Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home

RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By Penny (Guest Post) (11/06/2008) I have a strong odor in my basement. Just started this week. Smells like varnish. Any ideas? Report Spam or Abuse Dead Smell Post By Andrew Ames (Guest Post) (06/20/2008) I have a strange ordor by the front door and inside the house in the living rooom and basement. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post by grouchydog (1) | (05/28/2008) Contact we have a bad smell in the back bedroom of a vacation home on the beach. for the past four years, and only in the summer, if the windows are shut, then a bad vomity-smell emanates from the floor. we changed the bed, carpet (and looked at the plywood then) and various pieces of furniture but we still smell it. we rent it out and you can imagine how tenants on vacation react. but in the winter there is no smell. the garage is beneath the room, with some insulation and sheet rock (i think) as the ceiling in the garage. we don't have the smell in the garage. we had central airconditioning and gas heat put in but the smell is there even if the airconditioning isn't running. so, unless we are haunted by a stinky spirit, i have no clue and finally got sick enough of the problem to get help. thanks for any thoughts Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By Tom (Guest Post) (11/15/2007) Have a skunk smell coming from inside our house have looked around and found nothing, can't smell a thing outside of the house any suggestions? Editor's Note: If you have a crawl space, they may have sprayed down there. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By Marisa (Guest Post) (10/15/2007) There has been a sewer type smell coming from our basement. We covered the drain and it's still very fowl. When we turn the heater on it comes up through our vents. We have to turn the heater off it's so bad. Since the odor began, I've had the worst kind of headache and feel nauseous. I'm not sure who to call? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terribe Smell In My Home Post By mrs rani. (Guest Post) (04/05/2007) it smells like toxic fumes the gas board have been round and it is not gas, said it could be dead mice on or under pipes? help what do i do i feel dizzy and sick all the time. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By Amy (Guest Post) (01/28/2007) I have a horrible smell in my house! It smells like sour something. Since you located yours in the chimney, i have my husband doing the same...but, we also have a missing hamster.... :( Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By Misty B. (Guest Post) (11/19/2006) I also have a horrible smell in my home but it smells more like fumes. It's just in our upstairs bedroom and just that one room. It smells like toxic fumes and I am still debating on whether or not to call 911 I am not feeling sick or anything so I feel as if this isn't a real emergency but I am scared that it could be Carbon Monoxide. Could be our heater? we keep it on quite a bit. Any suggestions? Report Spam or Abuse Dead mouse in clothing Post By Yolanda (Guest Post) (09/04/2006) Dead mouse in clothing in my camper how do I get the smell out. Other then washing the clothing what else can I use to get the dead smell of a mice out? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post By siris. (Guest Post) (08/30/2006) The sewer should be vented through the roof. Sometimes birds build nests in them or for some reason this gets plugged. A crawl onto the roof with a small stone in an onion bag or something similar should be dropped down on a string(so it can be retrieved). This will tell you if it is open. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post by Qryztufre (55) | (08/30/2006) Profile | Blog! | Contact I had a cat die under some steps outside the back of my house. It made my basement & dining room STINK bad...and there was nothing we could find inside the house. So look outside too! If it's in shrubbery or whatever, then the wind outside could be keeping the smell down while out there. If you get close (downwind) then you'll likely find it...if it's to be found. Report Spam or Abuse Request: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Post by lewis_admin (1339) | (08/29/2006) Profile | Blog! | Contact I have a terrible smell in my house and I can't find it! A few days ago we noticed a smell (like a dead animal or sour milk) in our den but could not pinpoint a 'spot'. You just get a trace of it as you move around. It now seems to have moved to more areas downstairs and also upstairs. It's not the disposal, dishwasher, trash or a rotten potato. It's not coming from the toilets or sinks. It's not the air conditioning vents. We can't find anything under the den furniture or cushions. My kids complain that I'm too clean but even they are complaining about the stench! We don't have indoor pets and it's not a cat spray type of smell. It seems to be everywhere at different times but we can't find THE SPOT. We have central air, gas heat and hot water, a neighborhood well and sewer. We are the only owners of this home and have been here for 17 years. We have a crawl space but I couldn't get the door open. I plan to have my husband go under there and also check the fireplace when he gets back in town (our chimney cap blew off last week). Any suggestions? Thanks! Ann Answers: Dead Animal Sounds to me as if an animal has crawled in and and died somewhere in your home. We had a similar problem years ago with a possum. If all else fails and you cannot find the source, you might want to call a pest control company and see if they can locate where it's coming from. Good luck ! (08/16/2005) By Maggie Check Your Crawl Space I used rat poison a few times and once it worked too well, The foulest imaginable smell was finally traced to a critter that had chosen the top of my water heater as its RIP place. Definitely check your crawl space -- I had rats in mine. Solved the problem by selling the house. And see if there is an opening into your walls that you didn't know about before. The smell will go away eventually but in the meantime it can be disgusting. (08/16/2005) By Doug Animals Chances are it IS a dead animal from what you describe, but check your refrigerator's drain pan. It can create one of the worst possible odors you COULDN'T imagine! (08/16/2005) By Hot Water Tank There is a rod in the hot water tank that attracts minerals, etc. Check to see if it can be replaced. (08/16/2005) By kelleno Sour Milk in the Defrosting Pan A friend of mine had the same problem years ago. She had spilled milk in the refrigerator and it had drained into the self defrosting pan (which evaporates over time) but the milk soured and smelled in different places in the house . It took us awhile to figure out where the smell was coming from. Check the defrost pan under the refrigerator. Hope this helps. (08/16/2005) By seamstress Mouse Between the Walls It could be a dead mouse in between the walls. It happens here sometimes in the winter, and the furnace air just blows the horrible smell all through the house! Sorry, but I don't have a remedy for it though! (08/16/2005) By Jan Sewer Odor We rented a house only to find a rotten rutabaga type odor. I called the health people. They tracked it down to an uncovered sewer drain in the basement. The postal worker was amazed when we no longer smelled it. He said it had been like that for years. The downside was that the house sold once the odor was gone. (08/16/2005) By siris. Check Your Fire Place Check your Fire Place for dead squirrels, birds, etc. (08/17/2005) By Dick Something in the Vents Something could have fallen down into the heat registers if they are located in the floor. This happened to relatives of mine. (08/17/2005) By Holly It's a Dead Squirrel Thanks for all the info! It's a dead squirrel in the fireplace. My husband is working on it as I type. I have such a headache from the smell these last 3 days that I bowed out of the 'rescue'. It's on a ledge and it is taking quite a while. Anyway, what we did learn is this... Our chimney cap blew off last week and we put off climbing up on the high roof to put it back on. I guess the squirrel was used to jumping from the tree and landing on top of the chimney to run across the roof. When the chimney cap fell off, the squirrel went right down the chimney. So replace the cap immediately! Thanks for all the suggestions. I did clean out the frig pan - it needed it! (08/17/2005) By Ann RE: Can't Locate the Source of a Terrible Smell In My Home Hi Ann, Sure glad you found it! It's a horrible smell, I know from experience. Have him put some baking soda or borax where the little guy was to help deodorize the chimney. It's probably too hot to start a fire but that would help, too and draw the smell up the chimney. (08/17/2005) By Susan from ThriftyFun Chimney We always had the exact same problem with squirrels getting in threw the chimney cap or the vents in our cottage (what a nice way to start a vacation, esp. since Dad sent us kids up to the attic to find the "culprit"!) My dad finally covered all the caps and vents with metal screening, the heavy duty kind, that way even if the caps came off the little buggers couldn't get it! Rebekah (08/18/2005) By Madelynnsmama Check under your house. Check under your house. We were recently replacing some water pipes and found where a opossum had gotten stuck and died. It took months before we found this odor. (08/20/2005) By Pam Report Spam or Abuse