18 year old son is away on holiday for ten days.
I would like to take this opportunity to try and remove the need for gas masks when entering his room.
Seriously, room is honking. Obviously going to clean it all, surfaces etc but is there anything to absorb odours etc from room?
Would a tub of cat litter do the trick? Or have I seen that charcoal or something like that works?
Obviously could mask the smell with air freshners etc but would like to take this chance to do a bit more than that!
Suggestions?
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Our first house was smelly when we bought it. We cleaned every square inch of it with Jeyes fluid, but you might think that is a bit extreme.
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Its probably the carpet. Deep cleaning is the only thing that will really work, other than replacement.
If its got wallpaper that might be an issue too. For which new paper or paint are the only answers.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Sun 7 Jun 15 at 23:37
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No wallpaper - painted and plastered walls in my house!
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>> Suggestions?
Don't interfere with a chap's room unless you want a richly-deserved flood of polemic.
Wait till he leaves home and do it with a flamethrower.
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With AC on this.
Under NO circumstances 'search' his room, (that is what he will perceive it as).
Whatever you will find will probably upset you, him, and potentially disrupt any good relationship that you currently have.
On the other hand, I think that I would be more worried if I found nothing that was upsetting. Shows that he is actually suceding in hiding things from you.
Some objects however may have dual significance - I will let you work that out.
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If you clean everywhere, there wont be any odours left to absorb. If the room is carpeted, hire a carpet cleaning machine, or at least use some shack 'n vac type cleaner.
Wash all the bedding or renew any item that can't be cleaned. Vacuum the mattress, and open the window to give the gaff a good airing.
Put some odour eaters in his shoes :-)
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You have left it too late.
The most tactful thing would have been to announce shortly before he went away that you were going to do a general house cleaning. Give him notice that you will be cleaning, hoovering, doing carpets, airing, etc and please would he tidy away his things.
Then he can't complain, can't say things have gone astray, can't claim he is being singled out.
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there is only one way out of this. Wait till he leaves home then decorate and get new carpet. BELIVE ME I KNOW.
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When I had a particularly stinky 4x4 to sell (carpeted load area had been a dog bed), I looked online for cures and someone suggested an open topped container with vinegar in it.
I went mad on the cleaning.. and... did the vinegar thing.
It was miles better the next day... but... I don't know whether it was just my deep clean, both my clean and the vinegar (most likely) or mainly just the vinegar.
Low cost and worth a try i'd suggest.
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It will be in the soft furnishings - bedding, carpets, cushions and don't forget curtains. All need deep cleaning, curtains by dry cleaning if needed. When we moved into our current house the place stank of woman's products, the previous owner was a beautician, ghastly reek of all the products used. We ripped everything soft out and started again. It helped that the builders were basically gutting the place anyway but we managed to get rid of the smell before they started. We then had the smell of cement, plaster and paint for a while...
I wouldn't be too concerned about what one might find in his room - what's the worst, porn and condoms? The former proves he's normal and the latter sensible.
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A quick recce round his room last night and I think that everything washable will be getting done and the carpet will be getting cleaned or at least shake n vac'd.
Son is very active in sports, going to the gym 2 or 3 times a week as well as his football training twice and his actual game as well. I think a lot of the smell is coming from unwashed kit, kit that is beyond washing and the bags that he keeps the kit in ! Combined they are honking!!
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I would get rid of the carpet and replace it with some sort of hard flooring. Much more hygienic and easier to clean.
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Cliff, I did that exact thing but this is an ongoing issue, not just because he was going on holiday. However as he is away for 10 days then I was wanting to take advantage of it!
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For animal-fouled cars, I think I have seen an open box of fresh grass clippings suggested on this forum in the past.
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This guy seems to have a serious personal hygiene problem, he needs a girl (or boy) friend, they will give ultimatums far more effective. There has been a failure of education and / or discipline somewhere.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 8 Jun 15 at 16:36
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Adolescent boys are like that ON. You may not remember, but the armed forces have a way of turning adolescent slobs into spotless troops and matelots in a week or two, using terror and coercion.
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There have never been any adolescent slobs in my house, you would have to be brave to mess up Mrs ONs house. She is subtle but effective. :-)
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But - how can I put this tactfully? - the probability is that you yourself were once a slobbish adolescent ON.
No doubt you were straightened out parentally or by some monster of a petty officer some time before history began.
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>> No doubt you were straightened out parentally or by some monster of a petty officer
>> some time before history began.
>>
I was also selected by Mrs ON quite early, probably before I realised. :-)
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Article in the papers a few years back about how often the sheets were changed.
A student said he'd been at Uni for 3 years without changing the sheets.
He said he was at the University of Staines!
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All teenage boys seem to be like this. My lad was, now aged 42, he's the complete opposite and I'm the slob. What goes around...etc.
When he moved out, the carpet was chucked straight away. We found a bundle of free newspapers hidden....he'd been paid to deliver them. An industrial sized but empty Black Forest Gateau box was found also. Well, not quite empty...there was a grubby teaspoon and some small moving things in it !
The next job was removal of all the skirtings and architraves, they'd all been painted with a subtle mix of matt black paint and gravel ! New woodwork was fitted. He's spray graffited the walls, which were Polytex, so everything was removed with a hot air gun and electric chisel.
Try an open tray of cheap washing powder....it's a Practical Caravan tip which absorbs any moisture and makes the place smell good.
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Smelly room - Manatee
