I was wondering if there were any means of bombing it with a new scent which would idk stick. I tried stuff like air fresheners but they last a day or a few and then aren’t noticeable while the apartment smell persists. I didn’t try candles because I don’t have anything to light them on with. Are scented candles powerful enough to make the entire place smell different long term? I want to eventually invite a guy over and he asked me if the place smells bad because he’s sensitive to smells and knows they renovated it (or rather are about to finish) with me moving in.
If you can get out of the place for a few days, sealing it up tight and having an ozone generator going full blast works really well at getting rid of bad smells. If that’s not an option, I’d recommend making an air purifier like this one.
Bless your soul but I cannot. Are you an USArab?
I’m Canuckistani. No-go on an air filter either? If we’re going mad low rent, you can make a carbon air filter on the cheap by doing something like this with the pre-filter
A Corsi-Rosenthal box is a good thing to have around long term, but it won’t really help with the bad smells as MERV 13 filters can’t filter out VOCs.
I’m just asking because people from US are always eager to suggest leaving the apartment and I’ve nowhere to go, I nearly went homeless. Anyhow, I intend to look into incenses if the notes app ever downloads so I could make a list of what I need.
Understandable. Sucks to not have family or friends nearby you could crash with. I’m in a similar situation after moving across Canada recently. Incenses might cover up the smell or just combine with it, but someone sensitive to these things would still have an issue because the source of the problem hasn’t been solved. Try and get some activated charcoal, or just regular charcoal, as that can actually absorb the bad smells.
The paint smell and “old building smell” are caused by Volatile Organic Compounds. The paint is offgassing these compounds and will continue to do so for months or years, though the bad smell will lessen in a few weeks or so. The “old building smell” is caused by microbes, and can be reduced in the future by regular and deep cleaning of the place, especially in areas that people are unlikely to clean: up high, behind things, or in things. The best way to get rid of the current bad smell is to get those compounds floating in the air out of your apartment, either by sequestering it into charcoal which you then throw away after maybe 6 months, or by circulating air out of the apartment by opening the windows.
You have to get this bad smell out to get a good smell in.
I wanted to have the place deep cleaned but I don’t speak the local language. If I don’t forget I’ll ask at work if any such thing can be paid for here. The landlord didn’t have the flat cleaned before handing it over. :(
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