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Q: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response ( No Answer,   7 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
Category: Family and Home
Asked by: michmad-ga
List Price: $25.00
Posted: 11 Aug 2005 02:05 PDT
Expires: 10 Sep 2005 02:05 PDT
Question ID: 554369
I recently purchased a house from a seller who managed to mask the
strong curry odor (from seven years of cooking) until I took over.  I
am having trouble renting the house or finding roommates to live in it
with me.  My question relates to removing the odor not my possible
legal recourse.

I have searched the internet far and wide and have been unable to find
a reliable answer to resolve my problem:  What alternative(s) alone or
in combination (short of replacing the walls or rebuilding) are SAFE,
truly EFFECTIVE and PERMANENT in removing curry odors?  What companies
can you recommend in the San Francisco Bay Area, how much do they
charge and do they guarantee?

Below are suggestions I have found online thus far, which people have
followed and which appear to have failed.  If you can cite information
to show that any of the below work in response to my question above,
then please provide and explain.

Walls and Ceilings - wash with TCP and paint 
Carpet - replace pad and carpet
Kitchen cabinets and hardwood floors - wash and seal or replace
Window blinds/drapes - wash or replace 
Ventilation - temporary fix, has not worked in my house thus far
Air Fresheners/vinegar/candles/incense - temporary fix
Ozone generators - see www.epa.gov for cautions about safety due to
chemical reactions and by-products; also government cites studies that
these devices are ineffective
Air Filtering devices - same safety and efficacy concerns as ozone generators
Treatment to Air conditioning system/air heating system - same safety
and efficacy concerns as ozone generators
Isolate odors/remove at soure - This solution appears to be too late
after seven years that owners occupied the house.
Appliances - replace oven and microwave, costly and does not work

Clarification of Question by michmad-ga on 11 Aug 2005 02:18 PDT
To provide more potentially necessary information about the house:

Downstairs kitchen is pergo, granite tile and wood cabinets.
Kitchen opens to living room, which has carpet.  Total square feet
downstairs approx 600.
Upstairs has noticeably less odor, and the three rooms and one loft
area are fully carpeted.  Total square feet approx 900.

An idea of how much various contractors want for what they THINK will
solve the problem: carpet and pad replacment downstairs $1000-2000;
paint downstairs 1000-1500; vaguely described air filtering/freshening
device for entire house $1000.

Clarification of Question by michmad-ga on 12 Aug 2005 13:12 PDT
Thank you for your comments.  What is thermo-fog deodorizing smoke,
e.g., what chemical are involved?  I have seen it on the internet but
not a lot of information is out there.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: elids-ga on 11 Aug 2005 08:23 PDT
 
This may seem silly but I would ask the previous owner, how did you mask the odor?
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: michmad-ga on 12 Aug 2005 00:32 PDT
 
Not a silly question.  I presume they did not mask the odor while
living there.  When for sale and vacant, the owner left the windows
and sliding glass door open 24 hours a day.  Not as workable a
solution when the house is occupied.  Is my question a tough one?
(beyond stumping me)
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: cynthia-ga on 12 Aug 2005 00:46 PDT
 
I used to own a carpet and upholstery cleaning company. Regardless of
the dangers you site (you'd need to leave the house for several days),
ozone is my best idea. Also, call around to some "indoor air quality"
companies and ask them what they suggest.

Good luck, I can't even imagine your dismay..

~~Cynthia
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: tlspiegel-ga on 12 Aug 2005 01:29 PDT
 
Q: I moved into a home with a heavy, oily curry smell. I have painted
the walls and washed the cupboards, what else can I do?
http://real-estate-agents.com/tips/cleaning/house-odors.shtml

A: If the drapes and blinds haven't been cleaned yet, start there. If
that doesn't do the trick, we recommend you look into having it
thermo-fogged. Because latex paint is porous, it allows air and odors
to pass through it. Some odor fighters use thermo-fog deodorizing
smoke to penetrate through latex paint, cabinets and even your heat
and air conditioning system to permanently eliminate odors. This is
also effective in treating odors caused by tobacco smoke, some mold
and mildew problems and even moth ball odors which linger in older
homes. Often it is necessary to follow this procedure with a thorough
professional carpet cleaning to remove "locked-in" odors sealed in by
dirt and debris.
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: pecospearl-ga on 26 Aug 2005 03:33 PDT
 
Maybe kitty litter will help.  I use it to absorb all sorts of odors. 
My son told me about it after some potatoes rotted in my kitchen
cabinet.  It was bad, but the kitty litter took care of it in about a
day.  Since then I've used it on all sorts of odors and it works
wonderfully.  I just put some in a open container and occasionally
stir it to get new litter to the top.
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: cinlove-ga on 04 Sep 2005 13:22 PDT
 
My suggestion is to contact a professional company that cleans up
houses after a fire.  The chemicals that they use to wash down the
walls, etc. should clean and deodorize your place from the odors.  As
far as drapes and any fabrics are concerned, you should probably
replace them if they were left behind.
Subject: Re: Remove Curry Smell from House - Need quick response
From: thefountainofknowlag-ga on 11 Nov 2005 06:08 PST
 
I have been there already; I have gone to the end of the internet for
solution and could not find one ? Until now. Let me tell you my story.
I moved into a condo that had cooking odors from spices and oils. I
cleaned, I changed carpets, I painted, I bough all kind of devices
such as air cleaners, ozone generators and ion generators. Nothing
helped, the odor never went away. I decided it was time to call
professionals, 3 different companies came over to test the quality of
the air and gave me their suggestion to the problem. This costs me a
fortune and their suggestions was more expensive then their tests. One
company told me that the air is so bad I must move out, the only way
to fix my problem was to break all the walls and ceiling, clean them
and rebuild them. An extreme solution that was unacceptable to me. So
I called another company, they offered me to buy a UV lamp and install
it in my ducts. This special device with UV supposes to kill
everything in the air. They guaranteed their device would work, so I
got it installed. The device did not work, and the company refused to
refund me. They all ran their own air quality tests, the they all got
different results ? at the end I came to conclusion that company that
offer air quality tests, make tons on money just based on fear, if
they have a product to offer they will scare you death so you will buy
it. I was getting desperate, and came to conclusion that the odor can
not be removed not even by a nuke. A friend of mine called me one day
and told me he knows someone that deals with odors. I called him. He
told me that there is a new company that is specializing in removing
odors without breaking anything. I was already frustrated, so when I
called the company I was a bit rude and said that I am not paying a
penny until the odor is removed for 30 days. They accepted the
challenge and came to my condo. They had 2 huge machines with them,
they were ozone generators. I protested and said that I have tried
Ozone generator before and it did not work. They explained me that the
ozone generators machine offered to the public and simply not
effective due to their low output. They explained that the Ozone
generators machines they have emit extremely large quantity of ozone
that would break any type of carbon based organism or compound. Later
I did a lot of reading about Ozone to understand how it works. Just
google it to find out the details. Anyways, they told me I have to
leave the condo while they run the machines. The machines pump ozone
everywhere - not only in the living area but also between the walls
and within the ceiling and also in the kitchen exhaust. They have
these special tubes coming out of the machine that you can inject
anywhere you want. I left my condo while they ran the treatment
because it is unsafe to breathe pure ozone. After 3 hours I came back
and the condo smelled completely like ozone. I could not smell the
odor anymore. They told me the ozone will break into oxygen very
quickly and after that the condo would be odor free. They wanted no
money; they asked that I will call them after a month. It has been one
week now and there is no odor. I believe they have actually solved the
problem I have been trying to solve for over 2 years. The treatment is
called ?Ozone Shock Treatment? however there are a lot of different
ways to do it. I did not mention any company names here so you will
know my motives are not to sell or promote. I am just telling you the
truth, nothing worked except the shock treatment. Don?t waste your
money on air tests and devices. I recommend you do this shock
treatment and take it from there. Save yourself the pain I have been
going over. I know were you coming from and I hope this little story
helps.

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