Is it normal to want to puke when you smell mothballs? How do I get out the smell?

Question

The storage unit next to mine was open and it reeked so bad I thought I was going to BARF! It seriously was making me sick. My friend said the smell was mothballs. Are they supposed to smell this bad? How much stuff does it take to ward off the moths anyway? Seriously the smell is horrid and I am afraid the stench may leak over into my unit. If so, how do I get rid of the odor? Will it ever come out? I am scared to take the stored things back to my house because they smell is so bad. Is there any nice way to tell someone 'scuse me, but your stuff stinks!'? And do you think they would be willing to banish the evil mothballs? I hear cedar works too, smells better and I would even be willing to pay for it. PLEASE HELP! Its so gross!

Answer 1

Moth balls do stink and repel all the insects and arachnids as they do not like the smell at all. While cedar does work, for a place such as a storage unit, you will need to pretty much line the floors and walls with cedar planks to make it effective and sand them down a little once a year so unless you want to spend more that the cost of buying a storage unit for your property, I don't really suggest that. Depending on the size of your unit, you can grab several large bags of plain charcoal and cut a slit running the length of the bag by about 2-3 inches wide, and place them strategically within your unit to soak up that smell. You will need to replace them every few weeks or so or whenever you notice the smell creeping back in as charcoal can only absorb so much odor. You can put all of your stuff in the sunshine and fresh air for a day or so to get rid of the smell. Febreeze and other sprays will only mask or make the stench worse. Forget about asking them to get rid of the mothballs as they will likely just add more to the unit to make you mad.

Answer 2

i had to add this-- LOL- I asked a smell question about what your favorite smells are and one girl wrote moth balls.....LOL!

Answer 3

Mothballs, (parabenzamine or dichlorobenzene), are a toxic substance.

If you're smelling enough to make you sick, get away from it!