This is what hotels use but they do require you to leave while they are being used. You can rent them.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Crawl space or basement musty? That smell will drift up into the house.
Also high humidity will set off odors from old finishes like shellac; are you sure the odors aren't coming from old furniture, like a piano, dresser or rancid kitchen grease on the walls?
Our house built in 1914 will occasionally smell like an "old house" only if it has been closed up; the odor comes from the 1/2 cellar, 1/2 dirt crawl space.
The attic fan will get rid of it in a few minutes.

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"Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration...
don't Fail Us Now"

Since your roach problem is that bad, I'm willing to guess that you have a roach feces issue...Chances are, if you don't have lung issues yet, you may develop them in the future if it isn't removed.

Cockroaches and Pests - American Lung Association

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles

Is it a sour smell? Moldy? If it sticks on your clothes it may be mold. In that case I would go over everything with a vinegar water solution.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I was able to freshen up a room once using powered laundry soap (Tide w/bleach). I sprinkled it all over and a few days later swept it up and vacuumed. I didn't live there so I do not know how long it kept the place smelling nice though.

'48 isn't that old.

If it really is just "old house" smell, open all of the windows and get some fans going to air it out. If that doesn't work then you can go to more extensive measures. Even just a good top-to-bottom cleaning should freshen things up.

Our camp went unused for a number of years and was closed up tight. Within a week of opening it up and airing it out, it smelled much better.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

Hey man, I was born in the 80's! Everything is older than me!

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

Actually I was born in the 70's. My house was built in the 1912 but it's one of the newer ones in my 'hood. Most of them have a 100+ years on me, some have 200+!

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

ok.. You win.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

I also am thinking the bugs. Or mold. Or a combination of the two. Check the humidity levels in the dwelling. I think that at 70 percent or higher there may be odour issues develop.Same as old books in high humidity conditions do. Also if you can locate someone that is familiar with pest smells might not be a bad ideal. May help you narrow it down.

You could cauterize your nose. That would solve the issue.

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2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

I know exactly the smell to which you refer. I wouldn't call it 'old house smell'. I'd call it 'rental house smell' or 'dirty house smell'. Back in the 80's I had a HUD house master key since I managed a condo complex. HUD had hundreds of properties for sale in Denver and we were looking to buy. Some places had the smell and others didn't. I think it comes from years accumulation of poor cleaning practices combined with old carpets and old paint.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

in your bug thread, you say this-

Mr CLK Man I wish you the best. I am attempting to rid myself of the cockroaches at the moment. I hope that goes ok. Im in a duplex and my neiibor are what I would call mild to moderate hoarders. They have piles of stuff in every room of their house. Lots of places for little bugs to hide. I don't own much stuff so I hope I can defeat the cucarachas.


1. If the bugs have a home next door, you will never get rid of them

2. The smell is probably thousands and thousands of cockroaches in your shared walls with the neighbor, or the neighbors side specifically. Roaches have a distinct nest odor, from the feces of thousands of bugs among other things involved with their nesting.

How many have you seen in the daylight hours?


your house is fairly young honestly, the problem sounds like pestilence infestation, that probably what you are smelling.

I don't have any idea how you would solve the problem with a shared duplex with hoarders

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I really dont see that many bugs. I have seen about three in the past month actually in the house.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

I'm agreeing with it being bug turds...cockroach dung will cause lung issues if you don't get it taken care of.

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1987 560SL
85,000 miles