. D.

Gold Canyon Candles sells a room spray that is wonderful for getting rid of odors. azcandlescents.com. Email me if you have any questions.

Hi A.!

I know how you feel. Especially having children, you don't want them around the smoke smell. I use melaleuca products and have had the BEST results. I would recommend their Sol U Mel. I haven't found anything it won't work on. Plus it's 100% guaranteed, so if you don't like it, you can return it. You can use it to get the dirt out of the carpets, off the walls, and many other uses! Go here for more info

www.livetotalwellness.com/safemommy

You can request information.

Hope this helps, and let me know!

J.

You can use bleach (mop) on the floors, then KILZ primer paint on the floors and walls, then paint over them. My son bought a house where a woman with 100 cats lived. It really stunk. He ripped out the carpets and did the above and it really helped. Good luck!

A.,

Make sure the owner or property management is aware of it & tell them you want it out. either they need to killz & repaint or ou wont move in....
I have been a Realtor for 7+ years & this happens all the time, I can pick out smells no one else does...
good luck

I like to use white vinegar as well. Also, a tablespoon of borax dissolved in a spray bottle full of water to spray the walls. Sam's club sells some stuff called oderban or something, worked good, but the added fragrance irritated my nose so I use white vinegar and borax.

Oprah's favorites contained the "Get Clean" kit from Shaklee. It has cleaners that are safe, chemical and toxic free. Included is a wonderful germicide - Basic G -that will take care of any odors and disinfect the entire place without being harmful to babies. Check out the website: www.shaklee.net/denisefriedl and it is listed under my favorites! Hope this helps...take care!

We have lived in many rentals. I use Fabreeze on everything from bare floors to carpets and curtains. It works well. I also like to burn insence and then cook a batch of cookies or bread to make it smell like MY place.

Hello A.,

I am a firm believer in bleach. I would take a bucket and a mop. half cup of bleach to a 5 gallon bucket try mopping the carpet and everything else.

looks like you got alot of advise. I would try baking soda dishes and/or spinkle around base boards and then vaccume up after about 2 days. I have not done this but it sounds logical. The best advice is to notify the landlord since it is a rental condo and document your concern. Are you sure it is not mold? Mold can make you very sick.

I simply would find a different place. If you are sensitive to odors, as I am, you will ALWAYS smell the traces, no matter what you do. Basically, the cement would have to be cleaned, disinfected and sealed. Then new carpet AND new pad need to be laid down. The walls need to be "sealed", primed and painted. All of this is the owner's responsibility, not the tenant's. Speak with your insurance company (hopefully you already have renter's insurance lined up) or any insurance agent about how they do "remediation". It's an involved process, with no guarantees. I am allergic to smoke and can never live in a home that's been smoked in, can't be in a car that has ever been smoked in, etc. I still have problems with the restaurants who allowed smoking before the law was changed. I still smell it. Your life and health is too important to risk toxic odors. Sometimes, unfortunately, the solution is even more toxic than the problem, but you wouldn't know until it's done.

can you paint it. there is a paint that covers up smells especially smoke

I agree with Kim C.
Speak to the realtor about this.

Also, just so you know...the musty smoke smell may be coming from the refridgerator if it is included.

We inherited a refridgerator from a smoker and there are filters & cardboard backing within the makings of them that will trap in the odors...causing a wet musty smoke smell.

Just thought I'd let you in on that.

HTH.
~D.

Bleach and Febreeze.

I know what you mean A., especially about the smoking smell ugh! The musty smell should go when you move in unless it is because there is damp there, so check round very well for that first. Secondly if there has been smokers livng there the smell will be in everything. If it's a rental then it should have been thouroughly cleaned before you move in. If it has been then you can try a couple of things. Washing things down with a mixture of baking soda a water helps to neutralise the smell. Also if you put a large pot of water on the stove and put in some cut up oranges and some cloves and cinnamon sticks, bring to the boil and then turn down and let it simmer. If it starts boiling away you can top it up again but leave all the doors open so that the smell gets everywhere. You may need to do this a few times but it does work. You can also wipe everything down with pure lemon juice. Give it a try and i hope that your smells go away. Good luck in your new home.

Hi A..
Anyone in Mamasource who knows me, knows how I feel about white vinegar - lol!

My mil always left bowls of white vinegar out when my fil was still a smoker. When we inherited their "smoke-smelling" car, I used a spray bottle filled with water and white vinegar. It took 3 treatments, and replacing the air filters, but worked well on anything porus.

We've also used it for pet odors and musty smells.

A gal. at the grocery store is still under $4. I also like Febreeze, but I've heard it's not for use around babies or pets.
T

Sprinkle BAKING SODA over all the carpets. Let stand overnight. Vacuum the next day. If you still have a smoker/musty smell, there is a professional smoke bomb available through carpet cleaners who specialize with water/fire damage and that does the trick pretty well. And be sure to change all FILTERS in the place.

Good luck to happier noses!

Try an air purifier, like an OZONE cleaner.

hi, my husband works for Venturi clean- they can fog the hose- which removes smoke from the walls and other smells. their # is ###-###-####

The quickest, cheapest way to get rid of bad odors is to place small bowls of white vinegar throught the space. The vinegar absorbs the odor. It's also non-toxic. Paint off gases fumes that can be harmful, especially to little ones. If there is redidue on the walls from a previous tenant who was a smoker, I would recommend wiping down the walls with water and dish soap before painting if you decide to go that route.

Hi A., the same thing happened to us in May when we moved into a rental house. There is no smoke but she worked out of her home and did skin care and cooked strange foods and who knows what so there was just a 'smell' in the house that we didn't care for. Everyone told us to spray Fabreeze but the ENTIRE house is tile or hard wood or cement floors. I did end up using Fabreeze on all our own cloth furniture and beds after we moved and then I resorted to burning incense, which has helped but I want to see your responses too and see if any will help me! Good luck!!!

If you want to get rid of the smokers smell - most likely its in the walls. I would repaint with a latex paint - it is the only thing that will seal the smell in without allowing it to seep back through.

As far as the concrete - you can also seal that with a latex sealer as well.