Hi all,

My landlord was doing something in our basement (I have no idea what) and now the basement reeks of paint thinner. I cannot find the source and it is so strong I cannot even stay down there for more than a 30 seconds. The smell has seeped up into the floors above, especially the kitchen which is right on top of that part of the basement. I have the basement door wide open and as many windows as I could, but it is freezing outside I cannot keep everything open all night. Anyone have any ideas how to fix this or if this is really dangerous? I want to put a fan downstairs to move the fumes out of the basement door, but I am honestly scared about sparks.

 

How should we know what he did? Call the landlord and ask! Doubtful that it's dangerous, you are probably in the 1% of people who are hypersensitive to odors.

 

I wasn't asking you what he did. I was just asking if anyone had any experience having to clean up these types of smell. I cannot contact him right now or I would. I don't think it is fair to assume I am hypersensitive. I was just looking for some help.

 

I find those candle warmers to be really helpful in removing odors. They absorb smells. Can't really say if it'll work for strong chemical smells, but can't hurt.
Don't know anything other than open windows and fans that would really clean it up. I doubt the fan would cause sparks.

 

Thanks, shadeladie. I will probably need to get a few of those. I put a fan in the door that leads to the outside, so hopefully that will help to get rid of the fumes quicker. It's just a little unnerving.

 

Well let's see. If he was messing with the natural gas, your landlord could tell you. If it's just caulking or he spilled paint thinner, he could tell you. Our advice might change if we knew what he did.

 

Odors are particulate. The only real way to get rid of them is move air to increase the rate at which the particles are released and then move them out of there.

 

Unless it's a gas leak that is being mistaken for paint thinner there shouldn't be much danger. As noted above some folks are more sensitive to odors than others. Using a fan to force fresh air in and exhaust the current air is the best/quickest way to remove the odor.

Why can't you contact the landlord? This is something he really should be aware of and responsible for.

btw - welcome to the forums!