How to Get Smoke Smell Out of Your House -- Plus Why Your Bathroom Paint Color Is Making You Look Tired

Episode Summary

This week on Home In Progress, Dan opens with a story about a flaming microwave, a snowbank, and a pair of whitey tighties -- and turns it into a genuinely useful guide on getting smoke smell out of your home. He's then joined by Jeff Mot, manager of the Lakewood RepcoLite, to talk about a car show and ice cream social coming to that store on July 18. Then Dan picks up where last week's bathroom lighting conversation left off, diving into something almost nobody considers: what the color on your bathroom walls is doing to your face in the mirror every morning. He closes with a Hannah SpaghettiO story that leads directly into the case for handy paint cups and pails -- both on sale through the end of June.

In This Episode

• [00:00] -- Show Preview
• [00:48] -- Microwave Fire Story
• [02:56] -- Smoke Smell Fixes
• [03:47] -- Wash Away the Residue
• [06:40] -- Car Show Tease
• [07:06] -- Event Basics: Lakewood Car Show and Ice Cream Social
• [09:11] -- Why Jeff Loves Cars
• [10:15] -- What Makes Car Shows Fun
• [13:08] -- Why RepcoLite Hosts
• [14:50] -- Family Friendly Details
• [15:22] -- Directions and Construction Note
• [16:02] -- Bring Your Classic Ride
• [17:24] -- Rusty Car Banter
• [17:38] -- Ice Cream Social Details
• [18:06] -- Event Details Recap
• [18:43] -- Bathroom Color Cast
• [24:04] -- Worst Bathroom Colors
• [26:53] -- Makeup Gone Wrong
• [31:15] -- Flattering Color Picks
• [33:25] -- Sample Testing Tips
• [35:13] -- Cut-In Bucket Story
• [38:19] -- Handy Paint Pails Pitch
• [39:54] -- Wrap Up and Sign Off

Microwave Fire Story [00:48]

Dan's daughter punched an extra zero into the microwave and walked away. Twenty minutes later, Dan spotted smoke, ran into the kitchen, found something spinning around with actual flames coming out of it, grabbed the microwave, ran outside barefoot in his underwear, and threw it into a snowbank. In Zeeland. Around 10 at night. The kids have loved that story ever since.

The aftermath is what the segment is actually about. The smoke smell wouldn't leave. Day after day, it just sat there. If that's happened to you, here's how to actually fix it.

Smoke Smell Fixes [02:56]

Step 1: Ventilation and filtration.

Open windows, run exhaust fans, use box fans to push air out. If the smoke moved through the HVAC system, replace the furnace filter -- smoke particles can get pulled into the return and stay there. A portable air cleaner with a HEPA filter helps pull fine particles out of the air. Do all of this first, but understand that ventilation alone almost never fully solves a smoke smell.

Wash Away the Residue [03:47]

Step 2: Wash everything.

The key thing to understand: smoke isn't just something floating in the air. It's made up of tiny particles and oily residues that land on every surface in the room -- curtains, upholstery, carpet, cabinets, walls, ceilings, clothing, all the little cracks and crevices. That's why airing the place out isn't enough. You have to physically remove the residue.

Start at the source. If it was a microwave fire, unplug it, remove everything removable, and wash all of it separately. Then spread out: walls, ceilings, cabinets, doors, trim, light fixtures, switch plates, top of the refrigerator. All the surfaces that don't normally get cleaned. Smoke residue is oily, so one pass usually isn't enough -- clean, rinse, change the water, and go again.

Cleaners: A mild Dawn dish soap solution works well on painted surfaces. Krud Kutter and Champion are solid degreasers for non-painted areas. After washing, OdoBan (O-D-O-B-A-N) is a cleaner and heavy-duty odor neutralizer that can knock out what remains. Vinegar, baking soda, and activated charcoal are supporting players -- not substitutes for actually scrubbing everything down.

Cigarette smoke is a different conversation -- Dan plans to cover that in a future episode.

Lakewood Car Show and Ice Cream Social [07:06]

Dan is joined by Jeff Mott, manager of the Lakewood RepcoLite, to talk about a car show and ice cream social coming to the store.

Date: Saturday, July 18 Time: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Note: flyers say 11 to 1 -- it's 11 to 2) Location: Lakewood RepcoLite

Jeff has been trying to get Dan to host a car show for roughly five years. He owns a 1966 International Scout and grew up around old cars. The event is part of RepcoLite's Summer Stops program -- different events at different store locations throughout the summer, built around community and getting to know customers and contractors better.

The Corvette Club will be there with vehicles ranging from brand-new to 1950s and '60s models. Jeff is also welcoming any old cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The appeal of a show like this, Dan has come to understand, is the stories that come with the vehicles -- the restoration history, cars passed down through families, little museums on easels in the parking lot. That part Dan can actually get into.

Admission: Free Ice cream: Free, while supplies last, with toppings Bring a classic vehicle: No registration required -- just show up and they'll direct you. If you want to give them a heads-up, call 616-393-0025. Directions note: Road construction on Lakewood Drive limits access to westbound traffic from 120th. You can get in, you can get out, but plan accordingly.

Dan will continue reminding listeners as July 18 gets closer.

Bathroom Color Cast [18:43]

Last week's show covered bathroom lighting and how a poorly lit mirror can make you look worse than you are. Dan adds a second layer: the color on your bathroom walls.

He sets it up with a moment from his own week. Walking through the warehouse where he works, he noticed an entire section had gone pink. Bright pink panels had been moved into a spot where they were catching the sun and reflecting it everywhere. Nothing had actually changed -- it just looked that way.

Your bathroom walls do the same thing, every morning, to your face. The color reflects back onto your skin while you're standing at the mirror. Most people have no idea it's happening.

Photographers call it color cast. Whatever color surrounds you gets cast onto you. Photography studios often paint their walls flat neutral gray to avoid adding a false tint -- they want the true skin tone, then they warm it up with lighting from there. Makeup artists watch for this constantly. A colored wall, a bright shirt, anything nearby can throw a tint onto a face and change the whole look.

Bathrooms are especially susceptible because of the combination: small space (you're close to the walls), you're staring into a mirror, and bathrooms tend to be among the more brightly lit rooms in the house. All of that means more wall color gets bounced back at you.

Two jobs, not one. Most of the time, when choosing a paint color, you ask how it will look in the space. In a bathroom, you have to ask a second question: how will I look in it? A moody charcoal or a deep, trendy green can look beautiful on the walls and still make the person s