Just bought a house, it smells horrible, took out all floors, HELP?

Question

it used to be a rent house and has been vacant for the past year. i plan on painting all the walls and i already took out all of the floors. it still smells BAD. what can i do?

Answer 1

Dump a big box of baking soda around in all the rooms on the floor.......and vaccum up in a week............but open all windows and doors.........and blow it out.........you may have a dead animal under the house or in a wall also.......take a look and be careful first time under the house for bee hives and strange creatures.........never know what happens when someone is not present............good luck.........throw some old paint on the subfloor also,,,,,,,,it doesn't hurt anything.

Answer 2

There could also be mold and mildew in the walls. That would be a good place to check. We had the same problem and found out the old owners got busted for cooking drugs in the house and the chemicals had been sucked up by the dry wall. We had to gut the entire house.

Answer 3

I think if you cull the suggestions from all these answers you'll find a nice *to do* list.  I'd add one more place to check: the attic area.  Even here in california there is some space up there and occasionally the roof rats find a way.  

So check under the house, in the attic and seal the walls.  

Good luck.

Answer 4

Thats a tough one. First of all BEFORE YOU PAINT, use a primer called KILLS.  It will block all previous stains and odors from coming through your new paint.  Now you have to decide what the odor is.  Dirt (dust) you will be able to sweep, vacuum, and scrub away.  Kitty and dog urine? Removing carpet and spraying sub floor or cleaning with a MILD bleach solution will work.  Mildew? I would look for signs of wet or dampness, even though it has sat a while, if the water to the home was left on, there could be a leak.  Also is there access to underneath the house to look and see if any animals have made their home under your home?

Answer 5

You can buy an ozonator and leave it in there for a few days.  Be careful, though, as ozone loves to oxidize things, like certain plastics.  It should only be a temporary solution.

Answer 6

Wash everything with TSP. It's a detergent you'll find in the paint section. During the painting, paint the floors too. This will (I know it sounds kinda gross) seal in the odors.

Answer 7

Check the toilet, most likely the sewer pipe is backed up or not draining correctly.  Call Roto Rooter and have them snake it out.  Also lift up all the carpets to look for mildew