Parents house smelling- help!

[Exasperateddonut]

My elderly parents house smells. It’s really hard to explain. It’s smells unaired a lot of the time but when you leave you realise absolutely everything smells. Your skin, your hair, your clothes. Anything that has been in the house has this same musty smell. Flour smell musty, biscuits, any food stuff. Even plastic.

I don’t know what it is, I don’t know how to get rid of it for them. You don’t even have to be there long and you’ll still smell.

The real issue is they won’t acknowledge it and tell me I’m over reacting. Im absolutely not. It smells so bad.

As an aside I don’t know how to tell them that their personal hygiene needs to be better. They are so very resistant to absolutely everything. Mum has dementia and I’m fairly sure Dad also does too.

I just need help to identify what it would be and what the hell I can do. Help!

We have this moving in laws into assisted living. Their brand new lovely apartment stinks of old people. We think its all of the old clothing they've brought with them that hasn't been refreshed or washed for years. Old coats, old shoes, bedding, towels - just old shite. Plus the combination of never opening windows so no fresh air gets in. We've chucked a load of stuff and replaced with new but it still lingers.

The fusty sour smell also gets into curtains, if they brought those with them and didn't wash or dry clean them.

Everything was brand spanking new as it was the show flat - it was beautiful! We bought 1 sofa, 1 chair, table and chairs and 2 beds with us from their house.

I used to run residential accommodation for women. If its a sour smell it is the scent given off from the bacteria feeding of the detritus of life, such as food, particles, sticky unwashed hands touching any objects even wood and walls.

Dirty bodies sweat, urine etc.

The only way to resolve this is to bleach or steam every inch of the house including ceilings, doors, wash all materials etc, throw away shoes and everything that can not be cleaned.

But of course the smell will return as is thier age cleanliness.

Sometimes you just need that MN post to make you appreciate you aren't alone! Parents house smells terrible, dad has a catheter and it's def that (constant infections) and he's been out of the house in hospital a few weeks and the smell has gone...so def that. However thinking about my grandparents they had a different smell - old clothes, old things we just can't let go of etc. Have also had to remind my mum that her hygiene regime should not be neglected just because she's busy looking after dad etc. Jeez adulting shouldn't be like this.