Getting rid of smells from apartments?

Call the police?

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/22756-noise-complaint

IQAir Health pro plus. This is an 800$ air purifier, the Mercedes of them all.

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/20847-complaining-neighbor

This would be for a property that I will be listing in the future, so I was thinking more along the lines of a spray or some sort of charcoal based compound that you would hang in each offending room. I will note down the IQAir purifier though, I have a few clients that have dust issues, thank you!

Masking the problem to trick the buyer, right?

If the previous owner was the one that caused the problem, it is hardly tricking anyone if I am attempting to remove it entirely so that it never returns. This is how you make sure that apartments are ready to be shown.

Right, hanging a charcoal based compound will make it all better. Did you learn that in your Chemistry class at Northeastern?

MRussell: "Odors", not "Smells".

what odors? Smoke --- major issue; it there was a heavy smoker for a long time this is complicated, and you start with repainting, but it might take more than that.

People "smell" "odors".

"OUST" spray. Works well. If not: Remove any fabrics: Carpet, drapes.

See:
www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/odors/

Speak of the devil...Here's a Q & A regarding cigarette odor removal. Good luck!

www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/heloise/odors/remove-cigarette-odor-oct01

How to Remove Cigarette Smoke Odor
By Heloise

Question: My roommate and I moved into a nice apartment about two weeks ago -- the only thing wrong is the smoke smell. We've tried everything: air filters, disinfecting spray and letting in fresh air. What can we do?
-- Susan Armstrong, Murfreesboro, TN

Answer: Getting rid of the smell can be difficult. My mother's homespun remedy: Set out bowls of white vinegar or ammonia (keep out of reach of children and pets). The two biggest areas that absorb odors are walls and flooring. Clean the walls -- if they can be wet-washed -- with a nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner. No luck? You (or your building manager) may have to repaint. Be sure to brush on a sealant, available where paint is sold, first.

For carpeting, try a dry carpet cleaner with granules, which is spread on, left for a while, then vacuumed up, or a deodorizer, which you sprinkle on before running the vacuum. Beyond that, you may need a machine: a heavy-duty cleaner that sprays a detergent-and-water solution, or a shampooer. Last resort: Call in the carpet-care professionals.

Also...Try baking soda, water & vinegar on a small area of the wallpaper to see if that helps. Sorry, I don't have a formula. I just throw some vinegar in a bucket of water, then I put baking soda on a sponge and scrub away. I did this to clean really smooth wallpaper a couple of months ago and it worked pretty well. Make sure to rinse to remove baking soda residue.

Try mopping your wall with a Swiffer.

The best way is to move your apartment out of Long Island City, to a place that doesn't stink on a congenital basis. Really very little to do when you're stuck in a hellhole.

You could, of course, ask LICComment what he does to remove the stench from his flat, but since he likes to hang around the watering holes in the neighborhood - that is, the puddles between the tracks on the #7 train - it might not be that magic bullet you've been looking for.

Spread out a bunch of coffee grounds on a plate. Seriously.

ali

What's wrong with moving?

carpet shampoo and fabreeze.

What about threatening to kick out your mother-in-law if she continues to refuse to take a shower?

Thank you for all these great ideas. Fortunately the walls will be painted and I believe we are getting the wallpaper removed as well, so that should eliminate a lion's share of the odors. But assuming there are any other lingering odors, I wanted to be ready to quickly get rid of them. Thank you all for your input.

Get rid of the mother-in-law: always works!

Can you remove the carpet, too?

I once bought a 900 s.f. flip property that was inhabited by two heavy smokers and six Rottweilers. In addition to priming and painting every wall and ceiling, I actually had to sand all of the floors and replace all of the ceramic tile before the smell fully went away. I tried various enzymatic cleaners (can't rememember the names at this point) that helped, but whenever there was damp weather, the smell came back. If the apartment has any ducting, have that professionally cleaned, too. I nearly lost my lunch when I saw what came out of the central air ducts in this house. Even the pros were taken aback.

If it helps convince your sellers to make the investment, tell them I bought this property at the height of the market for 25% less than two separate units in the same general condition (minus smell, dog crates, and lots of junk) sold for previously. And this unit was on the market for 120 days while the other two sold in 1 and 7 days respectively.

We are working on removing the carpet as well. The issue is that some sellers do not want to do the work as they feel that they are throwing money down the drain. "Why spend money painting the walls when whoever buys it will do the same, etc". But, when you are doing this kind of work, you tend to make 5-10x your money on it and, as you pointed out, sell it sooner.

Good tip about the ducts though, I would never have thought of that.

mutombo: A fellow Swiffer fan -- I love the Swiffer!