Removing Tough Lingering Odours

有些人会回复我们并不是那么μch a problem, but a blessing: over the weekend we hosted a holiday white elephant gift exchange party (you know, the game known as “I steal, you squeal”), and we cooked up a storm to accompany the festivities, including my signature bacon wrapped tenderloin with a balsamic pomegranate rosemary glaze and some bacon wrapped dates. The party went smashingly well, with a delicious spread of food, a large pot of buttered bourbon, and plenty of gifts of the naughty or nice persuasion. But after the party was over, there was a guest that did not want to leave at all….

All that fine swine cooking throughout the evening had left our small apartment smelling of bacon, especially in our stairwell, where a bag of our party’s trash sat overnight. Yes, I find it a most welcoming smell to return to normally, and we even had a rental housing inspector perk up and note the agreeable smell yesterday as he came in to inspect our place. But my girlfriend is a (most understandable) vegetarian, and I don’t think she finds the smell as welcoming as I do, so I’ve been working on more active ways to remove the smell today.

First, just opening the windows throughout the house to allow for circulation can help, but this got foiled by a morning rainstorm. So I turned to our new found favourite, theHalo UVvac, as we’ve read that UV light can help remove bacteria causing odours. A small candle has been burning (supervised) for a couple hours and we’ve also set a bowl of odour soakingactivated charcoalin the stairway’s top landing.

Checking now, the smell is still there, but reduced by about 50% from this morning. Smoky, deep odours like bacon or cigarette smoke are the most difficult of smells to remove, as they permeate into walls and surfaces, so it might take a few more days of constant circulation and a few more candles. Till then I can enjoy the gift that keeps on giving.

Anyone out there have any other helpful hints for expediting the departure of our smoky house guest?