Questions tagged [smell]

For questions related to resolving a smell or odor.

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37 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do I find and dispose of the dead animal that's presumably in my ceiling?

We're trying to track the origin of a very putrid smell in our condominium. We have a loft type home, which means two floors with a drywall ceiling between the first and second floor. I first noticed ...
Tim Post's user avatar
  • 1,674
26 votes
6 answers
246k views

How can I find the source of a mysterious bad smell?

We have recently moved home, and all is fine appart from a mystery smell which I'm unable to track down. It's driving me crazy (actually, my wife thinks I am crazy as she can't smell it). I'm hoping ...
UpTheCreek's user avatar
  • 1,051
13 votes
9 answers
250k views

What could be causing a urine smell in our bathrooms?

I live in a home built in 2006. We are a clean family and have no pets. In ALL three of our bathrooms I am smelling an odor of "old urine". I do have a 3-year-old son so at first I thought he was ...
Chris10's user avatar
  • 131
11 votes
8 answers
135k views

How to fix stinky bathroom sink?

It smells like really musty water, but the water itself does not smell or taste bad at all. Only happens when I run the water, so it doesn't make the room smell, just when you fill something up or ...
Matt's user avatar
  • 385
10 votes
12 answers
86k views

Why might our washing machine cause our clothes to smell damp when dry?

Recently we've noticed that our clothes smell damp once dried. It doesn't matter if we tumble-dry them, hang them outside or hang them indoors. This leads me to believe it's our washing machine. We ...
Neil Barnwell's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
5k views

How can I get the 2-part epoxy smell out of concrete?

Six months ago or more, my friend used a 2-part epoxy (no longer have the packaging, but it's a double-syringe with clear liquids, purchased at Home Hardware) on something, and some of it (one or both ...
Kev's user avatar
  • 201
9 votes
5 answers
196k views

Water from bathroom faucet smells like rotten eggs

The sink is in the powder room on the main floor of our house. When I turn the water on it is fine for a few seconds then it smells horribly for about 3-4 more seconds then it is back to normal. It is ...
Robert's user avatar
  • 91
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the best way to remove cigarette smoke smell from a house?

We're buying a house from previous owners that were smokers. The house still smells of smoke even with no furniture or upholstery in it. We plan to replace all the carpet with wood flooring. We're ...
Ben's user avatar
  • 163
8 votes
2 answers
10k views

Detecting mold with a blacklight

I've heard anecdotally that mold will glow green under a black light (UV light). Is this true? There's a room in my house with a musty odor, and I'm trying to determine the source of the smell. There'...
duozmo's user avatar
  • 465
7 votes
5 answers
23k views

How can I make my sink smell better?

My sink has a tendency to smell awful. A few times I've poored a lemon juice & baking soda mixture down it, but it only reduces the smell for a few days. What are some longer term solutions to ...
Sam Harwell's user avatar
7 votes
7 answers
35k views

Inside of Washing Machine smells horrible. How to fix?

I bought a used Washing Machine (Miele W828) that looked to be in perfect condition. It actually works perfectly. However, the inside of the Machine smells horrible, like mildew. This smell gets ...
ProgrammerGirl's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
25k views

Why is water heater making the water smell like sulfur?

I have an electric water heater that gives the water a sulfur smell. It is only from the hot water. I have heard that changing the anode in the unit can help. If this is the case, what material ...
Rick's user avatar
  • 95
7 votes
4 answers
153k views

Why is my two month old dishwasher exuding a terrible smell?

In July I purchased a new Whirlpool Gold Series dishwasher model WDF750SAYW1. The machine has done a great job cleaning dishes, but it recently has begun to emit a terrible smell. The odor is not that ...
ahsteele's user avatar
  • 947
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Propane stove/oven soot/carbon smell

I have a brand new oven/stove that runs on propane. Everytime I try to use the oven it ends up making the kitchen smell like that black soot carbon. I also can see inside the oven tall flames on ...
Alisha's user avatar
  • 61
6 votes
3 answers
465 views

Stink in Washroom - Possibilities?

I had a previous question about my toilet leaking in my washroom. For some strange reason, the washroom has a strong, persistent stink despite everything we do to remove it. What are the possibilities ...
ashes999's user avatar
  • 392
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Control smell coming in from neighboring Dry cleaner [closed]

I work in an office that is in a strip mall. Two units away is a dry cleaner. Some days our office is saturated with the perfume smells from their cleaning agents. I don't know what weather ...
ferryboat George's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
18k views

How do I find and eliminate a sickly sweet smell in my apartment with no obvious source?

Ever since the start of winter my studio apartment has been smelling quite bad. The smell is sweet and astringent, almost like rancid ice cream or sweet vomit. The apartment is only one room and a ...
vlsd's user avatar
  • 211
5 votes
5 answers
142k views

How do I make my room stop smelling so bad?

My parents keep on complaining about the smell, but I don't smell anything at all. I've put in two odor-maskers, but they're not helping at all. I also try to ventilate, but it's almost always way ...
InquilineKea's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

Moving into a home that had dogs, and I'm allergic... what should be on my to-do list?

In about a month, I'm moving into a house that had 1-2 large dogs. I'll allergic to dogs, and I'm curious what steps I should take to prep the house before I move in. There is also a room (living room)...
Don's user avatar
  • 51
5 votes
3 answers
104k views

How can I prevent my house from smelling of smoke after having a fire in my fireplace?

We have a wood-burning fireplace in our family room. Fifteen feet from the fireplace is a large cold air return. When the fireplace is stoked, nice and cozy, everything is fantastic. When I shut it ...
allnightgrocery's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
5k views

Is P-Trap installed correctly? [duplicate]

Our bathroom sink is used multiple times per day but there is a bad odor almost every time we turn on the water, coming from p trap. We have found some bad DIY work in this house already, so I’m ...
Connie W.'s user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
23k views

Locating (and, more importantly, removing) mysterious foot smell?

I've just purchased (and moved into) a new house. (New to me; the house was built in 1994). I noticed when I did my initial viewing was that a single spot in the living room seemed to have the smell ...
Adam Robinson's user avatar
5 votes
6 answers
55k views

What is causing a cat urine smell in my bathroom?

My bathroom has started smelling like cat urine. We have NO cats. I think the smell is coming from the shower drain. What could this smell be coming from and how do I get rid of it?
lynn saunders's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
42k views

Persistent sewage smell coming from basement drain

I've recently purchased a house and am now learning all the ins and outs of home maintenance. This summer, I've noticed that I have a very smelly basement drain. Particularly, it smells like sewage. ...
erik's user avatar
  • 439
4 votes
6 answers
20k views

How to I eliminate the smell coming from my Mitsubishi mini split units?

I have 2 Mitsubishi mini split units on the 2 additions on my house. One is a Mr. Slim Inverter and the other is an Inverter. During the warmer months when I am running them in A/C mode, they ...
Andrew's user avatar
  • 318
4 votes
5 answers
23k views

Burning smell in my clothes dryer

There is a burning smell inside my clothes dryer after it runs. Does anyone know what that could be? There is no smoke (thankfully) but it definitely has a mild to medium smell or something burning. ...
Rozgonyi's user avatar
  • 207
4 votes
1 answer
799 views

Can you sand drywall to get rid of cigarette smoke?

We are living in a house that was remodeled after purchasing from heavy smokers. Our source tell us that they used to smoke packs of cigarettes a day. Then, it was purchased and remodeled. 5 years ...
Lucia's user avatar
  • 41
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

Stinky dishes and cups from the dishwasher - but only after it rained

The house I live in is 14 years old and is connected to the municipal water and sewage system in the Toronto, Canada, suburbs. I am on my second dishwasher. The first one was a cheapo Whirlpool, the ...
ajeh's user avatar
  • 242
4 votes
3 answers
6k views

Sewer odor from basement floor drain

I'm experiencing strong "sewer odors" coming from one of the basement drains. This is an old house (meaning the basement floor drains don't have an elbow bend and instead run straight down / there is ...
nhinshaw's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
9k views

Remove the smell of cigarette smoke from upholstery

I purchased a upholstered chair from a garage sale for cheap, and cleaned all the dog fur and other debris from it, however there is now a lingering smell of smoke from the chair. It has been ...
Resorath's user avatar
  • 285
4 votes
2 answers
28k views

What could cause a ground/soil smell on the first floor?

My house is on a slab (no basement, no crawl space) and every summer when it gets hot and humid i am getting a ground/soil smell in our living room. First i was blaming it on the absence of the ...
Vitalik's user avatar
  • 667
4 votes
4 answers
10k views

Chemical Smell After Tankless Water Heater Install

I recently had a plumbing company install a tankless water heater in my crawlspace. Everything with the install works and looks great, but we are experiencing a very strong chemical smell (like nail-...
Mike's user avatar
  • 63
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Who can you call to check on odd smells?

Who would someone call to investigate odd smells. I've been going crazy trying to find the source of this odd,musty smell in our stairwell.
Tony's user avatar
  • 41
4 votes
3 answers
6k views

How can I mitigate copper naphthenate (copper green) smell indoors?

Our contractor treated the edge of some plywood and the bottom of some studs with copper naphthenate. The goal was to treat yummy wood at the concrete interface, which is a good thing since termites ...
Bryce's user avatar
  • 10.9k
4 votes
3 answers
42k views

How can I safely get rid of the odor caused by EasyOff oven cleaner?

I recently cleaned my oven with something called EasyOff Fume Free. It worked great at getting the crud off my oven, but now, for the life of me, I can't get rid of the smell. The "fume free" part of ...
smeeb's user avatar
  • 697
3 votes
9 answers
52k views

What is this mysterious odor from the kitchen sink and how do I fix it?

The kitchen sink in our home has recently been producing an odd aroma - depending on the day, it's a mix of boiled eggs, sulphur, brackish water, or old food. What we have tried garbage disposal ...
warren's user avatar
  • 951
3 votes
2 answers
847 views

Washroom Drain is Smelly

2 inches pipe connection between washbasin and floor trap (main drain) has opposite slope. Washbasin has trap underneath and controls it whereas floor trap (main drain in shower) smells occasionally. ...
Saad's user avatar
  • 39
3 votes
3 answers
10k views

Can I use alcohol for cleaning tables?

For some reason, an unpleasant scent wafted into my room on Sunday, and coincidentally, it was a rainy day that day. As a result, the scent is now stuck to my table, and anything that I put on the ...
JFW's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
2 answers
291 views

How can you rid your house of 'Sick Building Syndrome'?

It's a rite of passage - You and your spouse are expecting, and it's your responsibility to paint the baby's room. But before you do so, make sure that you use only latex/low VOC paint, keep the room ...
Jim G.'s user avatar
  • 485
3 votes
4 answers
1k views

Indoor fuel tank removed - How to eliminate lingering smell

Background: I recently replaced my home heating system (an oil burning furnace) for a modern heat pump (air-water). There is a room in our basement (2.9m x 3.5m, or roughly 10ft x 13ft) where the 10'...
FrK's user avatar
  • 338
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

How to get rid of old house smell?

Our house is pretty old. It had an old house smell when we bought it. It's not a mold smell, not a sewer, not cat urine. It's a smell of old wooden furniture or books. The house has hardwood floors ...
ATrubka's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
3 answers
20k views

How can I remove skunk smell from house?

I apologize in advance if this is off-topic but I'm in need of some help and not sure who to ask. Our dog got blasted by a skunk and went inside the house. We've got the dog under control but the ...
Mike B's user avatar
  • 8,083
3 votes
2 answers
190 views

Plumbing vent odor on rooftop deck

Just bought a place that came with an accessible rooftop and there's a plumbing vent that creates a pretty noticeable odor when near it. Our inspector provided a recommendation to put the vent cap on ...
nuke's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
3 answers
3k views

How can I seal electric outlets to prevent garage fumes from seeping through?

Two of my bedrooms share a wall with my garage attic. One of the bedrooms started smelling like gasoline after my snow blower started leaking in the garage. After long investigation, I found out the ...
iraSenthil's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
16k views

Smell like fish oil coming from cupboard with hot water tank

Somebody has said there is a smell like fish oil coming from her hot press (not sure if the term 'hot press' is used worldwide: the airing cupboard / the cupboard with the hot water tank in). Her ...
Richard's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to get rid of a burned coal smell that's coming to my flat?

I live in a semi-urban area, where most surrounding houses use charcoal or black coal to heat them. Since my flat is on the top floor (2nd), the outside chimneys are not that much above my roof and, ...
Paweł Gościcki's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
12k views

Why are there sewer odors coming from my shower drain?

I have random sewer odors coming from my tub and shower drains. They are separate in my bathroom. I have had plumbers come and clean the drain, but that is not fixing the problem.
helen's user avatar
  • 31

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