short term: Invest in a small window air conditioner and put a good filter in it, that may help a bit.
long term: have your landlord lobby McDs to put vents/chimneys that at least go to the top of the building.

This is why apartments very close to distinctive-smelling restaurants rent cheaper than ones that aren't. The block filled with Indian restaurants very near to this McDonald's, on 6th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenues, has traditionally had cheap rents for this same reason. You certainly don't "have to" keep your windows open; you can get an air conditioner, and that will help filter the air a bit, and having an air purifier in the apartment on top of that would help even more. You are probably going to need a/c anyhow, unless you have previously experienced August heat in a 4th-floor NYC apartment and found it pleasant . . .

Da da da da ta, I'm not loving it!

There probably is no solution to your problem as long as your windows are open during store hours. Open windows will always carry the cooking odors and other pollution into your apartment. This is not exactly something you want to continue as those exhausts contain airborne particles of smoke and grease which will soon deposit themselves on your windowsills, furniture, floors and walls.

A solution you might consider, assuming other windows in your apartment do not receive this pollution, is place a large box fan in the offending window so that it blows air outdoors. The fan will pull fresh air through your apartment's other windows and exhaust it through the other window. Given your situation, this fan will probably need to be on and set on medium or high at any time the bedroom window is open.

If the assisted cross ventilation idea doesn't work, another solution is to put air conditioners in your window(s) and run them. Depending on the pollution level, you may need to frequently examine the unit's air filters and coils for grease/smoke build up and change and/or clean accordingly.

This must be up to McDonald's to solve. They could recycle their smells into the 'restaurant'. Your neighbours would probably sign a petition.

The fan and air conditioner are good suggestions! Another thing you can do is buy furnace filter inserts and put them in your windows to filter all the incoming air. Bowls of white vinegar placed around the apartment will also help neutralize odors. Of course, they will smell like vinegar.

Another thing I've seen are those deodorizing rocks that you activate in sunlight. I've never tried them, so I can't say anything about their effectiveness, but they are called zeolite. Heres a link... http://allergystore.com/odorcontrol.htm?gclid=CK3M-ta4tJoCFRAhDQodEkKkbw

Can't you sue?

Unfortunately, extending the vents to the roof only solve one problem an create a new one. I lived in a similar situation and vents were extended to the roof but these then require high powered fans which then add 'noise pollution'. Imagine being in your apt. and hearing a high pitched hum all day all night.
Eventually my only solution was to move.

I bet you were just thinking you had scored an incredibly cheap apartment, right?

Ditto the AC suggestion. Look at it this way, you'll never be tempted by fast food again.

Get an air filter unit. I have one of those gimmicky ionic breeze units. I know, but it works! I live above a Starbucks, and hate the smell of coffee... Now if only I could do something about 4AM deliveries...

Did you check with NYC DOB? There must be something, Otherwise you should emit your own orders downward towards the restaurant in question.

That Mickey D's has been there forever so I doubt there's any chance they'll change a thing. Or that the landlord would. I agree with the others, it's probably why you were able to afford it just out of college. And you can't live with scented candles all the time...

Do you cook? I find cooking in a small apartment always leaves a smell, sometimes the nice warm smell of food (not mussels, though!). Fight food with food.

I believe it can be considered a public nusiance. I would highly recommend calling 311 and lodging a complaint.

I would suggest a box/window fan positioned to blow out as an exhaust fan from your apartment.

I also read that Bamboo has some odor absorbing qualities, but don't hold me to that.

I would also call 311.

I would think trying to pick up a cheap air conditioner for that window might be the best solution - or maybe the fan trick. Either that or burn some incense in that room often - it can be cheaper than candles.

311 isn't going to do anything - it's not like McDonalds can remove their vents and place them somewhere else just because one person is offended. It would involve them rerouting the ENTIRE ventilation system there - sorry but the city would side with the restaurant.

I used to live just above a McDonalds- and I never smelt a thing. I didn't have air conditioning and kept the windows open all summer, but my roommate's room had an ac unit (perhaps because it was on the same side as the McD's kitchen vent). So yeah, I'd agree with the posts above and suggest you get an ac unit for your bedroom.

Oh, and I had an air purifier that was on whenever the windows were closed. Maybe that helped..

I doubt you can force the McDonald's to monkey around with their ventilation system, though inquiring might be worth a shot. Another thing to think about is getting to know your neighbors and asking them whether the smells bother them, their coping strategies, etc.

Installing an AC unit in the problematic window and perhaps getting one of those air-filtering devices might help. I think you may just have to get used to it and/or decide whether the McD's smells outweigh the (probably) cheaper rent and location. In any case, you'll never be tempted to eat fast food again!

Oh yuck...

Try some small cups of white vinegar by the windows, and change them frequently.

You can't sue, you can't do anything to make THEM change because they were there first & you accepted that apartment knowing full well there was a McDonald right underneath.

Try the AC thing, make a curtain out of bounce dryer sheets, save up some money to move and don't give them your business.

Good luck

Move.

Try the AC thing, make a curtain out of bounce dryer sheets, save up some money to move and don't give them your business.


yikes! i think i'd rather smell mcdonalds than bounce dryer sheets. :) the thought of it brings on an insta-headache, but then i'm pretty sensitive to chemicals.

Definitely try the box window fan facing outwards and an air purifier. If that doesn't work, try an air conditioner like others have mentioned. I lived next door to the greasiest burrito joint known to man and the smell of onions and meat was sickening. Putting a box fan in the window to blow the air out definitely helped.

To all of you who say, ask McDonalds to change, you're crazy. They won't even make change for the parking meters on 1st Avenue.

I think your first step is finding out whether the vents are as clean as they should be.

If the McDonald's location is lax in cleaning the venting, ducts, grease traps, etc. it can aggravate the smell. If everything is squeaky clean, yeah, you'll still smell some wafting odors, but if there is a build up of food particles, they're just sitting in a sauna of their own aromatic juices and making the smell more pungent and lingering.

Perhaps you should get in touch with someone in the department of health; ask about normal levels of restaurant odor and how to go about determining that all external venting has been properly cleaned.

If the Mickey D's is, in fact, shipshape, I think you're just going to have to hold your nose until the time comes to browse Craigslist.

I used to live in a very small town, the most notable feature of which was a dog food factory.... yeah.

You do, eventually, just get used to it - it becomes like white noise to your nose (like your own house never smells like anything after awhile).

My office window is directly above a popular smokers' hang out. Ugh. I bought a HEPA air filter that I run on low most of the time and high when necessary (actually it has two filters and an ionic function). It works surprisingly well. However, on high, it sounds something like a jet engine. You can find one for less than $200. That and a window AC unit should help a lot.

Here's an article about a complaint against a McDonalds in Vancouver where the vented air from the restaurant is making some employees of a parkade sick.

canada/british-columbia/story/2009/02/16/bc-parkadefumes.html

I can relate to your predicament. I lived next to a cafe called Ciao For Now before it moved. Anyway, they installed a vent with a giant hood on it in the back of their restaurant, and it emitted all sorts of food smells from their kitchen. Some of my neighbors tried talking to management, but they wouldn't take it down, so one of the guys in the building next door called 311 and filed a complaint. An inspector from the city came, and it turns out that the restaurant had installed the vent and hood without a permit and on top of it, they were required to bring it all the way up to the roof of the building, which they hadn't done. So they had to take the whole thing down.

I know McDonald's has been there forever, but it would be worth it to call 311 and lodge a "smells" complaint because they could be forced to re-route their vents and/or install some filters to help lessen the smell.

It is worth a try. Good luck!

move. for real.

I suggest saving every last penny you earn so that you can move as soon as possible. It's not only your apartment that is going to smell like fries, it's you and your clothes too.

Good Luck!

I'd place these filters in the windows during mild weather:
http://www.natlallergy.com/product.asp?pn=1155&sid=GOOGLE&eid=GOOGLE&tid=g_cafs_p_safeguard&gclid=CNvEwPnwtJoCFaKF7Qod9TRqcw
and go with the A/C suggestions in hot weather.

And invest in a high-quality air filter. I have a healthmate unit from Austin Air. Expensive-- but soooo worth it!
http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/air-quality/filters-purifiers/healthmate hepa junior.do

My suggestion is move, did you know that the leading cause of lung cancer for Chinese Woman is from inhaling oil fume? Seriously, google it. There are oil particles in the air, go and use your fingers and give the window a good rub, yup, that sticky stuff is going into your lungs.

I feel your pain - we lived above a fried food joint for a couple of years. Our only respite was Sunday when the restaurant was closed!

Heed the above-mentioned a/c filters and ceiling fans. Plus, if you're out during the day, keep your windows closed until you arrive home - and keep them open at night only until the restaurant opens.

well, probably as time goes by you will get used to the smell of deep fry... until you bring some guests and they remind you of it...

good luck

Wait, let me get this right: You found an apartment so close to a McDonald's vent you couldn't be any closer without sitting in the deep fryer, and now you realize it smells like McDonald's. Did you think it would smell like lilacs?

And some of you think the McRenter should sue? What world do you live in? Not only is that senseless, but terrible advice. Suing costs a lot of money and a lot of time. You don't move somewhere like Manhattan to be close to amenities and then sue the amenities you don't like. Entitlement much?

It'll be a good story once you move. We all have stories like that. Until then, you're in the East Village! Who cares about the McSmell? If it wasn't that, it'd be a window on an alley that hotboxes stale piss odors, tweaker porn star neighbors, or a bedroom facing the fire station. It's city living. You're just out of college! Have a blast! Don't stay home! Date a lot and stay at their place!

Also, for a variation on Big Macs, chop up a bunch of fresh cilantro. It'll give your place a taqueria twist. Festive!

Well put, Chester!

I bought my apartment and live in a building right on Gramercy Park. I inherited neighbors who have loud marathon fights followed by blissfully short (but painfully obnoxious sounding) sex at least three times a week...and they really enjoy their 5 am feuds...it's living in New York City and it never goes away.

As for the smell, I've heard that activated charcoal works really well for dealing with fridge odors, so i would imagine if you put some by your windows and around that should really kill it off.

And look on the bright side, you can illegally bbq on that fire escape and no one is going to complain about the burnt smell. :)

My main concern is not the smell, but rather the grease that others have pointed out. Keep your window closed as much as possible or you're going to be cleaning constantly. Not to mention all that grease sitting on your skin (yuck)

The box fan that sucks air out of the room may also be worth trying. Otherwise, A/C all the way.

For the smell, you can line your curtains with bounce sheets or any dryer sheet. You can also sew pockets on the bottom of your curtains and fill with lavender. You'll need to change that every few months.

I'd also recommend an air filter.

Good luck.

Move ASAP. Possibly the worst part is that, perhaps still unbeknownst to you, you smell like McDonald's bc it's in your hair, clothing, handbag, backpack, shoes... All who meet you will get an irresistible urge to either immediately go to/or never eat at McDonald's again.

OMG, until recently moving to a small co-op Lower East Side I lived 18 years directly across the street from your place above what used to be Teresa's Polish restaurant (now the French? place next door to Counter), and I can tell you about fried pierogi smells in the summer with windows open and no a/c. Try blowing a fan outwards from your window, but honestly I'm sorry to say there's probably nothing you can do to avoid it all.

Legislation states (@ http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/businesses/smartbiz.shtml):
Administrative Code Title 24, Chapter 1, and Rules of the City of New York Title 15, Chapters 1-5, 8-10 and 12.

"It is prohibited to cause emissions of air contaminants or odors potentially detrimental to a person’s health or comfort."

311 investigates excessive odors - see;
http://www.nyc.gov/apps/311/allServices.htm?requestType=service&filterName=All Services&levelOneId=D7C8F010-05B5-11DE-AC9C-EF5AFBC474DE&levelTwoId=D7C8F010-05B5-11DE-AC9C-EF5AFBC474DE-2&serviceName=Restaurant Odor Complaint&finalSubLevel=2

So place a phone call to 311 - they will come out and investigate - if they approve the venting then you'll have to live with it - if they think its contravening legislation they'll make MaccyDs do something about it - thats what legislation is for

I would move. Until then maybe you could put in a window fan to blow air outwards in your bedroom window.

It's hard to escape smells anywhere in New York. The only air you can really control is the air in your apartment. I would suggest to get an air purifier like the Rabbit Air

http://www.vitacost.com/Rabbit-Air-BioGS-trade-SPA-582A-Ultra-Quiet-Air-Purifier-Plus-Limited-Time-Offer-Get-This-Unit-For-369

I have a couple of friends that have it and they say it made a real difference in their apartment. I personally diffuse essential oils using cold air diffusers.

http://www.amazon.com/Young-Living-Essential-Ultrasonic-Diffuser/dp/B000TGMQL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1242176520&sr=8-1

Hope this this helps.

I second GetTogetha and all the others that say move. Move.

Thank your lucky stars that you'll always be able to quickly cure a hangover?

But seriously, others are right. You accepted the apartment fully understanding that there was a McDonald's there. An AC will likely help and I would get fans for the summer months that point the air out of your windows.