apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone know where I can get wallpaper samples in the city. I am looking for birds and butterflies by Shumacher. Thanks!

Has anyone had any luck blocking smells from entering your apartment? I'm on the third floor and get the cigarettes and garlicy meat smells from the basement apartment, mostly from in the bathroom. Any ideas how to stop this?

Ugh. I empathize the nasty smell problem. It's usually something that travels through the ventilation system and there's not a lot that can be done, other than blocking the vents.

Maybe you could try suspending a few of those odor/air filters inside the ducts in your apartment?

Alternatively, maybe you could convince your neighbor to move. :-)

Good luck. That really sucks.

ewwww...sorry to hear about the stinky neighbors.

what about utilizing baking soda somehow? i wonder if you could wrap some in a little cheesecloth bag and secure it inside your bathroom vent or in front of it. you might be able to do something similar with wood-pellet kitty litter too, like feline pine. (works really, really well on kitkat smells.)

or maybe you could leave a gallon of febreze outside the basement dwellers' door...think they'd get the hint? good luck!

I know it's not totally recommendable, but, I leave a ionizing fan on all the time.... It really helps with neighbor odors. That and a good candle from Anthropologie or Martin & Osa will mask any foul smell.

I have a curiousity question from a soon-to-be Chicagoan: Does the El run in the snow? If so, is there ever a point at which they shut it down?

We currently live in Columbus, OH which has zero public transport and were curious as to the availability of trains in the inclement weather.

Thanks!

emilyandharry - I don't live in Chicago, but I've been there on more than a few occasions while snow was on the ground and rode the el with no problem. I think it would take one heck of a blizzard to shut it down, and they'd do everything they could to get it back up and running as soon as they could. As someone who lives in a city with minimal public transport, I can say that having such a strong system, as in Chicago, would be a boon during times of bad weather. I HATE driving in ice and snow but aside from the walk to the stop or station, taking a bus or train would be so much better!

emilyandharry- Unfortunately, yes, the El does run in the awful winter weather, so no snow days for us riders, unlike our car-commuting co-workers. However, the system is incredibly slow right now due to construction work, and apparently northside travel is going to get worse at the end of March. Also, because of this and because more people opt for the El over cars in the bad weather, the train cars get VERY packed. But, you do get to where you need to go in the end- the ride just might not be very comfortable.

Ahh, thanks for answering our question! This is especially nice for me, because I plan on Selling my car and buying a Vespa before the move, and if I can use the El when the weather is crap (which will probably be most of the time), then I'm a very happy camper!

catiaelizabeth, your neighbours habits may be tough to counteract. however, here are two ideas--

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_cleaning_tips_hints/article/0,,HGTV_3111_1523582,00.htm

and

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/residair.html#Ion%20generators

allergy buyers club has a product called IQ air. these swiss-made air cleaners are not only one type they sell, but i use IQ air because they are used in clean rooms in hospitals--heavy duty but expensive. mine works PERFECTLY, and i've had it for 5 years.

pls. read up on ionizing air purifiers before making your choice. manufacturers will not tell you the truth about the science, in my view. do you want to add ions to the air, and why, and how do they really affect the ozone, your lungs, etc.

good luck.

@RaquelP,

You can order samples from Graham and Brown http://www.grahambrown.com/us/store/help.html and they will be mailed to you, no charge. You can't beat it.

@catiaelizabeth

Do you have an exhaust fan in your bathroom? If so, keep it on all the time. Assuming you have one, how old is it? You may want to update to a more powerful exhaust that is quieter (low sones) at the same time.

I have a question:

Where is the magical source for custom sheets of plexiglass in Chicago?

Emilyandharry - the EL does work in the snow and if you decide to ditch your car you can still sign up for something like IGoCars (http://www.igocars.org) where you can pay a small fee and use cars when you need them.


Question for the group:

I have an antique bed, pictured here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/captaincinema/2282112794/

I love it. It is quite solid and sturdy, but as the mattress is held up by homemade slats made out of 54" inch long 2" by 6" boards, it is very creaky. Is there something I can do to make it less creaky? Get a thicker/sturdier mattress? Get some kind of slat system? My roommates and downstairs neighbors thank you.

catiaelizabeth: My first recommendation would be to look for and seal out any possible air leaks. Turns out that our previous owner did some renovation without patching walls. In the bathroom, he knocked out the drywall around the pipes, then put cabinets in front without patching the wall first. We used spray foam (The Great Stuff, avail. at home improvement stores) around the pipes in the bathroom and in our utility closet, and now it doesn't smell there. Once the foam hardens, you can cut off the excess and remove it entirely when you move out, if you're renting.

In our living room, the only possible gaps are due to a faulty flooring installation, and I just had a flooring contractor tell me that we might be able to pull up the baseboards and use a silicone sealant where the floor meets the wall. I've tried many kinds of filters; consult Consumer Reports first because some are totally worthless.

Good luck!

JennyPeep- Creaks usually come from where the headboad/footboard meet the side rails, so reinforcing those joints would be the first target. In many cases, you just need to tighten up some bolts and your set, but in an antique, you many need to add some structural reinforcement...

Art: this took me forever to re-find on the internet, but I had this place, Pease Plastics, make some thin bent plexi inserts for my record shelves so our adorable stinker of a beagle couldn't pull my husband's collection off the shelves while we weren't home.

They came out great but weren't cheap...

Thanks nattles,

I did some internet searching myself. I had no idea how expensive plexiglass is!

A 4 x 8 frosted sheet for my sliding door will be about 200 bucks.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Takes petroleum to make plastic right?

Thanks to all who answered my question about encroaching smells. Since I don't have forced air heat or a ventilation fan, I think I'll try the spray foam. I also am going to try the feline pine for the kitty box- I've always wondered if that stuff worked.

OK, I want to know about the bed in the photo at the top of this page. Cool! Is it vintage? If not, where can I find one?

catiaeelizabeth,

since you don't have an exhaust fan try the spray foam but also look into an air purifier. You could really get the most out of the purifier since it will be in an enclosed bathroom. Just measure the square footage of the room and purchase a machine that is rated for that square footage.

Thanks TommyMiller,

The joints have been reinforced. It's much better now - apparently it just took a few nights of sleeping (etc.) on it to make it "settle."

JP