Bathroom window replacement

[juneparent]

First time poster, long time lurker!! I am hoping to get help with a window replacement question. My problem is this - my master bathroom has one of those decorative windows that cannot be opened. I am doing cloth diapers plus the person who sold us the house had cats. On hot days the bathroom smells bad. I really need fresh air. Vent fan doesnot do much. I dont want the artificial air fresheners either. Opening the bedroom windows does not help much as they are too far away. I would like to replace the window with one i can actually open. What do you all think?

Ideas welcome!

[greaper007]

There are various vents that work in conjunction with glass block windows.    You could probably carefully chisel out a row of blocks and put one in.    Though, all the ones I've encountered have a flange that runs around the entire vent.     The other option is just to replace the glass block with a normal window.

What size are the windows?    My parents house was built in the early 90s and they had an enormous glass block window in their bathroom.    I'd say 6'x5' and it had sort of a triangular pattern at the top.    That would have been hard to replace.    Based on the pictures though, these look average size.    Replacement windows probably wouldn't cost you more than a few hundred dollars.    So even paying someone to do it will cost you less than a thousand.   Measure them out and then check out home depot to price out replacements.

I don't get the cloth diaper part of the equation.   I cloth diapered two kids and the only time smell was an issue was when I opened the diaper genie in the laundry room, I learned how to breath through my mouth.

[juneparent]

Thank you greaper007.

My diaper pail is in the bathroom. Maybe I should leave it in the utility room to avoid the stink.

Window is pretty standard 6'X6' I think.

I think i will have to go the window replacement route afterall! We are not very handy so I will work on getting a few quotes.

Thanks!

[greaper007]

Thank you greaper007.

My diaper pail is in the bathroom. Maybe I should leave it in the utility room to avoid the stink.

Window is pretty standard 6'X6' I think.

I think i will have to go the window replacement route afterall! We are not very handy so I will work on getting a few quotes.

Thanks!

Good luck, what type of diaper pail are you using?   We had a diaper pail with a sort of rotating handle.   You put the diaper in the top and turned the handle, that dropped the diaper into the bag and completely isolated the top from any smell leaking out.   I can't seem to find it online but I think it's the diaper champ.    It wasn't very expensive and it didn't require special cartridges or bags.    The only time it stunk was when you opened the top to take a bag of diapers out.    I only did that in the laundry room though so it pretty much isolated the smell.

6'x6' is going to be a pretty expensive window, especially if you want it to open.    When you say cat smell, where is it coming from?    Do you have carpet in the bathroom, this was really popular around the time of these windows.     If so, I'd suggest maybe pulling up the carpet and treating the subfloor with some sort of pet odor neutralizing product.    This could be something as simple as vinegar, I believe, or some other commercial product.   I think the best thing to do though is paint the subfloor with a product like killz or bin and then reinstall the carpet.   A simple job you could do in a weekend.   

Then maybe look into a more powerful exhaust fan in the bathroom, that will be much cheaper than a window that size.

[GuitarStv]

Get some activated charcoal (you can buy it pretty cheaply from pet stores, they use it in aquarium filters) and stick a few large scoops into some panty-hose.  Then fix the charcoal in the diaper container somewhere near the top.  Change it every few days to a week.  It'll help by absorbing some of the smell.

It might be easier to upgrade your bathroom fan than rip out/install a new window.  There are models that can move a huge amount air that aren't too expensive at home depot.

[juneparent]

greaper007 - I was not sure if cloth diapers would fit in the diaper champ/genie so I just went with a standard pedal trash can.

I do have a clip on airking fan that does a good enough job. I think I will get one more clip on fan and some activated charcoal before I explore the expensive window replacement options.

Thank you both for your replies.

[greaper007]

greaper007 - I was not sure if cloth diapers would fit in the diaper champ/genie so I just went with a standard pedal trash can.

I do have a clip on airking fan that does a good enough job. I think I will get one more clip on fan and some activated charcoal before I explore the expensive window replacement options.

Thank you both for your replies.

You have to shove them in, but they fit just fine.   I have an old one you can have if you're in the Denver area.     Otherwise, maybe it's time to move the pail out to the garage or porch.   I don't think it's going to cover up the smell of ammonia anywhere in your house.

[juneparent]

Thanks for the offer (so nice of you) but I am in hot Austin, TX!

[catccc]

where is your washing machine located, and how frequently do you wash diapers?  We would keep our diapers right in the washing machine, and do a load about every other day, sometimes every 3rd day.  Other laundry would go in right after diapers were done.