Removing Smells from a Home-Help Please!!!

[Yankeesfan]

The type of people who would run such a horrendously and blatantly illegal boarding house wouldn't be honest with you in the sale and you would be quite likely to find all sorts of other problems with the house after they vacate it.

[austindoxie1972]

Let's say you are never able to get that smell out. Would you still be happy living there? Entertaining friends and family? And how would that impact your re-sale value, your quality of life? I'd hold off on this one. Momma knows best!

[athousandlogins]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

The type of people who would run such a horrendously and blatantly illegal boarding house wouldn't be honest with you in the sale and you would be quite likely to find all sorts of other problems with the house after they vacate it.

This is a very, very good point. While dishonest sellers come in all packages, these guys are sending up a HUGE red flag for potential buyers. Don't ignore it!

[South Jersey Styx]

I am wondering if it's not the cooking at all but the drywall. Do you know when the house was built? There are lawsuits regarding Chinese drywall imported from 2004 to 2006. But there appears to be this drywall used as early as 2001. This drywall corrodes pipes and gives a foul odor, like sulfur and can make you sick. Just Google "chinese drywall" for more information.

[amylee134]

For removing odor purpose, I use vinegar and baking soda - a lot of them. They are cheap and they sure will take the odor/stain away. Vinegar can be sprayed in the air, put in bowls everywhere. We can't spray baking soda though, however we put them in bowls, sprinkle them on the floor.

Anyway, we saw a house once. It was located in a nice community. It looks beautiful from outside.. but it was all moldy inside - the nasty black mold that could only be washed by bleach. My heart wanted to get the house.. then my body knew that we couldn't move in immediately after buying the house since it would take us at least several months to replace the dry walls, carpet and whatever rotten things inside the wall. So we had walked away.. and a week later we had found our new house in the community.

Please consider the number of houses for sale at your areas and your purpose of buying: moving in immediately or getting something to work in the weekend while staying at somewhere else. I hope you will find your new house soon.

[HomeStager]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

I am wondering if it's not the cooking at all but the drywall. Do you know when the house was built? There are lawsuits regarding Chinese drywall imported from 2004 to 2006. But there appears to be this drywall used as early as 2001. This drywall corrodes pipes and gives a foul odor, like sulfur and can make you sick. Just Google "chinese drywall" for more information.

Maybe, as Chinese Dry Wall was used in that state, though I have never heard it described as smelling like cooked fish. I have heard people describing it to smell like sewar gas, firecrackers, matches, sweet vinegar or spoiled milk. Maybe someones nose could interpret the smell of it as cooked fish.

Even if not, some odors that have had time to deeply penetrate pourous materials are next to impossible to get rid of, I don't care what product or remediation hawkers say.

I agree with those asking the key question to be answered by the OP. If the odor remains after you have done all you can to get rid of it, will you be be happy with the house anyway? Are you will to risk problems with resale if you can't get rid of it. If not, do not buy it.

Do learn about Chinese drywall if you are searching for a home in Virginia anyway. That would be far worse to contend with then odors from cooked fish.

[vman650]

Sounds pretty fishy to me. Unless the price was a huge bargain, I would run as far away as possible. If the price is real cheap, I would consult with professional house cleaners and pay them to visit and offer an opinion and clean up estimate. Actually at least two estimates would be better. If the pros can't do it, then neither can you and the dollars you pay for the estimate will be well worth the price. If you have to ask this question on a message board, you need professional advice.

[convex20899]

Nasty fish smell...Good lord why would one even bother?

[arielmina]

gotta agree there, don't buy it. PS for the poster with the mom that smokes, smoke is a HUGE turn off for the majority of buyers. I was in a house this weekend in Leesburg and we could smell the smoke outside (then saw the ashtray on the porch) but when we got inside it wasn't too bad (lots of air freshners though)...until we opened the door to the basement and I couldn't even go down. Obviously that was the smoking room....not good. we booked out of that house as fast as we could...plenty of other houses on the market right now.