Thread: "Old House" odor

To all my leaned Home Inspectors –

As you all know, often times an older house has an “Old House� odor. I don’t find the odor offensive, but some people don’t like it.

If the property is in excellent shape, and not scheduled for any renovations, is there a cost effective way to address the odor?

CaoimhÃ*n P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
Forensic Applications Consulting Technologies, Inc. - Home

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

I have used OdoBan for many years. Available at Sams and other.

OdoBan® - Odor Eliminator - Home

Well CaoimhÃ*n - at first I was thinking this is a loaded question from you.
Seeing that you have so many labs and tests and years of experience behind you.
Exotic and dangerous and toxic is your realm, but ordinary smells are not in your knowledge base?
Interesting.
Good info from Kevin though. I think i'll check out their website for my own old house smell..
Thanks Kevin
...and thanks CaoimhÃ*n for letting us know what you don't know

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

I have used OdoBan for many years. Available at Sams and other.

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

You are not going to win any points with me on this product.
What you need to know is when they say they have added scent to the product, that can be any perfume concoction on planet earth. No MSDS and you are subject to at least 4000 Chemicals to mask the smell. You do not want to get in a discussion with me on the dangers of any extra chemicals in the Home air.

My Daughter's house had people move out and had an indoor cat who's litter box located in laundry room was neglected for long periods. I used OdoBan® - Odor Eliminator - Home on the floating laminate flooring.After spraying this 5 years ago No Odor, No Problems and I didn't even have to pull up the flooring and replace the under lament just mix and spray. After a few days the "Added scent" was gone along with the Stale Cat Urine Smell.

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

My Daughter's house had people move out and had an indoor cat who's litter box located in laundry room was neglected for long periods. I used OdoBan® - Odor Eliminator - Home on the floating laminate flooring.After spraying this 5 years ago No Odor, No Problems and I didn't even have to pull up the flooring and replace the under lament just mix and spray. After a few days the "Added scent" was gone along with the Stale Cat Urine Smell.

I had a tenant with a cat. When he moved out there was an awful smell. Odoban done a good job at clearing the air.

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

No MSDS

Here's one http://www.parish-supply.com/documen...--------01.PDF

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

You are not going to win any points with me on this product.
What you need to know is when they say they have added scent to the product, that can be any perfume concoction on planet earth. No MSDS and you are subject to at least 4000 Chemicals to mask the smell. You do not want to get in a discussion with me on the dangers of any extra chemicals in the Home air.

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Here's one http://www.parish-supply.com/documen...--------01.PDF

Billy,

You're no fun ... you've de-clawed his fightin' words ...

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

Here's one http://www.parish-supply.com/documen...--------01.PDF

And just look at that, they are from Warner Robins GA.

For my liking I would use soap and water and wash the walls, ceiling, and repaint, remove old carpeting, have the heat ducts cleaned. A bit of ole fashion elbow grease works wonders.

Also bbq charcoal put out in trays absorbs odours, also vinegar in trays is suppose to work but my monies with the charcoal.

Originally Posted by Raymond Wand

For my liking I would use soap and water and wash the walls, ceiling, and repaint, remove old carpeting, have the heat ducts cleaned. A bit of ole fashion elbow grease works wonders.

Also bbq charcoal put out in trays absorbs odours, also vinegar in trays is suppose to work but my monies with the charcoal.

No MSDS Sheet ?

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

Well they should not have given an MSDS as it clearly states the product has no known carcinogenic.
RIGHT UNDERNEATH THIS is
Other effects:
Acute: High vapor concentration can cause irritation of the eyes and respiratory system.

Irritation = carcinogenic

Really?

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

You do not want to get in a discussion with me on the dangers of any extra chemicals in the Home air.

Actually, I don't want to have a discussion with you about anything.

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

You do not want to get in a discussion with me on the dangers of any extra chemicals in the Home air.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Actually, I don't want to have a discussion with you about anything.

I completely agree - there seems to be no reason to even try to have a discussion with him ... been there too many times with others who post crap like his.

Not worth the time.

Kevin, go have a discussion with Ken ... maybe you two can tie each other up and not bother the rest of us.

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

To be clear about the issue, if indeed it says citrus scented, I would want to see where that scent is coming from. If it is a man made Fragrance then... end of discussion.

Dang,

I"ll have to go back to the Horse Liniment.

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

... end of discussion.

Best thing you've said in this thread.

I would consider renting an ozone generator aka ozonator.

Kevin
The home page of the product you provided a link for offers a commission.
Is this just a side line for you or do you want to go at it big?


As an Allergy Store affiliate you earn commissions 10% on product sales

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Kevin
The home page of the product you provided a link for offers a commission.
Is this just a side line for you or do you want to go at it big?


As an Allergy Store affiliate you earn commissions 10% on product sales

Rick,

Even if Kevin does not take any commissions ... he is offering up ADVERTISING as scientific evidence of some mischievous misdeeds by others? That's like offering up a GM advertising brochure as to why other manufacturers should be avoided.

(I'm not knocking GM, my wife's car is a Chevy Malibu - her 3rd Malibu, one of our daughters is still driving her last one / I had an S-10, followed by 3 Chevy Astro vans, then a Chevy conversion van, all of which I drove for inspections during my inspecting years, the daughter who is now driving the Malibu got the conversion van as it hit 99,000 miles when I retired from inspections, she drove it another 50,000 miles before getting the Malibu).

The most impressive change was in my Grandmother's room, who lives with us. She has a multitude of problems and she needs a portable toilet in her room. As a result, it smells horrible in there. Once we put the zeolite in her room, the smell vanished.

Poor granny, I think they need an exhaust fan in her room, but watch out the exhaust vent is not installed too close to the plumbing vent! No one wants granny to be gassed.

Good morning, Gents!

Thanks for the feed back! I will let you know how things panned out.

Let me add a little to comments on “carcinogens.� Most people incorrectly believe that the word “carcinogen� means “causes cancer.� Although that was originally true, that is not the current definition.

I suspect that if you look the word up in a dictionary or glossary, you will probably only find the commonly used definition. But to a toxicologist or an epidemiologist or pathologist (from whence comes our carcinogenic data), the word “carcinogen� has a very different meaning. Even buried deep in the bowels of our Code of Federal Regulations (Title 29 CFR, Part 1990.103) the word "carcinogen" is given the criteria I mention below, and doesn't actually include the word "cancer."

Contrary to common belief, there are actually very few confirmed human cancer causing compounds. My memory may be off by a little, but to memory, there are only about 23 confirmed “genotoxic� cancer causing compounds; 5 “epigenetic� compounds, and 5 that appear to be in a grey area. And yet we have hundreds and hundreds of compounds listed as “carcinogen.� So, from whence comes the difference? From the fact that a compound no longer needs to cause a cancer (a malignancy) of any parenchyma to be classified as a "carcinogen."

Like so much of science that has been high-jacked for social, political and ideological goals, the underpinning cohesive definition of "carcinogen" that emerges is actually a compound that results in one of the following physiological responses:

1) The exposed group develops an increase in all tumor types over that seen in the control groups. (Remember that the word “tumor� does NOT mean “cancer.�)

2) The exposed group develops tumors sooner than tumors seen in the control groups.

3) The exposed group develops types of tumors not seen in the control groups (this is subtly different than response number one).

4) The exposed group exhibits a multiplicity of any and all tumor types over that seen in the control groups.

In each case, the resulting tumor may be benign or malignant (non-cancerous or cancerous).

Next, while one of the posters expressed extreme fear over “chemicals� if one looks at an “organically grown� orange, or “organically grown� vegetable, and analyzes to see what is in it – that item is chocker block full of carcinogens, and chemicals, and chemicals containing multiple benzene rings, and aliphatics, aromatics, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and all the other “chemicals� that often go into fragrances.

Humans are now, and from the very beginning of time, and forever more will be awash in “chemicals� and radiation and carcinogens… it’s called “Being human.�

(By the way, under on classification system, an hammer can be classified as a “carcinogen.�

Cheers!

CaoimhÃ*n P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
Forensic Applications Consulting Technologies, Inc. - Home

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

True however nothing has the ability to kill more quicker than Chemical soup in the air.

Untrue!
I can think of many.

Hello Billy –

You are correct. There are many compounds that can pass into systemic circulation through the skin or GI tract faster than through the inhalation route.

I performed an exposure assessment at a silk screening facility – some of the employees had free toluene in their urine even though the airborne exposure was being controlled – the primary rout of exposure was through the skin.

Cheers!
CaoimhÃ*n P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
Forensic Applications Consulting Technologies, Inc. - Home

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

Hi CaoimhÃ*n, Good to hear from you, I always like hearing from you on environmental issues and always learn something. Cheers!!

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

To be clear about the issue, if indeed it says citrus scented, I would want to see where that scent is coming from. If it is a man made Fragrance then... end of discussion.

and

True however nothing has the ability to kill more quicker than Chemical soup in the air.
Yes to compare the small doses you receive in fruit and vegetables to a full shot of chemicals from Fragrance is not even close a comparison.

"Nothing has the ability to kill confidence in scientific expertise more quickly than consistently incorrect use of capitalization, grammar, and punctuation."
Regarding citrus scent... if the scent is (for instance) limonene, is it better or worse if it was extracted from citrus rind or synthesized? Given two samples, how would you tell one from the other? And why is one better?

Originally Posted by Kevin Wood

What the flip are you talking about. I did not start this thread and Zeolite is a mineral. I do not gain anything in using this company nor would I ever say it is the only game in town.

He's talking about after all those miles and nary an odor.