How to rid our house of "old house" smell?

Gail Bliesner
by Gail Bliesner
We bought a 1977 home over one year ago! It had been updated a few years prior by previous owners!

  9 answers
  • Tami Dean Tami Dean on Jun 28, 2017

    Put diluted vinegar and water into a vaporizer.

  • Elaine Elaine on Jun 28, 2017

    Gee, my daughter lives in a 1950's ranch-type home and there's no smell at all! 😳 Were the previous owners smokers, do you know? Did they leave their old curtains and drapes behind? If so, replace them or launder them really well and dry them outside if possible. Does your home still have their carpeting throughout? If your budget allows, remove their carpeting (you never know what spills it has had over the years) and repaint every room as time and money allows. Put saucers of vinegar in dishes in the closets - odors can really cling to closet walls! Leave windows open as much as possible to, hopefully, air it out. Regarding cupboards, drawers in bathrooms, etc. remove any shelf or drawer liner they may have left behind. Change the filter on the furnace as well. Good luck!

  • C. D. Scallan C. D. Scallan on Jun 28, 2017

    Make sachets out of baking soda and coffee filters , close with rubber bands. Place in every cupboard, closet, drawer and closed space in the home .

  • Happy Days Hometalker Happy Days Hometalker on Jun 29, 2017

    We bought a " Living Air Classic Plus " ( you can google it ) during the wildfire season when everything was smoky hard to breath and the air was stinky about 20 years ago, we have replaced it once, it cleared the air up in our home 100% within 24 hours and it always smells good in our house. The carpet removal is a very good idea, especially if it is old, only replace it with anything but carpet. Much luck to you !

  • Cori Widen Cori Widen on Jun 29, 2017

    If you use homemade cleaners, add some drops of essential oils to them. It really helps!

  • Ana Bacallao Ana Bacallao on Jun 29, 2017

    Do you have central air conditioning? If you do, have someone come in and clean out your vents this works wonders.

  • Linda Nadbrzuch Linda Nadbrzuch on Jun 29, 2017

    All the above answers could help resolve your problem. If it was a smoker, everything needs to be thoroughly scrubbed and painted with a sealer before painting with interior paint. Also, using an air purifier will make a big difference. As a former property manager, I found it very difficult to get that leftover smoke smell out of apartments. Baking soda and vinegar left around in trays will help tremendously.

  • Norris720 Norris720 on Jun 29, 2017

    Gail Bliesner - Open the windows and sunlight will help. Clean the carpets if you have (steam). Kitchen was the walls, and cabinets with TSP. Change the A/C filters and a suggestion of possible cleaning the household venting system. Follow the above suggestion for more info.

  • Patricia. Patricia. on Jun 29, 2017

    Put charcoal in a shallow containers and put one in each room. Scented candles burned help too.