Strange Smell in Home, Please Help!

[LittleMissMickey]

This morning, about a half hour ago at 3:00ish, I was awoken by a very unpleasant smell in the bedroom. We each described the smell differently. I said it smells harsh, like strong chemicals. He said it smells like rotten eggs and maybe chemicals.

Now, it is a strange thing to be caught in because it is very hard to find the root of a smell at 3 a.m. Who do you call to check it out? What are the neighbors up to? So, we turned off all the fans thinking maybe it had something (strange) to do with them. It is still here...

Please help, I don't know what this smell is or what to do about it. I know it is vague, but I hope my DIS friends can help me out. Anybody have past experiences? Anybody work somewhere dealing with strange (and scary) house smells? Any ideas? This makes me really nervous, and don't know if it is unsafe or where they problem may lie.

Thanks in advance,
Ashley

 

[twinkles0819]

I work in a retail store and sometimes we get that kind of smell when we get our new clothes.....something to do with what they pack it with....well, then sometimes we get a smell that a cross between that "chemical" smell and "rotten eggs".......asked the manager, he said that "it's probably a dead rat or mouse" sure enough when he went searching he found a dead rat.

He's had this occur on several different occassions......same smell, and a dead rat/mouse turns up

it sounds disgusting but I hope this helps

 

[dbogen]

Are you sure its inside the house? Were the windows open and perhaps it is from the outside. It is scary when you are awakened by something in the middle of the night. My DH is a volunteer FF and one night they were called out for a strange smell and it ended up being a skunk, the odor was so strong the homeowner couldn't figure it out. Best of luck to you I hope you find the smell.

Deanna

 

[shortbun]

At this time of year, our city begins the mosquito spray at night.
They come through, unnannounced and spray a horrible smelling, acrid chemical that comes in all our opened windows and about
asphixiates us. They do it in the middle of the night so no
kids are outside but I'd like warning so we can shut windows
and turn off fans that bring in cool air.
It's malthion and is meant to keep the hatch
of mosquitos down. I spoke to all my neighbors and had us put
on a "no spray" block. We take mosquitos very seriously but
police our yards re: standing water and tall grass so there aren't many to deal with normally. Could be your smell was a malthion-
it's horrible.

 

[Serena]

Is the smell all over the house?

Could it be a gas leak? Be extremely careful if it is.

Or was it your husband and he isn't admitting it?

 

[monkeyboy]

Originally posted by Serena
Or was it your husband and he isn't admitting it?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Both of those possibilities came to mind for me too. Another would be the neighbors. Is there any concern that they might be operating a meth lab?

 

[EsmeraldaX]

My #1 guess would be it's probably a dead animal stuck in your walls. We had that problem once when I lived at my parents house and it turned out the smell was a deceased woodchuck. It was icky, and sad, but at least it was, relatively harmless.

Also, any chance someone could have left food out? I know my neighbors DS3 has left some starnge things under his bed and his mom didn't discover the first time until the smell became horrible.

But it could be something more serious like a gas leak, so I would get it checked out asap.

Keep us updated.

 

[stacilee]

There is no rotten potato anywhere is there? Perhaps one rolled behind a cabinent?
That is a truly funky smell.

Seriously, if you cannot pinpoint it by lunchtime call your local fire house ( on their) NON-emergency #. They can send out a couple of guys to take a whiff.

This happened to us one time. Funny, fleeting electrical smell on and off all day. Just a little whiff every now and again. I'd sniff and sniff and sniff and then I wouldn't smell it again!

I called them. They came right out. Took turns coming in the house to smell. the guy in charge said that you can really only "smell" something for about a minute or two and then your brain kind of cancels out the message. after a minute or so one guy would leave and the next one would come back in.

They finally pinpointed the cause. The wiring of one of the recessed lights in my bedroom. It was kind of sizzling in the attic.
House could have burned down.

Another time they came because the garage door opener was "smoking" . One of them got up on a ladder and disconnected the whole thing for me because DH was out of town. capped off all the little wires and everything. He told me to call Lowes and get a new one. Better to be safe than sorry. The old one was who-knows-how-old.

God Bless Firemen!

 

[LittleMissMickey]

WOW! Thanks for the responses...

Since I'm in MN, I'm going to check out that Malthion business...

I WISH I could say it was just Matthew, that would be so easy, but luckily I don't have to deal iwth that smell veyr often!

Next runner-up would be the electrical, since we live in the shoddiest of apartments.

Then we will go to gas leak, for aforementioned reasons.

Finally, we will go to meth lab, because I am very scared sometimes in my neighborhood!

I CAN'T WAIT TO MOVE!

Thanks again!

Ashley

 

[bubie2.5]

I could be a gas leak as Esmeralda said. It can smell like you described it (rotten eggs and chemicals).

 

[monkeyboy]

I blame Kild



Sulfer is added to gas to give the smell of rotting eggs, otherwise it would be odorless.

Check appliances ASAP

 

[FroggyinArk]

please... check around all appliances for stronger oder, if you decide it could posibly be gas, leave the appartment, and call fire dept immediately, they can send out the gas co too. do not turn off anything,, or use your house phone, call 911. natural gas is a v ery highly explosuive gas and the spark form a light bulb can ignite it, i have seen a house that exploded , into shards,, when they guy turned ona light switch,,, please check the gas..

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since you live in an apartment, call the manager ASAP! If it is a meth lab, be sure you call the police too!

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Ashley,
One time I had a bat flying around in my bedroom in the middle of the night. I opened the door and tried to get it, but it dissappeared. I forgot about it until a few days later when something started to smell bad in the kitchen. It had died under a cabinet. What a nightmare, but atleast it was dead!


I love your Anais Nin quote!

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

First off, who every smelt it dealt it. Second, if your husband suggests having his buddies in the blue flame club come over to check it out, just say no. Trust me on this one.

Jeff

 

[Lynn CC]

How about the Septic System. I don't know if you have one that has to be pumped, or if its a town system.
They can release funny odors in the house when someone flushes or it's very rainy outside etc...
Good Luck finding the source.

 

[sammi]

I would also be careful and suggest it may be electrical as we had a similar problem years ago when a wire came loose in our bathroom plug. As soon as DH fixed it the smell went away.

 

[jrydberg]

Rotten eggs strongly suggests sulfur, which strongly suggests natural gas. Best to have that checked out ASAP.