Getting rid of odour from woodworm treated beams

[Alex Proctor]

Hi,

I would appreciate some ideas as to how we can get rid of the smell in an outbuilding where we believe the structural timbers have been treated in the past for woodworm.

We bought our house with a semi-converted outbuilding next door. There is an obvious chemical smell (possibly creosote or similar) present in the outbuilding. My suspicion is that the timbers have been treated by the previous owner for woodworm. The timbers have the woodworm holes but fortunately no signs of a live infestation. The timber feels slightly greasy to touch and is soft at the surface. We've had this outbuilding for 5 years and it still smells, especially if it has not been aired for a while and the smell builds up over time. It would seem the timbers have been impregnated with an oil-based chemical which gradually leaches out into the atmosphere. We want to turn the outbuilding into guest accommodation but the smell and possible associated health risk is preventing us from doing this.

Any thoughts as to how we can treat resolve would be gratefully appreciated!

Thanks
Alex

 

[JohnD]

open the windows.

 

[Alex Proctor]

Tried that....smell keeps coming back....

 

[Gavin100]

There is a range of machines called Odorox that might be able to help you. I know they are used by restoration guys to remove odours in your kind of circumstances.
Good luck.