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Housekeeping

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Help....awful smell of damp!

7 replies

AnArkIsAFineVessel · 28/02/2012 09:34

I'm in the process of separating from my husband after finding out about his long term affair . Have just managed to scrape enough Monet together for a 1 bed flat rental off a private let however it stinks of a damp mouldy smell . I need to live in the area I'm going to for 6 months before the housing trust will look at my application and the flat ticks every other box I need too . Huge bedroom as will be sharing with DC big garden and a nice building/area.
There is no obvious signs of any damp though , no mould anywhere snd it has been empty for a few months it's a bit mingling and will be going round with a large bucket of bleach today but is there anything else you can suggest to help me make it smell better? I have to be there for 6 months and don't want us to end up stinking of faust

OP posts:
boredandrestless · 28/02/2012 09:39

Windows open to air out, give everything a good scrub and a good dry afterwards.

Ask around and see if you can borrow a dehumidifier from someone. Has it been freshly painted to cover up signs of damp [cynical] or for you think it's just from it being shut up the last few months while it's been cold?

AnArkIsAFineVessel · 28/02/2012 09:49

Definitely not freshly painted, in fact it seriously needs it! It belonged to an elderly lady who died and her family are just renting it out for 6 months as they are not sure whether to sell or not . The building is an old 18c coaching inn made into 3 flats but 1 is also empty too ATM and up for sale so the place hasn't had any direct or indirect heating for months .
I was going to shampoo the carpets , if I stick a dehumidifier on will that be ok to dry them out properly? Dont want to make things worse if it is damp

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mousymouseafraidofdogs · 28/02/2012 09:57

agree with clean out and windows open.
you can hire a dehumidifier at a dyi store.
if you want to shampoo the carpets, hire one of those mashines that suck up most of the moisture (and dirt) straight away.
is it a furnished flat? then look behind any piece of furniture, to see if there is mould. scrub with bleach or special mould cleaner, but you would have to camp out until the fumes are gone.

the smell can well be from being empty without airing or heating for a while. good luck!

spendthrift · 28/02/2012 23:15

Once you have cleaned, burning ordinary candles or putting ground coffee in saucers will help neutralize remaining smells. You'll need to change the coffee every few days but it acts like charcoal.

PigletJohn · 29/02/2012 15:13

if it is a rather old building, it probably has plenty of drafts round the windows, up the chimney and under the floor, so the second most usual cause (lack of ventilation) probably doesn't apply, and if it's been empty, the first most usual cause (wet washing draped around) shouldn't either; except that as water vapour is lighter than air, if you have downstairs neighbours who like damp, and put water over the radiators soaked into wet clothes, then you will be getting the "benefit" of their humidity. Is there any sign of that? Condensation mould occurs mostly on external walls, usually high up or behind large furniture, and not near sources of ventilation.

If not, then in an old house I would be looking for signs of water ingress; through a leaky roof, around windows, through cracks in walls, or from plumbing especially in bathroom or kitchen, but also from radiators. If you air it well so the smell is gone, then sniff around the floors and walls, you might be able to detect where it's coming from.

Bleach kills mould temporarily, but if the surface remains damp, it will keep coming back.

The bathroom ought to have an extractor fan.

Summer will soon be here so you can keep the windows open more.

AnArkIsAFineVessel · 16/03/2012 22:09

Just thought I would update this and thank you for your ideas. I bought a good dehumidifier and totally bleached and aired the place .. The smell has gone totally!! I think it does have a condensation problem which is made 100 times worse by being shut up and not heated. I'm really happy here and peeved it doesnt have more bedrooms or we would be staying put for a while I think. The bedroom is so big I have been working out ways to divide it into 3 doubles ( it's huge I have 2 beds a cot and wardrobes etc it's all lost in there !!)

OP posts:
mousymouseafraidofdogs · 17/03/2012 13:19

great to hear your progress. I hope it stays your lovely home for a long time.

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