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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not want to smell of drugs?

20 replies

BrittaPerry · 03/03/2013 23:50

Just moved into a new rented terraced house. It is really lovely, and has lots of lovely original features, like the fireplaces in the bedrooms. I suspect, however, that the fireplaces or something are not sealed off properly from next door as it STINKS of cannabis up there. As if someone is actually sat there smoking. Anyone old enough to know what the smell is has remarked on it, and I don't really want my clothes or the kids to smell like stoners.

So...any tips to get rid of the smell? I'm going to attempt to seal any gaps in the fireplaces tomorrow, but I'm going to need to somehow get rid of the remaining smell too.

i honestly don't care what they do in their own house - I can hardly go round and demand they stop, and anyway it is a group of quite scary looking young lads that I have to live next to just me and the kids - but I'm really going to have to do something about the smell. Is this a thing to ring the letting agent about?

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 03/03/2013 23:53

It probably is the chimneys, because they tend to be linked, especially in older houses. Shame you didn't notice it when looking around :(

If any of the fireplaces in either house are in use then there's probably nothing you can do. Other than that it would be a landlord issue to see if you can get them properly filled in/blocked off.

Original poster

BrittaPerry · 03/03/2013 23:59

The fireplaces were one of the things I loved about the house :-( We don't have actual fires in them, but downstairs we do have gas fires. The upstairs fireplaces have what looks like MDF painted black to seal off where the smoke would go, but it is loose, hopefully somehow sealing that better will help.

OP posts:

HmmmWhatAMess · 04/03/2013 00:01

Ring 101. Your local policing team will be interested.

apart from contacting the landlord I have no practical tips.

Good luck.

WilsonFrickett · 04/03/2013 00:03

You could speak to your LL, but I'd be really careful about trying to seal up chimneys if there's any gas in the house.

While it may seem like a strong smell when you are sitting in it, so to speak, it won't cling once you've gone outside. Main issue would probably be if you are drying our clothes in the line of fire...

WilsonFrickett · 04/03/2013 00:05

X post. If your downstairs chimney vents to the ones you are trying to seal off then don't, basically. You need the air to be moving through to make the gas fire safe.

Original poster

BrittaPerry · 04/03/2013 00:05

I don't really want to ring the police over the neighbours having a spliff tbh. Firstly, they aren't doing any harm - it is the design of the houses that is at fault. Plus I'm a bit scared of them :-/

OP posts:

HmmmWhatAMess · 04/03/2013 00:10

If its just a teenager and his mates then maybe that's fine. On the other hand it could be someone supplying or possibly a factory.

I do hope you get it sorted.

HmmmWhatAMess · 04/03/2013 00:12

If its just a teenager and his mates then maybe that's fine. On the other hand it could be someone supplying or possibly a factory.

I do hope you get it sorted.

ClippedPhoenix · 04/03/2013 00:26

Just seal it off OP. Remaining smells? They will go away.

ChairmanWow · 04/03/2013 07:58

They must be smoking a hell of a lot for you to be able to smell is that strongly. I'd be suspicious that it's not just smoking. Do these houses have cellars? I'm wondering about whether they're growing as well - do they definitely live there or just come and go?

Get your landlord to deal with sealing round any of the gas fires and make sure he shows you a safety certificate once it's done (if he'll do that). Obviously you're doing the other ones. As regards the existing smell, we've just moved into a house that was empty for 6 months and have had scented candles, a shedload of Febreeze and even good old Shake 'n' Vac on the go. We're finally getting rid of the nastiness.

Purple2012 · 04/03/2013 09:43

If it smells that bad they are probably growing it.

HorraceTheOtter · 04/03/2013 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StickEmUp · 04/03/2013 09:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

aldiwhore · 04/03/2013 10:14

I'd check the attic, see if the smell is stronger up there, they could be growing it... it MAY not be cannabis, it could be bad BO

If they were having the occassional spliff the smell would not be constant, and would disipate quickly. It certainly wouldn't be THAT strong.

I would do a bit more investigating, then, although I have no qualms with moderate spliff smoking I would ring 101, or ring the letting agents and play innocently niave, just mentioning a 'smell' coming from next door. You don't need to mention cannabis if you don't wish to.

erowid · 04/03/2013 10:19

Ona gel

carabos · 04/03/2013 12:48

My DH recently took a cross-border train journey in Europe. At the border, customs and police came onto the train to check passports etc. They had sniffer dogs with them, who went beserk at DH and a couple of other guys in the same carriage.

They were all taken off the train, searched and quizzed about their drug use. DH doesn't use drugs and said so. They eventually let him go, but said that he must have been in contact with drugs as the dogs are well-trained. The only thing he could think of was that he was wearing a jacket that he had worn around the skiing resort we went to at New Year, where there was a LOT of cannabis about. It was everywhere.

Based on that, I wouldn't want my place stinking of cannabis. Tip off the sherriff and see what happens.

BigPigLittlePig · 04/03/2013 12:54

My SILs 'd'h smokes weed all the time. SIL and 2 nieces always smell of a combination of weed & air freshener.

We also moved into a terraced house which had a grassy aroma to it. One day the neighbours front door was boarded up. On further enquiry this was because it had been kicked in by police raiding the cannabis factory there....

I now live in a nice house with no drug-growing neighbours!

Original poster

BrittaPerry · 04/03/2013 18:04

My friend used to be a huge stoner (back when we were students, I was one of the very few in our group that didn't partake as I have medical problems that don't go well with drugs) but used to take a few days off before visiting his friend in prison. (Unrelated crime - I promise I don't hang about with dodgy people!)

One time he was refused entry to the prison because the sniffer dogs said he smelled of weed. All he could think of was that he had left his coat at a friends house a few days ago, and the friend would have smoked in that room.

Although I don't actually cross borders or visit prison, so hopefully I would never get sniffed.

Still, I have pink hair and home educate, so I suppose people would assume that I might be the one smoking...

Meh.

OP posts:

Original poster

BrittaPerry · 04/03/2013 18:08

That's a point, actually - should I be worrying about my medical problem? (Mental Health related) How about DD1s asthma?

OP posts:

ChairmanWow · 04/03/2013 19:43

I wouldn't worry about your MH issues. They'd pretty much have to be blowing into your face for it to affect you. Ditto DD's asthma I'd say as there's unlikely to be enough smoke seeping through. Cannabis has such a strong odour that you can smell it without inhaling, as it were.

I used to smoke loads but now I've got a family I wouldn't want to be living somewhere that stinks of it. Hope you manage to get it sorted.

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