Getting rid of "old" people smell :P

[WinstonWolfe]

Josko is right. trash the carpet and repaint.

"old people smell" in a house is usually a combo of incontinence of urine and faeces that 'somehow' gets into the carpet and flooring underneath (concrete wood whatever)......

here's why the smell is strong- many old people don't drink enough water, cos that makes them want to pee more. so they have highly concentrated urine with lots of urea in it. many old people also have weak immune systems so they have chronic urinary tract infections. the bacteria causing the UTI break down the urea in the urinary tract and bladder to create lots of ammonia. when this hits the carpet/concrete/wood, it smells crook straight away. If you add a daily dose of urea, bacteria and ammonia to the flooring every day for a few months or years (via new pee), you eventually get a nice bacterial population in the carpet.

even if an oldie doesn't have a UTI, a carpet laced with urine will be colonized by bacteria and they will convert the urea into ammonia...

it is the comination of ammonia and bacterial metablic waste that perpetuates the smell.

best way to get rid of it is to throw carpet out and saturate the flooring underneath with an industrial strength shot of a protein denaturer like a combo of sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite (industrial strength bleach). Must be concentrated and allowed to sit in concrete for 12 hours and wood for 20-30 mins.....then wash off.....wait a day or two and see if the smell persists...if it does reapply.

can also wash the walls down with a diluted bleach. drunks and old people can and do pee anywhere.......

edit:

it is a common topic of conversation in hospitals and nursing homes.

there's also another smell health carers refer to - "the smell of death" this is different to ammonia and is caused by multisystem organ failure......renal shutdown, failing liver, heart, lungs, blood buffer system, adventitious bacteria.....usually someone dies within 3 days of developing this smell.

 

[Novar]

This thread was hilarious till Winston piped up. Now I'm worried?

 

[Novar]

No offense Winston ... but TMI

 

[WinstonWolfe]

we all have an appointment with Death eventually Novar (remembering the brilliant Monty Python flick).....despite Cleo magazine's best efforts to help you miss it

but don't fret.....there's a way to grow old and not smell. drink adequate water, don't eat as much protein when you age, eat more vegetables (but not asparagus), drink less caffiene and booze, and exercise regularly to keep your skin well vascularized and not prone to chronic bacterial colonization........

 

[BV]

Josko is right. trash the carpet and repaint.
.

I agree and while you are at it,
(I am refering to your other thread now) paint the kitchen walls with a nice white colour and replace the vinyl flooring with something more modern and brighter and see if your kitchen looks better as well...

 

[craigb]

thank you winston! now i know why i got a nose bleed when i visited my great granma!

 

[The Y-man]

there's also another smell health carers refer to - "the smell of death" this is different to ammonia and is caused by multisystem organ failure......renal shutdown, failing liver, heart, lungs, blood buffer system, adventitious bacteria.....usually someone dies within 3 days of developing this smell.

People used to be much more aware of these things and probably much more skilled at analysis. I recall reading somewhere that the Vikings used to figure out if thie injured comrades had had it or not, by the nature of the smell emanating from the flesh wounds. If it smelt like rotten onions, you were pronounced a gonner.... other smells dictated the sort of treatment you should receive - ie types of herbs to apply etc.

Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[kinga4610]

Dazz

I wasn't holidaying in the van at the time. It was parked up in the shed with the windows open.

Very funny reply though - I like your sense of humour.

Kinga

 

[Debt Junkie]

Gotta say WW is right on the money. Worked for five years in a retirement village (washing laundry, cleaning bathrooms .... eeeeeww).

Once you've got that smell it's there to stay .... washing, shampooing, even bi-carb won't lift it. Kero and a lighter might ... ditch the carpet. Think about sealing the cement somehow before relaying carpet ...

Cheers and good luck.

 

[Andrew_A]

I had to rip up the carpet in a house, the underlay which had stuck to the concrete in large patches and bleach the concrete slab.. twice... and even then I wasn't sure I had got rid of the smell.

 

[RumpledElf]

Our IP had dog smell not old people smell, but apparently it was enough to knock you over. Last tenants were doggy people, last owner was a speed addict.

They ripped out the carpet before we got it and there was no smell by the time we bought it. But ... and this is a big but ... the house was empty for almost a year before we bought it. Scared yet?

 

[craigb]

Everything you do scares me ! good on ya!

 

[willair]

No offence to old people but how do i get that smell out of the house?

Would steam clean the carpet do it?

Once you rip out all the carpets ect,just buy some ondoor plants and have a few in each room,they seem to cleanout the air,it works for us..willair