Whats the best way to get an odor out of an apartment I just moved into?

Question

I clean with ammonia and capert freshners and nothing works

Yes, it seem as though they had a dog

Answer 1

Sprinkle your entire carpet with a layer of baking soda (you can buy it in a big box for 2 or 3 bucks) before you leave for work - let it stay there all day and vacuum it up when you return home.

You should clean every possible surface in your bathroom with a good basin/tub/tile cleaner. Make sure you completely clean the outside of the toilets - in back where they face the wall (wear gloves!)

Pour a cup of bleach down every drain in your home - kitchen and bathrooms, and let it sit for at least an hour, longer if necessary.

Buy a small bag of charcoal - place several briquets in plastic bowls (like the size of a cool whip containter) and place a bowl in inconspicuous locations in the apartment - behind the toilet, in the corner of the living room, etc. Leave them there for about two weeks to one month. Charcoal will absorb all sorts of odors - effectively removing them from the air, carpet, walls, etc.

Your goal is to thoroughly clean and then to REMOVE the odor. Fabric/air/carpet freshners tend to cover odors rather than remove them.

After you've cleaned, used the baking soda treatment on the carpet and placed charcoal around, you'll notice a marked improvement. At that point, use great products for enhancing the scent of your environment such as Febreeze, etc.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

You need to pinpoint the odor source and deal with it directly. Until you clean the source, there's no amount of air deodorizer that will work.

For example if it is the carpet, then professional cleaning may not be enough if the odor comes from the wood underneath the carpet.

If the odor is coming from the vents, then the vents need cleaning and sanitizing.

Walls could have mold behind them. In which case I'd be out of that apartment pronto. Mice infestations leave urine smell behind the walls.......and droppings.

Also, the cause may be the water......water can smell like rotten eggs and affect the whole house.

When you first come home and your nose is fresh, go around the apartment and try to pinpoint the source. After a few minutes your nose goes "dead" so this may take several explorations.

Answer 3

Some other responses mentioned charcoal. I have the perfect solution . It is a product called FRIDGE IT odor absorbers. It is a little purple cube with an activated carbon filter inside that is really great. It works so much better than baking soda and all those sprays and fragrances that just cover up odors and doesnt' get rid of them. I'm also not fond of sprays that have warning statements about eye irritants. Just put a few around the house and particularly areas with odors. No messy pieces or carbon powder to worry about. The carbon filter in this product literally eliminates the odors and works for a long time. I use this product everywhere including my fridge and freezer and also under sinks, closet drawers, near trash and have friends that use it on cat litter box and also diaper pails - it's that good. I really recommend it and it's not expensive. You can buy it in kitchen gadget sections in stores like walmart and linens and things. I also think camping world sells it. Definitely worth trying. It's the best product for any odors.

Answer 4

Steam cleaning the carpet works really well. I bought a Bissel Steamvac for under $80 at Target. It has really helped with the odor of the carpet in my apartment, since I have a dog. I also use an air filter and lots of plug-in air fresheners. If it's warm enough, try opening some windows for a few days to let the fresh air in. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

If the smell is coming from the carpets, try a couple of boxes of baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda liberally on the carpets, let stand for a day, and then vacuum up. Works the same as absorbing odors in your refrigerator.

Vanilla is a great cover up for odors. Gives the place a nice "homey" smell.

Answer 6

In the air freshener section of your local home and garden shop, they should have these sticky sheets of air fresheners that you put directly into the filter of your a/c. This should neutralize the odor throughout your apartment. Also, make sure the landlord painted and steam cleaned the carpets before you moved in. pull out all your appliances to see if there is another reason for the smell. You should also bleach out your garbage disposal and such. this may help.

Answer 7

Hi, just go t a cleaning supply store and tell them about the odor, they will tell you what to use, that's where i go and by my supplies, i fix houses and some times we get this houses with odor of animals, cats,dogs etc...they have something for that and the smells goes away in 24 hrs..so go to this places and ask them, don't go to Home Depot or Lowe's they don't have it, they just have regular cleaning supplies.

Answer 8

Clean the carpets with a carpet cleaner. Bleach the bathrooms. You also need air freshner wall plug-ins. I would also suggest my personal favorite FEBREEZE squirt it everywhere, fabrics and carpet. Eventually, all this will help.

Answer 9

leave the windows open as much as posibble, or if you can paint the apartment, why dont you remove the carpet is there wood underneath? The previous owner may have had pets or smoked and those smell are very hard to get rid of.

Answer 10

Activated charcoal placed in a bowl in the center of the rooms.

A bowl of vinegar placed in the center of the rooms.