Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

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Mawkish1983
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Location: Essex, UK

Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Mawkish1983 »

Hello,

My wife and I have moved (we are now in the opposite side of the country to before). We're in a small one-bedroom flat with a combined kitchen/living room. Inevitably, cooking means smells spread throughout our humble abode. That, coupled with the pre-existing pong of wet dog and stale cigarette smoke, can be very distracting!

Does anyone know an effective way to eliminate bad odours without recourse to powerful and potentially harmful chemicals? We've tried vinegar, bicarbonate of soda (not together) and lemons, yet the whiff remains.

Many thanks
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Ben
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Ben »

Welcome back, Keith!

I'd probably steam clean the carpets first - that might do the trick.
kind regards,

Ben
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in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
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Mawkish1983
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Mawkish1983 »

Thanks Ben, it's good to be back.

So far we've tried sprinkling bicarbonate of soda on the carpet, leaving it and then vacuuming it; we'll have to hire a steamer. Thanks for the advice.
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appicchato
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by appicchato »

Mawkish1983
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Mawkish1983 »

Thanks appicchato. I'd tried a web search already and followed the advice I could. It's a rental flat so I can't lift the carpets, and I suspect the source of the smell is trapped beneath the flooring. My last resort is to fight fire with fire. If I can't remove the smell, I'll try to cover it up with a stronger but more pleasing smell.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Keith,

The bi-carb soda route is a good one.... vacuum up and go again.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Mawkish1983
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Mawkish1983 »

retrofuturist wrote:The bi-carb soda route is a good one.... vacuum up and go again.
Hi Retro :). I've tried that twice, yet the smell persists.

Maybe I should just learn to live with it.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by retrofuturist »

Nah, keep at it.

At your local cheap shop (pound store?) you'll probably find bi-carb based carpet deoderizers... all the better if they come with an attachment to help you rub it into the carpet.

There's also sprays and foams and all manner of stuff... these combined with the old elbow grease will make progress.

Try a few different kinds, and good luck!!

If I remember tonight, I'll take a photo of the one I found most effective when I moved into my unit.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
chownah
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by chownah »

I think you should talk to your landlord about this. Maybe taking up the rug is fine. If the odor is bad enough maybe the landlord will replace the rug. Maybe if the odor is still there when you move out your landlord will blame you and you will end up paying for it....best to make sure the landlord knows that the odor was there when you moved in.
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lojong1
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by lojong1 »

How about a nice long sort of permanent sage burn while the other cleaning is going on. It might even transmogrify the stank over time.
Mawkish1983
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by Mawkish1983 »

retrofuturist wrote:Try a few different kinds, and good luck!!
Thanks :) I'll keep trying.
chownah wrote:best to make sure the landlord knows that the odor was there when you moved in.
The landlord knew about it, but claimed the carpets had recently been cleaned and that was the source of the smell. We have made a lot of progress so far. Clearing away the cigarette butts from the patio helped (ground floor flat). The wet dog smell persists though. I added the smell to the inventory when we moved in.
lojong1 wrote:It might even transmogrify the stank over time
My wife doesn't like burning things :( incense aggravates her chest and throat and I imaging burning sage would do the same. Candles I can get away with, as long as they are extinguished outside.
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JeffR
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Re: Mindfulness of pongs and whiffs

Post by JeffR »

Dog smells are the worst. Sometimes a good steam cleaning followed by various odor eating treatments (bicarb, etc.) reduces it enough to be bearable. I doubt you'll get rid of that wet dog smell. I had a tenant move out once and the smell was so bad I had to replace the carpet in several rooms, painting the floor with mold sealer before putting down the new carpet; painted those rooms along with a couple others that the dogs didn't sleep or piss in; left it vacant for six months with the windows open; and it still had lingering smells. I found a tenant that has a dog (That sleeps in a kennel on a dog bed and pisses outside) and was able to tolerate the remaining smell.

Get used to it or move.
Therein what are 'six (types of) disrespect'? One dwells without respect, without deference for the Teacher; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Teaching; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Order; one dwells without respect, without deference for the precepts; one dwells without respect, without deference for heedfulness; one dwells without respect, without deference for hospitality. These are six (types of) disrespect.
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