Smell is overpowering; Need Advice
My 76 year old MIL has just been rescued from an unhealthy environment where her daughter was robbing her. We immediately brought her here to us for emergency housing 16 hours away. We will help her get herself back on track and in a couple months into AL or senior apartment. She is in relatively good health, mobile, etc, but dealing with emotional issues from her last 4 years. She lived with a daughter who was running a kitten mill... when my husband arrived he couldn’t even get in the house- the stink was so bad from the 50 cat breeding operation.
Has anyone moved an elderly parent whose every belonging STUNK to high heaven? And what did you do to remediate it? The cat and smoke stench has permeated every stick of furniture and belonging.
I've already put my foot down that NOTHING will enter my home with smell on it. We will clean and wash but if it still stinks it will stay in the garage. That being said, she had to have her bed so I scrubbed and scrubbed..... but it’s not gone. I’m washing everything but there’s stuff like photo albums, a painting of her deceased husband, some things that I just don’t know what to do with. And honestly the stench from the garage is entering my home every time I open the door. I can't throw out her things but I can sure not allow it in the house.
In addition, there is a personal bathing issue/ she doesn’t do it enough.
Anyone with a similar stinky experience to lend advice?
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My father had a "stinky experience" when he and a church friend traveled to Texas to retrieve Dad's trailer after I flew down to bring him and Mom back home when he developed pneumonia and wouldn't accept hospitalization and leave Mom alone.
Although he told the owner of the RV park that he would be returning after his health stabilization, she cut electricity to their trailer. Everything in the frig and freezer rotted in the Texas heat.
Dad and his friend spread newspapers, put out disposable dishes of coffee grounds and baking soda. Eventually the smell disappeared, even from the freezer that was by then full of rotten meat.
I don't recall if they aired the freezer out after returning home, but the combination of paper, baking soda and coffee grounds helped. The freezer is now in my basement; there's been no odor problems since Dad returned home, for good.
I've heard of various blends, mixes, and concoctions, but we prefer natural substances to ones with chemicals in them.
As to the clothing, I think that Arm & Hammer has a baking soda based detergent, but I'm not sure.
For personal hygiene, if there's an issue of disrobing and being cold (especially coming from a southern to a northern state), I'd try the no rinse, no shampoo options.
There may also be an issue of what she's eating, if there's a personal odor.
I used Arm and Hammer for a while but went back to Tide. A&H just didn't get my clothes as clean on the stains out as well.
The wood furniture may benefit from refinishing with Polyurethane varnish, that may be able to seal the smell, after being soaked and scrubbed with Nature’s Miracle. See if an online search or a big local pet store can suggest anything better.
We took care of a really wonderful person many years ago, who chain smoked 24 hours a day. Not as bad as cats though.
For clothes, try a soak in vinegar and wash in hot water. Put a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. I would line dry if possible. Sometimes using a dryer brings the smells back. I would get rid of the mattress and get a new one. That smell is probably in the batting, felt and polyester used to make it. You will never get it out.
Bathing, the NHs and ALs only do it 2 to 3x a week. For my Mom, Before I dressed her I would wash under her arms, dry and put on deodorant. A woman came in 3x a week to shower her.
Spring is on its way. Open the garage up. Take things out in the Sun and see if that helps with the smells. Don't be surprised though if you just have to ditch things.
In my experience of cleaning apartments-the smell of cat urine is nearly impossible to get rid of. Carpet and padding has to go and the bare floor can be painted over with KILZ. Any cat urine on furniture may be remedied by cleaning with pet-urine odor removers, but if the furniture has been saturated--sorry--it's dumpster time.
Also, bags of carbon spread around the house can help absorb odors. Check Home Depot or Lowes, they have such products. Or check with a professional cleaning supplier.
Take whatever furniture you want to keep and store it in the garage for as long as you need to. Some smells will air out--some never will.
My mother 'willed me' a bedroom set and I don't think I will be able to use it as it smells so powerfully of urine. When the time comes, I will have to have this suite painted or something--everything in her house smells powerfully of urine and dirty birds.
Before going any further. Treat ozone with respect. Do not have anything that's alive where the ozone treatment will be happening. No people. No pets. No plants. Make sure you air out the ozoned area thoroughly before going back in there. Read up on ozone generators for more info.
You can buy a decent size commercial ozone generator for about $50. Put the stinky stuff in a sealed off room and let the ozone generator do it's thing. Repeat until the stinky stuff is no longer stinky.
I've ozone things from moldy paper found in a safe to a moldy car. Ozone is also a good way to kill mold. It may take a few runs but everything comes out with that fresh from the laundry smell.
Once again, read up on the dangers of ozone and act accordingly. Ozone is how those CPAP cleaning machines work. They are just ozone generators.
Since you have experience, can it be used in a garage that has a natural gas furnace room in it?
I hope the SPCA has been called and the cats taken out of the situation.
Have you contacted her insurance company? It is unlikely they will cover a claim as she may have been considered that she allowed the kitten mill.
Hire professionals to clean the painting, make copies of photos and toss all the paper and books, you will not get the smell out. For important original documents, take them to a notary to get notarized copies and seal the originals in plastic and then in glass jars, eventually the smell is permeate through plastic.
Yes, you can throw out her things.
We were able to get the stench out of a deep freeze that was left without power in the summer years ago. It took several months. After unsucessfully trying bleach, baking soda, charcoal and more, crumpled news paper was suggested. We filled the freezer with news papers several times over 2 months and eventually they absorbed all the smell. But this may not work for paper.
Also I found that washing clothing that has cat pee on it with Sudsy Ammonia helped to get the smell out permanently.
We had a tenant that had several cats and no litter box, we had to rip up carpets, throw out 3 beds and a sofa (the cabin was rented furnished), I had to repaint the walls and scrub the paneling, I used Sudsy Ammonia and it worked. It was a hell of a job. The cats did not poop inside, just peed.
She has no insurance.
I suggest starting new.
I like the idea of taking photos, or photocopying documents. The painting can be reframed, maybe that would help.
Overall, attempting to clean everything will cost more than new.
There is likely a health hazard and a flea infestation in your garage now. Call 'Got Junk' to take it all away, and hurry. Especially the bed and bedding. Does Mil have a skin condition, or bites on her?
One has to downsize anyway before going to just a room in AL.
Shelters are slap full of cats and kittens and here this nut job is breeding more. Intentionally.
Gah!
You should definitely check about safe operation. You know the exact conditions that exist so you will understand how to safely use it.
Things will have to be open and moved around to ensure that everything is being hit.
Best of luck. Cat is the most dreadful stink.
Its 838am and I’m already in tears...I keep trying to focus on the end of the road- a couple months and into an apartment..... but I’m going to be honest here- I hate this. Everything is in upheaval.... I literally washed clothes for 20 hours yesterday..... load after load. Who the frack needs that many clothes?? And her cat now has to go to the vet as it’s sick and has explosive diarrhea “again” she says 😡 all over the floor (thank god for hard wood) of her bedroom and STINK....!!!!!! (Kitty is sequestered until spayed and healthy) Poor kitty is sick and she has no money, so who’s footing the bill?? Us.
I am again angry at his whole fracking dysfunctional family. My anxiety is through the roof. I’ve been clear that hubby is to work with his mom on stuff- I have plenty with my dad but will help where needed. I’m exhausted already- 2 nights of 5 hours sleep and stress. And up again early. 😩 I’m tired and now I’m cranky and my anxiety is up. Bad combo. 😭
As I read your post I am transported back to when I was called to help my dad.
Only his situation involved dogs and their stink. As well as his incontinents with failing kidneys.
I too spent days washings everything because it stunk. I had to wash things sometimes 4 or 5 times to get the multilayered stench out. And I was having to wash all the linens on his bed everyday. I am busy and an extra 5 loads of laundry a day with a little dog that I had to watch every minute just wore me to a wreck. White vinegar is my BFF for laundry. It kills the enzymes that cause the odor. The challenge is dealing with items that have been washed and dried, setting the odor. Breaking down the bond between the fabric and filth is sometimes difficult. I threw away quite a few items, he never missed anything.
I was blessed that my dad ended up in the hospital and I got some breathing room to figure out what to do. I couldn't have him in my home, long story.
I found a board and care facility that he could afford and he went straight from the rehabilitation facility to his new home.
As hard as it is, sometimes we have to step back and let them be cared for by professional caregivers. I was then able to provide enrichment activities to his life. At my house he got fed and that was all I had time for because he needs were greater than my time.
He is now independent and thriving. He just needed away from his abuser and the care to get better.
Please consider that you and your husband may not be the best solution. And consider the situation with a sick cat. It's not worth a ton of money to pursue treatment if it is old or has something highly contagious. I am going to catch flack for that, but she comes 1st and you have to consider the financial aspect of the situation.
My heart goes out to you. I remember the feelings I experienced and I was so overwhelmed with all of it. One day at a time and you will get through this.
MIL is healthy and able, so she should be able to transition to her own home of some kind, just fine. 🙏. I think she’s more traumatized than anything. She was preyed upon by her own daughter, separated and isolated from family and friends. A bit of mental healing is in order for sure.
Dust can contain smells all on its own. Taking a moist cloth and just gently dusting/cleaning things like your FIL's portrait can help a lot. There are companies that can scan all the old photos onto a DVD, which may be a better option for everyone anyway because it's so easy to copy and share the DVD full of photos. Later you may want to load several into a digital photo frame for your MIL. BTW - you might want to ask for paperwork to be scan instead of just photocopied too.
Wood is porous and can hold smells really well. I doubt anything will get a cat urine smell out of unfinished wood, but smoke smells can be handled. I recommend cleaning with a solution including baking soda and white vinegar and allowing to air dry several times, maybe alternating with a pine-sol solution. Using steel wool to lightly roughen the surfaces and applying a clear lacquer spray (available in cans from Walmart and home improvement stores) can both improve the finished surfaces and seal smells from the unfinished surfaces.
It's possible that you could mix a little Puracy with water and use it as a solution to wash things that can't be laundered. Just rub it on, wait for the recommended time, and rinse with a cloth dipped in water.
Also, don't forget that the sun is an excellent disinfectant. You might try washing things and then placing them in direct sun for a whole day. It would probably remove a lot of the smell.
The plumber's putty, or whatever was used to seal the sink to the wall, turned greyish. The metal around the base of the sink drain turned black. Scrub as much as I could, I couldn't restore the original shade and sheen of the metal.
They will shut it down and probably prosecute her. Which she should be.
2-New bed.... what do you need ?
even a used mattress is better than this
check Sams Club etc
3- Oxyclean helped with the urine smell on the laundry or bleach for whites. I got new white sheets and bleachable blankets etc and grey scrubs so I could see the stains
and bedpads
No bed or bedding that had been exposed to urine came into my house.
There is a spray for cat smell, but better to avoid all together