Smell is overpowering; Need Advice
My 76 year old MIL has just been rescued from an unhealthy environment where her daughter was robbing her. We immediately brought her here to us for emergency housing 16 hours away. We will help her get herself back on track and in a couple months into AL or senior apartment. She is in relatively good health, mobile, etc, but dealing with emotional issues from her last 4 years. She lived with a daughter who was running a kitten mill... when my husband arrived he couldn’t even get in the house- the stink was so bad from the 50 cat breeding operation.
Has anyone moved an elderly parent whose every belonging STUNK to high heaven? And what did you do to remediate it? The cat and smoke stench has permeated every stick of furniture and belonging.
I've already put my foot down that NOTHING will enter my home with smell on it. We will clean and wash but if it still stinks it will stay in the garage. That being said, she had to have her bed so I scrubbed and scrubbed..... but it’s not gone. I’m washing everything but there’s stuff like photo albums, a painting of her deceased husband, some things that I just don’t know what to do with. And honestly the stench from the garage is entering my home every time I open the door. I can't throw out her things but I can sure not allow it in the house.
In addition, there is a personal bathing issue/ she doesn’t do it enough.
Anyone with a similar stinky experience to lend advice?
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As I read your post I am transported back to when I was called to help my dad.
Only his situation involved dogs and their stink. As well as his incontinents with failing kidneys.
I too spent days washings everything because it stunk. I had to wash things sometimes 4 or 5 times to get the multilayered stench out. And I was having to wash all the linens on his bed everyday. I am busy and an extra 5 loads of laundry a day with a little dog that I had to watch every minute just wore me to a wreck. White vinegar is my BFF for laundry. It kills the enzymes that cause the odor. The challenge is dealing with items that have been washed and dried, setting the odor. Breaking down the bond between the fabric and filth is sometimes difficult. I threw away quite a few items, he never missed anything.
I was blessed that my dad ended up in the hospital and I got some breathing room to figure out what to do. I couldn't have him in my home, long story.
I found a board and care facility that he could afford and he went straight from the rehabilitation facility to his new home.
As hard as it is, sometimes we have to step back and let them be cared for by professional caregivers. I was then able to provide enrichment activities to his life. At my house he got fed and that was all I had time for because he needs were greater than my time.
He is now independent and thriving. He just needed away from his abuser and the care to get better.
Please consider that you and your husband may not be the best solution. And consider the situation with a sick cat. It's not worth a ton of money to pursue treatment if it is old or has something highly contagious. I am going to catch flack for that, but she comes 1st and you have to consider the financial aspect of the situation.
My heart goes out to you. I remember the feelings I experienced and I was so overwhelmed with all of it. One day at a time and you will get through this.
MIL is healthy and able, so she should be able to transition to her own home of some kind, just fine. 🙏. I think she’s more traumatized than anything. She was preyed upon by her own daughter, separated and isolated from family and friends. A bit of mental healing is in order for sure.
The plumber's putty, or whatever was used to seal the sink to the wall, turned greyish. The metal around the base of the sink drain turned black. Scrub as much as I could, I couldn't restore the original shade and sheen of the metal.
It's possible that you could mix a little Puracy with water and use it as a solution to wash things that can't be laundered. Just rub it on, wait for the recommended time, and rinse with a cloth dipped in water.
Also, don't forget that the sun is an excellent disinfectant. You might try washing things and then placing them in direct sun for a whole day. It would probably remove a lot of the smell.
The wood furniture may benefit from refinishing with Polyurethane varnish, that may be able to seal the smell, after being soaked and scrubbed with Nature’s Miracle. See if an online search or a big local pet store can suggest anything better.
We took care of a really wonderful person many years ago, who chain smoked 24 hours a day. Not as bad as cats though.
Shelters are slap full of cats and kittens and here this nut job is breeding more. Intentionally.
Gah!
Dust can contain smells all on its own. Taking a moist cloth and just gently dusting/cleaning things like your FIL's portrait can help a lot. There are companies that can scan all the old photos onto a DVD, which may be a better option for everyone anyway because it's so easy to copy and share the DVD full of photos. Later you may want to load several into a digital photo frame for your MIL. BTW - you might want to ask for paperwork to be scan instead of just photocopied too.
Wood is porous and can hold smells really well. I doubt anything will get a cat urine smell out of unfinished wood, but smoke smells can be handled. I recommend cleaning with a solution including baking soda and white vinegar and allowing to air dry several times, maybe alternating with a pine-sol solution. Using steel wool to lightly roughen the surfaces and applying a clear lacquer spray (available in cans from Walmart and home improvement stores) can both improve the finished surfaces and seal smells from the unfinished surfaces.
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