[Elliott1995]

I did a stupid thing by throwing mothballs up in my attic to kill the smell of a dead mouse inside my wall. I thought that would take the smell away... yes it did, however, now I am having an over powering and dangerous smell of the chemical. I removed as many mothballs as I could recover but the chemical still remains. I bought a product on line that is supposed to dilute the odor and that is helping a little, I have fans in the attic and I'm also thinking of having an attic fan installed too. I'm thinking I will have to invest in a VERY GOOD air purifier in the end.

Does any one know of anything else I can try before I do shell out the bucks?

[speedball1]

•Know what you're up against. Mothballs are made from naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which are not particularly good for humans; both of these chemicals sublimate from a solid to gaseous state, which means that the fumes built up from just a few mothballs in a confined space can permeate any porous object, from leather to linen to wood.

•2
Avoid trying to clean the affected area with water. Though counterintuitive, water and repeated washing does nothing to remove the mothball smell, and in fact, seems to just make it harder to get rid of. Because of the nature of these chemicals, a dry heat source and plenty of ventilation seems to work the best.

•3
Plan on spending about a month ridding yourself of mothball smell. This is about how much time it takes in a very warm, well-ventilated area for the fumes to fully disperse from the mothballed piece of furniture, upholstery, or textile. If a room or a whole house is full of mothball smell, keep airing it out and crank up the heat for a month or so and then give the house a thorough cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.

•4
Try charcoal a few pieces of charcoal in a metal pan which may be enough to absorb some of the mothball odor, although this and many similar methods don't seem to be completely effective. Similar treatments with baking soda, vinegar, herbs, oils and even household cleaners and deodorizers seem to help at first but they ultimately cover the smell instead of removing it. However, this can make the long process of removing the smell more bearable.



Read more: How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell | eHow.com How to Get Rid of Mothball Smell | eHow.com Good luck, Tom

[ma0641]

WOW. Sublimate-thats a great word. Even an old chemist like me hasn't used that one in a while. Toms right. Just let it alone and it will slowly disperse.

[speedball1]

Hi Ma4061,
Thanks for the backup. I am against using harsh chemicals in your drainage system. This includes Draino which contains lye. Pouring Draino down the drain and then calling in a plumber because now you have a sink full of lye that will not drain.
We have to dip out the sink and then remove a trap full of lye. Not good for the plumber, the lye gets into small cuts and if it ever gets in your eyes you stand a chance of being blinded. No plumber likes to walk into a sink full of lye. I realize that this has nothing to do with mothballs but I wanted to get it off my chest. Regards, Tom