Nice guests but disgusting smell!

Sarah4643
Level 2
Stow, MA

Nice guests but disgusting smell!

We recently had guests stay for the weekend who, when I met them on arrival, seemed very nice. ( Mum, Dad, kid and Grandmother)

However after they left on the Sunday, I went in to strip beds and get towels etc, and the most repulsive smell was in the guesthouse. I’m a nurse and have a strong stomach, but the smell was so disgusting I was gagging as I ran to open windows. 
it took a week of airing the house out, washing everything possible (bed skirts, mattress protectors etc) and shampooing the rugs to get the smell out. Thankfully we didn’t have back to back guests, as there was no way the house was habitable with the stench as it was. 
So…what do I do in future if this happens? It was not a cooking smell (there was nothing in the trash or recycling that could account for the smell) so putting up signage about cooking fish etc wouldn’t have helped in this case. I didn’t say anything to the guests…how do you say to someone that they smell like they are decomposing? 
can I refuse them as guests if they try to return without being penalized? Does anyone know of a way to get rid of smells that doesn’t take a week and involve washing absolutely everything including carpets?

A friend told me about an ionizing machine to remove smells. Anyone know about these? I worry about them being bad for the environment. 
Any help or suggestions gratefully received. 

21 Replies 21

@Helen744 Your answer made me think of a movie I saw years ago. I think the comedian was Richard Pryor on his first visit to Africa. He got into a taxi at the airport and as they were on the way to his hotel, he wound his window down and stuck his head out the window, saying, “pee-ew, what is that funky smell? Do Africans not put on deodorant?” At the same time, the African had his window wound down with his head out the window saying, “pee-ew, what is that funky smell? Do Americans just slather on cologne?

 

I never laughed so loud and for so long.  Tears were streaming down my face. 

Ha ha. Loved Richard Pryor Gwen    H

Hi Helen, yes all people have their own smells, and I’m sorry that you have had to deal with some dreadful ones too.  As a nurse for over 30 years, I have never smelt anything as dreadful as the one left in my guesthouse, and it wasn’t food related, so I think I will have to invest in an ozone machine. :frowning_face:

Deb216
Level 10
Newport, RI

Good morning @Sarah4643 ,

 

Heat one cup of vinegar in a pot on your stove.  Do not use high heat. A very low simmer. The steam from the pot will freshen the air while you tidy up the house.

 

Another tip, pour a half-cup of vinegar right out of the bottle into a bowl, place the bowl in the refrigerator, or cupboard or closet, etc.  if guests leave an odor behind.

Hi Deb. Thanks for the suggestion of putting vinegar on the stove…I’ll try that next time ( hoping never a next time!)

I did put vinegar in the fridge, but it wasn’t a food smell it was a body smell so it did t help. 

Gwen386
Level 10
Lusby, MD

@Sarah4643 

I put white vinegar in a bowl and set it out in the offensive-smelling areas. Not only does it work, it’s cheap too. Here’s a link for different uses for vinegar. 

https://rainbowrestores.com/blog/18-ways-to-clean-and-remove-odors-with-vinegar

 

Thanks for the suggestion Gwen, but I did put 4 large bowls of vinegar in for 5 days and it made no difference at all. I have used vinegar in the past, and it does help, but sadly not this time. :frowning_face: