Hello! I need some ideas on how to mask or get rid of a very strong vinegar smell that is coming from outside of my apartment. I live in an apartment building and another tenant doesn't clean up after their pets. Now the landlord has put cups with very strong vinegar spirit on the stairs and that's where the smell is coming from.
My hallway, the central room in my apartment, reeks of vinegar. I'm having a new partner over on Sunday and that smell is both disgusting and killing the mood. Reed diffuser, room spray and mopping with strong-scented floor cleaner don't help, and I can't burn incense.
Does anyone have some other suggestion?
PS: The landlord, the municipality and the county administration have been notified and visited my neighbor multiple times. I'll contact the rent tribunal next week.
I know that an onion, cut in half, neutralises the smell of paint. Might be worth a try with a couple of large ones.
Thank you, I'm soon off to the super market so I added ''onions'' in my list. I only hope it won't end up smelling like vinegar AND onions, haha! 
Update: For now I've hung up pouches with dried lavender infused with lavender essential oil by my door. It kind of works, but not 100%. I'll try some onions when my partner leaves on Monday.
VR wrote:
Bicarb as a powder sprinkled on the area might help. I've used the onion trick after painting, too, and it does work.
Your neighbour is an arse. You have my sympathies. There's little worse than a pig-ignorant person as a neighbour.
Keep at it with the landlord and the others that can help you. Squeaky wheel gets oiled first.
I have a free-roaming bunny, so I can't sprinkle it on the floor. I'll put a cup with some bicarbonate in it by the door, though.
Thank you... Sadly, this has been an issue for almost 1.5 year now, and I am really running out of patience. I was hoping I'd move in September, but eventually I won't - so I'm stuck here for another 6 months.
Sum Sub wrote:
In all seriousness, I'd perhaps try baking some bread, getting some fresh fragrant flowers - natural fresh smells seem better imo at masking odours
Although I haven't baked bread, I cook and it still doesn't neutralize or cover the bad smell. Fresh flowers is a good idea (way better than adding bicarbonate ) but the ones that actually smell are way too expensive (I live in Sweden). This reminded me that I have dried lavender and lavender essential oil, both natural. There still is a slight smell of vinegar, but it's much better. My place smells like the inside of a closet, though.
This isn't massively helpful, but baking bread is actually a lot easier than it sounds. And the smell is bordering on the divine. 🙂 I don't know if it'd send the vinegar packing, but the way it wafts scents of warmth and happiness through a house is phenomenal. You should train up a couple of your subslaves to make you a rosemary and black olive focaccia. 👍
This isn't massively helpful, but baking bread is actually a lot easier than it sounds. And the smell is bordering on the divine. 🙂 I don't know if it'd send the vinegar packing, but the way it wafts scents of warmth and happiness through a house is phenomenal. You should train up a couple of your subslaves to make you a rosemary and black olive focaccia. 👍
I've baked bread before, but it was with my grandma when I was a kid... so it's been a couple of decades since I last did it.  Rosemary and black olive focaccia sounds yummy though - especially if we add some feta cheese. I also have fresh rosemary, it's one of the two non-cactus plants I haven't killed yet, haha!
Vinegar is an excelent deodourizer, but it is meant to be put directly on the surface, and the smell of the vinegar will disapear when it dries, along with the origianal odour. I don't know of any way to nutralize the smell from liquid vinegar. using it in cups to mask the smell of pet urine seems ridiculous as in it's stong form "acetic acid" it smells as bad as the amonia from the pet urine.
That's what I think as well, but personally I absolutely hate the smell of vinegar, so I don't know if it's as unpleasant for others as it is for me. To be honest, it does cover the smell of cat litter (ammonia). But for me it's just replacing a very bad odour with an equally unbearable one.
Leave orange peel on the landing. The pets won’t go there and then U can remove the vinegar
Sorry, but I don't uncerstand what you mean by ''landing''. Can you please explain? I'm not trying to be a smartass or make fun of you, English is not my first language.
The pets pee and poop in my neighbour's apartment, not at the staircase, so I don't have access to their ''toilet''. The pet toilet smell comes from inside their apartment, and the landlord put cups with vinegar on the stairs to neutralize/ absorb/ cover it.
A 'landing' is the bit between the stairwell and your external apartment doors. That flat bit of floor that your door opens onto.
I don't know what to do about neighbours with horrible habits, but sprinkling some essential oils - I'd go for citrus - on the landing could help. No one would know.
Then, in your own apartment, strongly scentled flowers like liliies just as you walk in? Maybe on a table near the door?
The same essential oils could be difussued or sprinlked throughout your appartment if you find one you like. There are some subtle ones like pommegrate or fig. You could sprinkle on higher sufaces for the sake of your bunny (who sounds like a fine pet). I think you can buy laundry spray too to spritz on sheets.
Good luck! Send those neighbours vibes to move somewhere else!