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You are here: Home / Cleaning / Family Room Smell Status Report

Family Room Smell Status Report

May 9, 2016 By Karen Cooper 6 Comments

Good morning! I hope everyone had a nice weekend and happy Mothers’ Day!

My family knows what I love - Mothers' Day - thediybungalow.com

My family knows what I love.

In case you missed it, in THIS POST and THIS POST I explained how we still have a lingering funky smell in our family room.

Over the weekend, I did some further research on what could be causing the smell in our family room, and I found two things:

(1) One flooring expert suggested that the flooring guys didn’t allow the stain to fully dry before putting on the poly finish and that could cause the stain to off-gas and smell.

and

(2) Several people used something called a (affiliate link ->) Lampe Berger after having their floors refinished, and any lingering smell from the stain and/or poly disappeared!

My thoughts on each point:

(1) This sounds like it might be something…because both the mold remediation guy and the duct cleaning guy – separately – said they thought they smelled stain in the family room, not mildew.

I don’t remember how long the guys took between staining and finishing the floor, but I can definitely find this out. I seem to recall it was at least 24 hours, but senility is a tricky thing so I’d better double check.

(2) I am buying a Lampe Berger today and will report back. It can’t hurt to try it, and for $30, it’s cheaper than ripping up the floors, right? Allegedly, this lamp disinfects the air. You don’t even have to use a fragrance with it; there’s a “so neutral” oil you can burn with no fragrance that just, according to the brand, cleans the air. I’m game to try it.

So, that’s where we are with this. What do you think? Have any of you used the Lampe Berger before? Did it work?

You might also like:

  • Family Room Funky Smell Update
    Family Room Funky Smell Update
  • Mildew Smell in Family Room
    Mildew Smell in Family Room
  • The Final Family Room Smell Update (for now)
    The Final Family Room Smell Update (for now)

Filed Under: Cleaning, Mold Tagged With: Living/Family Rooms 6 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Sandy says

    May 9, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Paying close attention to this journey… Hope this will be a resolution for you!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      May 11, 2016 at 7:39 am

      Thank you, Sandy. Me, too!

      Reply
  2. Frances says

    May 10, 2016 at 5:38 am

    I hope it works for you Karen. We have different products in the UK so I can’t comment on the Lampe Berger. I have personally found Citronella oil or candles to be good for ‘neutralising’ the smell of stain or varnish – when the weather has forced me to work on a project in the house rather than outside. I hope you soon have a sweet smelling family room again.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      May 10, 2016 at 12:28 pm

      Thank you, Frances! I’m trying it today, so we’ll see!!

      Reply
  3. Karen says

    May 12, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    I’m very curious. Does the Lampe Berger get rid of the smell or is it something you have to use on a regular basis? Good luck! Hope it does the trick!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      May 13, 2016 at 9:56 am

      According to the literature on the lamp, burning the lamp disinfects the air (because what you’re burning in the lamp is mostly alcohol), so it can be a one-time use thing. That said, what I read in my internet research on the lamp and using it to get rid of smells is that you should use it 2-3 times to fully get rid of the smell. I have used it three times – and I’m holding my proverbial breath (not literally, of course!). I’ll report back on Monday with the results! Fingers crossed!!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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