Get rid of the smell of smoke

[george]

So there was a fire in our apartment building this week. Our apartment is not damaged but the rooms stink of smoke. Other than just giving it time is there anything else that is good for getting rid of the horrible smoky smell.

I don't know why the fire happened but I have heard that they person whose apartment it was is ok with just some minor burns.

[Milims]

I'm glad to hear that no-one was seriously hurt. What a horrid thing to happen. Have you tried washing the walls with vinegar and putting some pots of vinegar around the place. That workds very well as a deoderiser

[Green Aura]

Bicarb of soda works similarly. And bowls of salt absorb things like paint fumes - I don't know if it would work for smoke.

[MuddyWitch]

So glad to hear no-one was seriously hurt.

As I noticed you're in the Southern hemispere & therefore it's Spring, why not use this as an excuse to thoroughly Spring Clean? By washing all hard surfaces, (paintwork etc) with a mild bi-carb solution, laundering soft furnishings (such as curtains), including a drop of essential oil in the final rinse, and just clearing out junk generally, your whole home will smell & feel MUCH better.

MW

[Millymollymandy]

He's in South Korea at the moment MuddyW!

Glad nobody was seriously hurt.

[george]

Thanks for the tips.

Yes I (she!) am in South Korea at the moment so it is Autumn here but I am in the process of doing what you suggested MW and am essentially spring (autumn) cleaning which is quite satisifying anyway. Everything was covered in a thin layer of black soot so the cleaning part is needed anyway.

The problem is that the bathroom still smells terrible even though it has been cleaned. I will try putting vinegar in there and washing the walls with vinegar and see if that helps.

Useful to know about salt absorbing paint fumes. I will try and remember that for the next bout of decorating.

It was certainly an interesting experience! We were just thinking about getting up when we heard lots of noise in the corrider. Hubby stuck his head out the door and came back in and said the apartments on fire! So I had to leap up and throw on some clothes and then head out through the firemen and their hoses and the smoke to go downstairs. It was my first experience of that kind of thing, made doubly difficult by the fact that I speak minimal Korean and most people here don't speak English so no one could tell us what was going on and when it was ok to go back into the building and get ready to go to work!

[Millymollymandy]

Right so you're a girl called George. It's no wonder people get confused about gender on forums.

It's sounds like a really scary experience.

[Annpan]

I had a fire in my kitchen many years ago and yes vinegar and washing up liquid in some warm water. Then attack surfaces with a scrubbing brush (but then, we had thick black soot on everything too)

That and leave the windows open as much as possible.




... MMM... did you never read the secret seven?.. or was it famous five?.... plus... those with husbands aren't necessarily women ....

[Millymollymandy]

... MMM... did you never read the secret seven?.. or was it famous five?.... plus... those with husbands aren't necessarily women ....

I read all of them - George was my hero, the tomboy in the Famous Five!

But even though we know there are blokes called Alice (i.e. Mr Cooper the singer) I'll still tend to think that Alices are girls and Georges are boys until I get told otherwise.