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The original was posted on /r/lifehacks by /u/FitJeweler4526 on 2025-10-01 02:39:19+00:00.

We recently bought a new home, and unfortunately the previous home owners were not great housekeepers. I’m talking… I’ve vacuumed each room 4+ times and have continued to fill up the vacuum in each room. They lived there for 10 years and I’m convinced at this point they didn’t own a vacuum. Toilets and showers were gross, refrigerator was the nastiest I’ve ever seen… and the odor of the house is something I can’t even describe. It’s like lemon mixed with dirty socks, it’s an awful smell. They did a great job masking things because there were no traces of any of this when we originally saw the house. Anyway, I have shampooed the carpets several times, vacuumed, have wallflowers in… and while it definitely has helped, there is definitely still a smell. I haven’t been able to do the stairs super well but I’m hoping to get to those this weekend after painting. Any advice on anything additional I can try to get the odor out that doesn’t involve getting rid of the carpet? Thanks!