How can i remove the smell from a mothball

My mother (who has dementia) poured nearly an entire box of moth balls into a heating duct. we only have a small crawl space under our house and there is no way anyone can get back to the area to remove the duct work. My father used the shop vac and...

removed about 30-35 of them, but when we run the heat the smell is still very pungent. short of paying hundreds to have the someone come and remove the duct work to remove the moth balls, is there any way to remove the smell from the moth balls?

ok, I understand, but in the mean time every time the furnace kicks on, an extremely strong smell blows through my house and if I am not mistaken, moth ball smell is toxic... it is to the point where I make my elderly mother put on extra socks and shirts so I do not have to turn on the furnace...

There is an actual product for this: Smelleze Mothball Deoderizer

A couple of home remedies include using charcoal or fennel seed to absorb the odour (place a bowl of it in the area where the mothballs are), or sprinkling baking soda

In the end, time is your best remedy. The smell should be gone within a month. In the meantime, using your air fresheners is your best bet.

Keep in mind though, that heat helps break down the mothballs quicker - so it's probably beneficial to go ahead and turn on that furnace.

thank for your help... I will try your remedies... keep your fingers crossed... we are going away this weekend, maybe ill crank the heat up and leave... once again, thanx 4 your help!!!

I have a similar problem with mothballs in a place where I cannot retrieve them. I was wondering if the smell has actually gone away and if so how long did it take?

I have a similar problem. I have mothballs in a place where I cannot remove them. I was wondering if the smell has gone away yet and about how long it took?