Thank you for your replies....

I figure the degreasing of our maple cabinetry won't be so bad, with the
products you all recommended. We'll get to work on that one.

However, I'm now a little tentative about the distinct aroma left from this
East Indian family. In addition to the duct cleaning work, we're having our
painter repair some cosmetic damage to the interior of the walls (i.e. holes
and dents in drywall); then his painting crew will TSP the walls; then
primer the walls; and then paint based on the colors of our choice. Like I
said in my earlier post, we will replacing the carpeting - currently it's a
shag look, cut berber along the stairs and the entire second level of the
home. We will replacing the carpet with new nylon berber. The lower level
of the house has a combination of wood laminate, ceramic tile, and hardwood
floors that we're installing. I'm hoping the aroma from the Indian spices
will go away, but just don't know how long. Any more information you can
provide on the "ozone generator?" Do you know of anyone who has used it
before, and is it really effective?

Please keep in mind, I hope I don't sound like I'm offending the East Indian
culture. In my own experience, East Indian food and delicacies are quite
delicious. However, it's a very cultured ethnicity that I'm not used to or
much aware of, and would much rather leave the cooking and handling of
spices to an East Indian family to prepare, then myself.

Thanks for your advice.

-vlad

"Vlad" wrote in message
news:YKlTd.88481$bu.66708@fed1read06...
Thank you for your replies....

I figure the degreasing of our maple cabinetry won't be so bad, with the
products you all recommended. We'll get to work on that one.

However, I'm now a little tentative about the distinct aroma left from
this
East Indian family. In addition to the duct cleaning work, we're having
our
painter repair some cosmetic damage to the interior of the walls (i.e.
holes
and dents in drywall); then his painting crew will TSP the walls; then
primer the walls; and then paint based on the colors of our choice. Like
I
said in my earlier post, we will replacing the carpeting - currently it's
a
shag look, cut berber along the stairs and the entire second level of the
home. We will replacing the carpet with new nylon berber. The lower
level
of the house has a combination of wood laminate, ceramic tile, and
hardwood
floors that we're installing. I'm hoping the aroma from the Indian spices
will go away, but just don't know how long. Any more information you can
provide on the "ozone generator?" Do you know of anyone who has used it
before, and is it really effective?

Please keep in mind, I hope I don't sound like I'm offending the East
Indian
culture. In my own experience, East Indian food and delicacies are quite
delicious. However, it's a very cultured ethnicity that I'm not used to
or
much aware of, and would much rather leave the cooking and handling of
spices to an East Indian family to prepare, then myself.

Thanks for your advice.

-vlad

I would start with fresh air and lots of it. Put a fan in the crawl space
blowing up into the attic. Open a couple of windows and let run. I am
talking days not hours. As you do the cleaning and painting you might find
that the odor goes away on its own. Remove all curtains and clean, remove
the stove and clean the area around it. Especially the floor and wall. If
you have an exhaust fan over the stove wash it.
I have 2 Ionic Breezes, good for small solids in the air. I do not know it
works on odors as it says in the ads.

Give your cabinets a good cleaning with an oil soap (Murphy's is
good). Keep in mind that water and wood is not a good combination,
so resist the temptation to soak the wood. Clean on top of the
cabinets too. I used to live in an apartment building with East
Indians and a common shared hallway. Nice folks, but the "fumes" in
the hallway burned my eyes during the times they cooked. TSP is a
very strong detergent--wear rubber gloves and rinse well before
painting. Kilz contains shellac and is a very good sealer. Open your
windows weather permitting. The odor will weaken over time, and not
as bad as buying a home of heavy cigarette smokers. I do not
recommend ozone generators, unless you leave your residence for a week
or two while it is running.