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IF they always cooked strong-smelling foods, I think it is more than just the kitchen area. Not to depress you, but I believe it is in the floors, the walls, everywhere. How many years did they live there?
IF they always cooked strong-smelling foods, I think it is more than just the kitchen area. Not to depress you, but I believe it is in the floors, the walls, everywhere. How many years did they live there?
Yes, especially with some of the homes I have seen where the kitchen exhaust...well it goes into the house and is not really an exhaust. I could not have a house with not outside exhaust. We have had some that didn't have it when we bought but we could always put in an exhaust system through the cabinet over the oven. I never fail to be surprised by the many new homes built the last several years with no outside exhaust. And not even into an attic. Just whirling it around the house.
Yes, I believe you are right - it's everywhere. I've repainted. Changing carpets. Changed vent and even bulbs above vents. Cleaned thoroughly all around. Left windows open for the last week... I think it's getting better or maybe I'm just used to it now. They lived there 3 years. I've also got odor things and vinegar.
The neighbors (common wall) are also Indian so it could be coming from them too. I'm actually going to be living there for the next year and I think I'm going to fill the place with rosemary! Going to see how much to rent out ozone filter thing.
I would recommend it too, but a thorough duct cleaning around here costs $250. That plus the damage to the floors adds up. If duct cleaning is required specifically to rid the place of odors, then wouldn't that fall under extraordinary wear and tear, and render the deposit subject to deduction for those expenses?
I would definitely charge the tenant for having the duct work cleaned if it was necessary to de-odor the place, and have done so on a couple of occasions in the past. But that may or may not be legal in all states, so I can't say whether the OP would be allowed to or not.
I would definitely charge the tenant for having the duct work cleaned if it was necessary to de-odor the place, and have done so on a couple of occasions in the past. But that may or may not be legal in all states, so I can't say whether the OP would be allowed to or not.
Well I'm in CA - I don't think I can charge for odor of cooking. I think that may be a touchy subject. Cuz if I could, I would. But this could get messy.
I lived in a unit once that was quite smelly - actually the former tenant was a smoker. They repainted, recarpeted, everything..but still, smelly!
So, I basically did everything I could...left out containers of vinegar & water, left out containers of coffee beans (supposed to absorb odors, plus I like the smell of coffee), bought some charcoal to absorb smell (I bought it from PetCo., it's used in fish tanks. but I believe you can also get it at a drug store - but it's more expensive there for basically the same thing, I believe).
If you can leave the the windows open on a cool, windy day, it's the best to really push the odor out! & refresh, IMO.
A good ozone machine does work well. Years ago (too many to count) I was an office manager at a fire and restoration company and they used the ozone machines religiously in fire damaged buildings and it was amazing how it got the smoke smell out. They would bring all salvageable contents of the home in to our office building and had rooms where they cleaned and ozoned the items. It also worked well for flood damaged buildings. The ozone machines were run along with the high-powered fans to prevent or get rid of any possible mildew smells.
They work great if you get a good machine or 2. You just don't want to spend much time in a building or room while it is being ozoned. I personally had a terrible time with any exposure to ozone machines but I am sensitive/allergic to a lot of different types of odors and chemicals.
You can google a fire and restoration company in your area and they may give you some advice on things you can do or even possibly rent you an ozone machine or 2.
Our tenants moved out and there are a couple of questions that I have.
What's considered normal wear and tear for a hardwood floor?
There are several relevant scratches that were not there several years ago. However I understand that you cannot charge to have the whole floor refinished but just a portion, correct?
Also, any idea how to get rid of the smell? They cooked spicy foods so that's the smell. Tried vinegar, changing filter and also painting...still there...
Sometimes the smell will get into the closets and cabinets and you have to clean those areas.
This is especially true if smokers were there previously.
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