Smells

Well, I've been through this myself, and the only thing I can say is - change apartments. I know it's a pain, etc., but I never found anything that would block smells. I used to live in an apartment where the people next door chain smoked, and it would come through the plumbing under my bathroom sink. Wierd, huh? Every time I opened the cabinet under the sick, I practically gagged from the intensity of the smell. Anyway, it would be a great hassle, but it's really the only way to get away from the smell.

I used to work in New Home Sales and we had an automatic battery operated air freshner. I have seen them advertised. They will automatically spray every 5, 10, 15 or 30 min. (whatever you set the time for)

Buy a good ionizer (air clean) that you can leave on all the time. http://www.tryfreshair.com/flash_pages/index.aspx

We have a dog that sleeps in our den. We bought a natural air freshner that helps with the smell. It is in a plastic mesh type bag and it looks like little small rocks are in the bag. It is to help with odors. We keep it out of reach of our dog and kids. We've used it and it helps a lot. It has a hook for hanging and you could also use it in your closets too. We bought it at the Outlet Mall near Gainesville in the Wamsutta store/Linen/Comforterer type store. We bought it last July and is still working fine. You could also try a health food store and see if they carry anything like this. Linen's N Things carries things like that also.

I've also used a small jar with a dry air freshner, someone gave it to me. It looked like someone had made it, it had lace over the top of the jar. It looked like it was some sort of gel. It lasted a long time. You might try some craft stores, where they sell antiques, crafts and homemade type gifts. I'm sure Canton-First Monday Trade Days would have it. You might do a search online for gel air freshners.

I wouldn't recommend the air freshners in the store, we used one and you turn it on and it got too hot and it burned part of the top of our stereo speaker. We learned the hard way, you have to be careful where you place those battery operated air freshners.

You might try potporri (sp?), the dried flower mix. I've used that and they come in different fragrances. When the scent goes away you freshen it by using an oil to pour over it.

I would try a a high quality air cleaner. We have one that is a HEPA filter. They pick up smoke, dust and keeps your air clean also. That should pick up the smell also. The downside of these is that you do have to buy air filters after awhile when they get dirty.

We also have a Rainbow air cleaner that uses water. You can also buy air freshners to help freshen the air. We bought one air freshener, however we didn't get the other scents they offered. We bought it from a Rainbow salesman who came to our house. If you interested, email us and we can give you more info. It is good that you don't have to buy the air filters on a regular basis.

You might want to get some filters that go over your vents for the air conditioning/heating. We had those when we were in a duplex and it really helped. They come in bigger sheets and you can cut them down to the size of your vent. They fit on the inside of your vent.

If you have any questions or need more info, feel free to email me.

Oh you poor thing...I would be going crazy as I can't stand the smell or taste of curry and heavy spices. They get absorbed into the walls and clothes and hair and skin, it's so bad. Unfortunantly, there is really nothing you can do except ask management for another apartment. :( Sorry!!!!

There is a powder that you can put in a bucket of paint and repaint the walls, I saw it on HGTV once, but that wont help you because the neighbors will continue to cook with the curry and the smell will come right back.

You poor thing...it would be OK if they were baking apple pies and sugar cookies all day!!! LOL I personally hate curry and I would have probably packed my bags and moved after the first day. I just don't think any kind of air freshener, ionizer, etc can get rid of that smell completely. It just permeates everything--carpet, paint on the walls, the wood in the cabinets, EVERYTHING! Plus if you or anyone in your family is prone to allergies, all those products (and the curry) will antagonize those allergies. Talk to your manager, see if they can talk to your neighbors, and if all else fails, see if they'll move you to a different unit (w/o charge, of course!)

I use Scentsy warmers and melting blocks. They took care of a similiar issue that we were having. They're warmed with a low watt light bulb so can stay on all day. I just turn it on in the am before I leave.

Call Cynthia White at ###-###-####. She may even have something in stock for you so you wouldn't have to wait. She has quick delivery and great customer service!

essential oils should work fine.

what about those oust plug ins - I hear they really work. I use fabreze ones and am thinking about getting the oust one for my cats litter box room.

There is a product called Zeolite that absorbs odors. I read on the internet that if you have enough of this stuff around after a small fire in your home it will get rid of the smoke smell in 3 days. Thankfully I have never had to go thru this but I have used it in trash cans and such. You can do a search for Zeolite and see what it brings up. Oh, and another good thing about it is that after a certain time you put it out in the sun and it releases the smells and then you reuse it.

OMG-- this happened to us before in our first apartment (many years ago now)! Honestly, MOVE. I never slept well, and I felt nauseous all the time. They won't stop cooking, and no amount of sweet smell will totally counteract it. I would seriously suggest moving-- it is so great to breathe fresh air again!

Good Luck.

Oh I feel so sorry for you! Nothing that you try is going to work. I hate to be so blunt but if this is a serious enough problem for you guys, MOVE! Just go to your apartment manager, tell him the problem and ask for a different unit. I have done this before myself. Before kids I might add so the process was not that bad. GO FOR IT!!!

Find some places to put a few bowls of vinegar. It will not leave an odor, but will take out the curry smell - work also if you burn something while cooking.

You might try setting bowls of pure vinegar out on the counters closest to their apartment at night. If you have a cat that is playful, it might not be a good idea, they won't drink it but they might top it over.

Vinegar absorbs odors, and a bowlful left on a counter for 6 hours will really clear the air. Vinegar is cheap and a natural product. It's great for cleaning too.

I have environmental allergies & extremely sensitive to odors. I have heard that ionizer's are not good for you either. I use Bio-Kleen's products for cleaning & odor removal. Their dishwashing detergent removes odors from laundry & surfaces but Bac-Out is what I use for other odors. I mix it with water in a spray bottle & it uses enzymes to remove the odors. You can get it at Whole Foods, Kroger's that have Health Food Dept's, Sunflower Shoppe in Fort Worth or order online from Drugstore.com.

Try an EDENPURE G7. Removes all ordors, even smoke when my grown children visit. In addition it removes pet ordors,
fish,etc. Not an inexpensive purchase- about $500.00 or
so. Also you might try glass bowls of bleach. Also, I used to mop my kitchen and bathroom floors with bleach. Do not
do this if you cannot ventilate your apartment. This can
create health problems if you cannot leave a window open a crack.
Good Luck.

a good air purifier will work wonders!

Would a fan w/ ionizer work? or some sort of air filter/purifier that you could plug it into a timer so it starts running 15 minutes before you get home?
Also, make sure your doors and windows are well sealed.
Good luck! ~C~

Try Reed Diffusers. They are like candles but work all day long. The best ones at a good price are Pier 1! There are so many different scents...

Sometimes day cares, schools, & hospitals have those spray air fresheners near the ceiling that have a timer on them to spray every 5, 10, or 15 minutes. I don't have any idea where they get them, but you should research them.

Sorry for late notice and realize you have alot my husband who works in ac and heating says that the ozone machine would be good and to try the really small pleaded arm and hammer ac filters and to change them every two to three weeks but thats no guarantee. Hopefully this helps you some.

i just brought one of this because my neighboors are the same but they cook around 11:00 pm so in the night it smells so i found the Air Wick FreshMatic Ultra Automatic Spray Starter Kit, Fresh Waters it has 3 times settings and now is working
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100466&a...

G.

Lowes sells some stuff, I think it's called "X-O" It is a smell neutralizer. It works instantly; it does not cover the smell; it mixes with it and changes the molecules to neutralize the smell. I have a lot of rental property; I've used it where tenants have done some things like leave animals unattended for long periods of time and you would be amazed at how well it works. It's fairly expensive but lasts a long, long, time. good luck.

yes it's sensitive, our good friends cook with curry all the time and the smell does not come out easily if at all.
I second the suggestion of talking to the apartment manager so he/she talks to your neighbors. otherwise, the best thing to do is move...a hassle I know.

You should request your apt. mgmnt. company to relocate you within the community at their cost. The reason I am so blunt in my response is due to the fact that I used to be an apt. mgr. and experienced this same situation. Curry used in Indian cooking gets into the walls to the point that I have had to have professionals actually microband the walls interiors, repaint after sealing all the walls, etc. after they vacated the unit. You should not have to endure a direct and adverse affect on your living environment unless you so choose to. Be bold, stand up for your rights. You are paying good money to reside there and they should accomodate you!

Something that will work for sure is an ozone machine. Not to be confused with an ionizer or air purifier. Ozone is what is produced after a rain/thunder storm. These machines produce ozone which the smells attach to and then are ELIMINATED, not masked. It is not healthy in large doses, but in small amts. is just fine. My husband suffers from a high sensitivity to all smells and this is the only thing that helps.You can program the machine to come on for an hour before you come home and then shut off. The smell will be gone and you'll be left with the smell that you smell after a thunderstorm-fresh and clean, not chemical and artificial.

Also, you can leave it on all the time as long as it's on a very low setting. If you start to get a headache, you'll know the setting is too high. They are rather expensive, starting at about $250. But they really do work. Some brands to check out are Air-Zone and Alpine. They are relatively small, about the size of a speaker.

Hope this helps.

try essential oils, i love them & they are much stronger than candles. you can find oil burners that just use tea light candles just about anywhere.

I normally use the oil and burners from Bath and Body Works. It is a burner with a tea light. The oil is strong and will fill the room quickly. It lasts a long time.

As for something that you can use all day, Glade has a plug-in that sprays on a schedule you set.

http://www.glade.com/glade-wisp/

Also, I would recommend you use Fabreeze on your fabrics. Curry has a tendency to permeate fabrics easily.

GL!

Peggy is completely right. I would be warry of things like that. I am a marketer for an international health and wellness company that manufactures alternatives to these products. One that I use for so many different things is Solumel. It is a natural deoderizer, antiseptic, cleaner, etc. I have used it in my laundry, sprayed around my cat litter box, cleaned my counter tops with it, etc. Contact me if you would like more information.

J.

Check out Lamp Berger fragrance lamps on google or something. I have a couple of them and you can leave them "on" while you're away (I would never leave a candle burning or even the stove on if I'm gone). It's a hot stone that uses a wick in fragrance oil. They really work to scent and de-scent (if you know what I mean). They have a lot of great scents- I love the lemony ones. Can be expensive, but worth it. Some fancy home decor stores sell them, so you could go smell the different scents.

Wow, yeah. I know how that is. I have a friend that has the same problem and she really didn't want to have to say anything about it. Finally someone called the cops on them because it was also going into their houses and really making everything terrible smelling. I really don't know how I would deal with that problem, I think after a while I would also have to call the cops but I don't think they're respecting YOU and the rest of the neighborhood when they are cooking with such a strong smell and knowing that it's strong.

This happens alot in the Richardson area. I have several friends who spoke with their apt. People and you can be moved to a different apt. The 3 people I know have had this happen. It is hoprrible to move all of your stuff though for you, but hey no more curry stink.

I feel for you. My husband and I had the exact same experience when we were dating. I never tried to get rid of it when I was younger I didn't know any better. Now if I was in your situation I would get some boxes of baking soda and put them in the air vents so maybe it will soak up some of the odor before it gets to you.

Insence...Nagchampa or Super Hit is really strong but it smells really good too. Plus they work fast and tend to linger around a while after they go out.

A similar situation happened to my sister in an apartment. She notified the leasing office and they provided some type of cinnamon scented inserts for the AC filter for her apt. This filtered out the scent and provided a cinnamon aroma instead. Maybe your apt manager has a solution. They are usually equipped to deal with a variety of circumstances.

I think that it is of importance to note that many air fresheners and fabric sprays contain phthalates (harmful chemicals linked to cancer, hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive problems) and other chemicals linked to such things as asthma. So, I guess my only advice is choose something with more natural ingredients than chemical. Here is some good info:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,###-###-##...

http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners/fairfreshen...

My friend swears by those Febreeze room deodorizers (sp?) The initial start up kit is a bit pricey, and the refills are too, but they make your rooms smell so nice. That may be an option... I'd rather pay a bit of money to make my home smell great, than have to smell curry. That is a smell I don't particularly like :)~