Comments on: Smelly Office

Question: Smelly Office

jdroth — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 07:18:50 -0800

How would one go about eliminating the odor of vinegar from one's office? [+]

Our office is in an old trailer house in the middle of the country. Recently, a skunk died beneath the trailer. This, as you can imagine, produced an unholy reek. Eventually we removed the corpse and the foul stench faded.

To an extent.

Sometime during those few days of unbearable smell, one of my co-workers took it upon himself to spread vinegar on all of the draperies, the fabric of the chairs, and even on the floors. (Somebody had told him that vinegar was an effective antidote to skunk scent; I think it just accentuated it.)

Now that the skunk is gone, the office still reeks of vinegar. It's everywhere.

Please: among all of you Metafilterians, there must be at least one person who can help us get rid of this odor.

By: sled

sled — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 07:32:27 -0800

County coroner always used a mixture of kitty litter and coffee grounds. Vacuum with a heavy-duty shop vac. A solution more directed towards putrefaction, not vinegar, but perhaps?

By: gesamtkunstwerk

gesamtkunstwerk — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 07:33:59 -0800

This has an "I know and old woman who swallowed a fly" echo to it, but I would try putting out small dishes of vanilla extract. I clean the kitchen with vinegar after I cook fish. Vanilla seems to absorb the vinegar smell.

By: handful of rain

handful of rain — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 08:22:09 -0800

I've always found baking soda to be effective at removing odors, though it would be hard to apply to drapes and chairs. I've had good luck sprinkling it (liberally) over a carpet, leaving it for 20 or 30 minutes and then vacuuming--a technique like that might work for your floors. Washing a smelly object with a paste of baking soda and water works, though you may have to repeat several times. It would be messy for drapes and chairs, though, and even if you get rid of the odor you might cause water damage. As far as dry techniques, I've also been able to remove strong bleu cheese odors from a pretty crock by pouring a few inches of baking soda inside, putting the cover on, letting it sit for a couple of days, and then repeating with fresh baking soda. It eventually became neutral enough to food without imparting a bleu cheese smell.

For the drapes, could you take them down and seal them in a plastic container (one of those big Rubbermaid storage boxes?) with a box or two of baking soda sprinkled over them? It should shake out pretty well when your done (though you may want to lightly vacuum with a hose attachment).

Air circulation would probably help as well--can you open windows, or place some of the offending items outside for a few days?

By: rxrfrx

rxrfrx — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 08:49:06 -0800

yeah, add baking soda liberally, pound the surface to get it in there, let it sit for a good 7-10 days, then vacuum well.

and if you want to spend a little more, OxyClean (and the generic versions) will clean just about anything.

By: mrbill

mrbill — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 09:46:57 -0800

The Ionic Breeze air cleaner from Sharper Image (and equivalent cheaper models available at places like Fry's Electronics) are good about getting rid of ambient odors, but you'll definitely have to wash the drapes.

By: majick

majick — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 11:03:23 -0800

If you just want to get rid of the smell, apply some ExStink. Seriously. It works, despite the dodgy looking web page.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 11:32:10 -0800

Mrbill, the Ionic Breeze doesn't do shit.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 12:17:51 -0800

Ozium. But you should also have the drapes, furniture, and carpets steam-cleaned.

By: konolia

konolia — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 12:23:10 -0800

Anybody tried Febreeze yet?

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 13:02:34 -0800

Febreze is good for things like getting the mothball smell off a sweater. For something like skunk, I would crack out the Ozium until I could get the steam-cleaners in.