How to get rid of sweaty smelly granny smell out of a room?

JackieChang

Moved house recently.

The bedrooms smell like lockdown work from home and gym sweat and a bit of talc or some kind of chemical.

They have carpets.

Google recommends spraying the entire room with vinegar.. before I do that I'd like to know if there are other options people here have tried?

Victor

Check for clothes, food, rubbish, damp spots, mold, etc.

Ventilate for the week.

Clean everything.

Repaint.

Burn it down.

Take off and nuke from orbit.

L1011

Are you planning on replacing the carpets (assuming not rented) in the medium term? Take them up and dump now if so.

Can be near impossible to get smells out of a carpet, and you can't generally soak the carpets in an upper room for intensive cleaning, unless you want no ceilings below.

All carpets and all lino had to go in my house when I got it, to get rid of a heady mix of dog and the results of elderly decline and poor care

brokenbad

"sweaty smelly granny smell" lol

Get rid of the carpets straight away - that's the biggest source of your issue.

JohnnyChimpo

Could be worse, if it was baked-in cigarette smell then you'd have to start with the carpet and curtains and then move on to stripping all the wallpaper and scrubbing the walls with sugarsoap.

TinyMuffin

Ask her to move out.

Markcheese

I dont know if that fabreeze stuff is any good probably not ,

You can hire a carpet / upholstery cleaner they work well ,

When the place is clean AND DRY , an industrial quantity of bread soda , brushed into carpets ect , then hoover out after a day or so

Mrs OBumble

Firstly, remove the granny.

toolshead

Ventilate.

Febreeze

Buy and burn smelly candles.

xalot

Professional carpet cleaners aren't as expensive as you might think, in the interim you cannot beat baking powder and shake n vac, leave it for a few hours to absorb smells then hoover it up. Worked a treat when my kids threw up on the carpet recently! If it's been sitting for a while it might not be so easy to remove.

Also wash the curtains

Leg End Reject

Get rid of all soft furnishings - carpets, blinds, curtains etc., and get the house professionally cleaned or clean it thoroughly yourself.

DownByTheGarden

Have you made sure youve got rid of the Granny first? No point doing anything til you do that.

anewme

Stop with the granny shaming. 😡

Deregos.

Chop up some onions into quarters and place in saucers or those plastic take-away tubs (with a little drop of water to keep them moist) dotted about the house. This'll neutralise any 'sweaty granny' odours after a couple of days.

Although, you'll have to endure the smell of onions during that time, this method definitely works well.

StrawbsM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120929788#Comment_120929788

Ironically, my now departed granny swore by using onions to eliminate odours and it does work 😂

PS: never eat an onion that’s been cut as they absorb EVERYTHING in the air around them.

ohnohedidnt

Borrow or rent an ozone generator, make sure you're familiar with the risk and turn it on in the room and make yourself scarce for a good few hours.

Donald Trump

Maybe trying to stop pis$ing in the corner of the room would help?

Henry Ford III

Clean everything, ventilate, dehumidify.

If all that doesn't work then panic.

NickNickleby

From painful experience....

Make sure its not the lightbulb.

Years ago had a room that I decided to use after a long time. Noticed a smell like rotting fish in it. Did everything to find it, including removing the carpet (cheap foam backed stuff). Eventually discovered that it was because I'd put a new bulb in, and the one I put in was a higher wattage than the holder was made for. When the bulb got hot, the plastic holder gave off fumes - just like rotting fish.

Few years later, get the same smell in the kitchen. Find washing machine plug melted to socked under the counter. Few years later, same smell again in the kitchen. Pull out everything and check sockets. All fine. OK, time to get at the wiring (i knew where it was ) and check for damage. Having removed appliances and found nothing, decided to pull out corner cupboard. While emptying it I find the source of the fishy smell.... a punctured sardine tin.

sgthighway

Had the same as above with the burning light fittings. I purchased a few bottles of vinegar from Tesco and filled bowls with it. Left them around the rooms. Maybe clean carpets and curtains too.

pat_sconce

assuming its a rental property and its a musty smell probably caused by years of non ventilation, the following will most likely sort it out.

1 - Carpet cleaning. 3 or 4 runs with a Rug doctor machine will probably suffice, but a professional contractor is probably best.

2 - Use sugar soap solution to clean the walls.

3 - Fresh mattress

4 - Then buy a catalytic fragrance lamp. This will rid the room of mold spores and any lingering bad smell.

Squatman

i hate them, but light incense, will replace any smells with incense.

AyeGer

To do a proper job, rip up and dump the carpet. Wash the walls thoroughly with sugar soap. Then paint with zinsser bin primer followed by whatever colour paint you want as the final coat. Lay new carpet.

JohnnyChimpo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120931578#Comment_120931578

yep exact same story when we bought our house (probate sale from old couple's children). Turned on the lights and the stench came quickly. Was a headwreck for a few days until we figured it out

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058307642/how-to-get-rid-of-sweaty-smelly-granny-smell-out-of-a-room

Milton fluid and water, spray on the carpet. Leave air dry.