Posted by chris on April 22, 2000 at 03:07:31:
Desmond-
Right now open all of the windows to help air the place out and get some fans in there for air flow.
Do an archive search for these terms which will give you lots of pointers"KILZ",“ODOREXIT”,“URINE”,“ODOR”.
Take a ride over to Home Depot, they have many solutions such as KILZ available.
-Good Luck,Chris
smelly old houses - Posted by Desmond
Posted by Desmond on April 21, 2000 at 22:06:54:
Question #1: I need some help. Does anyone know how to get rid of bad odors in older homes, specifically odors from pine paneling on walls and in cabinets? We have rental property with such smells and can’t seem to find the right product(s) to get rid of the smell? All fresh smelling solutions are welcomed.
Thank You
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by jill
Posted by jill on April 24, 2000 at 17:16:52:
One house we had, the previous owner smoked in it for 20 years. Even though she had quit several years before, the house smelled bad. The rooms had the thin wood paneling. We washed all that with tsp, and then sprayed them with a varnish or polyurethane, don’t remember exactly, out of a paint sprayer,all surfaces have to be done, floors, walls, kitchen wall we did with paint. If you have urine problems, I have found the product of choice. I learned about it from a tenant who was residing at a house that I was looking at to purchace. From the pet store you can get a product that is an enzyme that eats up the urine. You can soak the wood, carpet, etc with it. Just be sure to provide a way for it all to dry our naturally. Good stuff!
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by Laure
Posted by Laure on April 23, 2000 at 19:58:42:
I had a murder in a rental last year, and the company that was hired to do the clean up used a sealer like Kilz EVERYWHERE… including the cement floors. Odor is all gone! I think they must have fumigated it too… with something. You might call someone who specialized in fire damage, they could tell you. But I would paint all the panelling white. I do that all the time. Seal the seams of the paneling with some caulk, and go over the caulk line with a wet rag to smooth it out. Make sure you buy caulk that is paintable. It looks awesome when you are done ! You won’t believe it. Don’t forget to seal the floors before you lay new carpet. Your smells will go away.
Good luck,
Laure 
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by Bob Hanson
Posted by Bob Hanson on April 22, 2000 at 22:38:01:
Desmond,
I’ve just finished a project with a house that the city took for back taxes, had a hole in the roof which they didn’t tarp (though they completely screwed each window and door shut, so no air flow) for about 6 months, piles of moldy plaster, furniture etc. laying there.
I did 10 alternating treatments over 8 months of a scented bleach with a mildewcide from home depot after gutting it, then SPRAYED the entire house with KILZ to seal it before insulating and sheetrocking it. Left the windows open to air it out as well the whole time. I also used soomething called ODOBAN from Sam’s club that worked well. I saw too many exposee’s on 20/20 about mold growing through walls to take any chances. I hate to say it but, if the scent keeps coming through your pine walls, you may have to bite the bullet and get behind them to see what’s causing the problem, sometimes a field mouse or something can eat poison and die in the wall cavities or a leak throuhg some old Yankee gutters might be seeping in. Anyway, scented bleach and KILZ will do the trick on most problems. If it’s carpet pet stains, pull the carpet, bleach it, KILZ it put new padding and carpet down and you should be good.
Good Luck to you in your Real Estate endeavors,
Bob Hanson in Hyde Park, NY
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by Glenn(OKLA)
Posted by Glenn(OKLA) on April 22, 2000 at 17:30:31:
Once you get rid of the odor…you might try SEALING the wood with polyurethane to prevent the wood from soaking in new odors. Done properly, it can then be cleaned with Murphys OIL soap
just my 2 cents
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by Ben in Ohio
Posted by Ben in Ohio on April 22, 2000 at 08:37:02:
Years ago I used a very powerful product recommended to me by the local tool rental company. It was a blue fluid in a a concentrated form. At the time it was the same product that hospitals were using for sanitizing. Try calling the janitor at the local nursing home or hospital or something like that.
Re: smelly old houses - Posted by Bill (OH)
Posted by Bill (OH) on April 22, 2000 at 06:46:58:
It depends on the reason for the smell. You can buy products like ‘odorexit’—which i tried and it didn’t do anything for a mildewey subfloor. So, I went back to the tried and true—bleach and pinesol. Bleach and pinesol will kill almost any odor causing bug and make the place smell great. Also, get fresh air into the house by opening the windows. Another trick I like is after the house has been cleaned and aired out is to then close the house up and leave an open can of paint sitting in the house for a day or so.
However, some problems require drastic action–such as urine soaked wood where somebody or somebodies pet had a p----sing contest. In that case, you pretty much have to rip the wood out and start over. Just my two cents worth…