how to get rid of yucca FOREVER?
creamgogo
17 years ago
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devolet
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Can we completely get rid of cigarette smoke odors in a house?
Comments (80)We bought a smoker's house without realizing it, three years ago. They painted over nicotine and aired it out before we came. The market here has been tight for several years, we already sold our house and were living in a Residence Inn with two big dogs. We did not get an official inspection although an engineer looked at the mechanics and build. We only spent 30 or so minutes in the house, and one of the family members was there constantly opening and closing the door, saying he was waiting for UPS. He was actually guaranteeing fresh air in the great room. Unfortunately, when houses are being sold well above asking and there are dozens of offers on one house, they would not consider anyone who wanted an inspection. We should have known better. End result. We hired professional cleaners to wash the tongue and groove and tree trucks in the great room (this is a cabin style house), tore out carpets and curtains, washed every single surface including windows and door hinges, used two coats of smell blocking primer and then painted, used shellac on the wood, replaced the furnace and a/c and had ducts cleaned, ripped out the kitchen and replaced cabinets and flooring, replaced anything and everything with a motor or that generated heat (including outlets and switches), left nothing undone - the house still smelled like an ashtray. With the very cold weather we have had this winter, suddenly the house started smelling like cigars. We had a 16 merv Hepa filter installed in our furnace and are running two hepa stand alone air cleaners and it doesn't matter. The house still stinks. There is nothing left to clean. The odor must be coming from behind the wallboard, inside the wall cavities. Do not listen to anyone who says they made the odor go away. If they grew up with smokers or are/were smokers, their sense of smell does not work like others. I thought, for just one second, that I got a whiff of cigarette smoke, but no one else smelled it so I let it go. Never again! By the way, when my son was house hunting and suspected he was in a smoker's house, he looked inside the closet and saw the tell-tale drip of yellow. Nicotine! In another, he noticed that wires were yellowed. I had thought that meant they were old, but it is actually a nicotine sign. PVC should be white, not yellow. Brown drips are also a sign of nicotine. Do not buy a smoker's house!...See MoreShould I get rid of this country style china cabinet?
Comments (19)The table looks outstanding. You must feel great about that. You have the right idea of tying in furniture finishes--white paint, wood trim, etc. to unify your open space. I'm with decoenthusiaste that bench seating under the window with a flip-up lid would give you a ton of storage! It's cheap and easy to do--easier than painting the hutch. You can also Google many ways to hack Ikea bookshelves turned sideways with baskets underneath to use as bench seating. You can store big items you only use once in a while. Then you could clean off the tops of the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, which makes the kitchen seem smaller and cluttered. Speaking of which, one way to give yourself a lot more storage by decluttering the kitchen. Start a cabinet at a time, taking everything out, ditching multiples of things and only putting back only what you use all the time. Seriously, you will find more space than you think you have. It's great that you're trying to unify your furniture. One way to do that is to get rid of small pieces entirely like the iron piece next to the china cabinet and the shelves where your coffee maker is. Put the coffee maker at the far end of the kitchen counter where the paper towel roll is. Get apaper towel attachment for under the corner cabinet behind the sink for the paper towels. Get cup hooks and hang coffee mugs under those small cabinets--or consider removing the inaccessible cabinets and putting three open shelves there for really nice mugs and a few plates. Cut out a drying mat (Bed, BB has them) to fit a space next to the sink, then just be really organized about not having too many things out drying. Your kitchen will function and look a whole lot better if you purge extra stuff, get things off the tops of counters, cabinet, fridge. I'm actually a fan of smaller houses like yours even small kitchens--everything's within reach. But small spaces call for creative layouts and a certain amount of minimalism to get physical and visual flow. When you get your new couch, think about creating a "hallway" by floating your couch to face the wall opposite the TV. This is assuming you can flip the TV and console from the current wall to the opposite wall. Then you'll have an airy passageway into the space. All in good time....See MoreHow to get rid of/cover up a "swirl" Ceiling?
Comments (9)Hello Danica, I'm afraid there is no super easy way. Ceiling is a large area and any work will take some time. Here are several options, you definitely can replaster it over, probably right and long lasting solution. You can scrape and sand it down, rent equipment for this but will be very messy. I wouldn't recommend to cover it with boards or panelling because you will loose some ceiling height, which means place will look darker. There is good decorative solution - silk plaster liquid wallpaper, you can find example in my blog, I was sharing some info from exhibition autumn 2016. It is thick and should cover well your ceiling. You can apply it the same way as plaster. Another thing, if you will paint ceiling white, instead of olive, it will look less visible in general. Best of luck, Alena...See MoreAre you living in your forever or dream home?
Comments (15)I've been in this one for 28 years. It wasn't my "dream house" when I bought it, and still isn't, but it ticked the most important boxes - solid construction, older, affordable, not too large, good neighborhood & schools, convenient to work, child care available, good yard, plenty of windows. It lacks some of the amenities I would have liked (like a screened porch, a second bath) and isn't one of the styles that I really like and wanted (craftsman, tudor revival, cottage) but it met my needs at the time and I have been comfortable in it. I don't really believe that there is such a thing as a "forever home" - people and circumstances change. I do hope that I can continue to manage the stairs for many years. Moving to a different area of the country with a milder climate, or moving to a lower taxation town, or a place where I can expand my gardening/orcharding does occur to me from time to time....See Morecyprusmike
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