Why Your House Stinks and How to Fix It
Homes tend to harbor all sorts of unpleasant odors – cat litter, microwave-cooked salmon, fly traps made with apple cider vinegar – which, thankfully, are easy to remove. However, sometimes an unpleasant odor can be encountered, which is more difficult to find and get rid of. Here are a few common culprits, as well as ways to attack.
There is a hidden mold
You may have noticed the smell of “musty” or “wet cardboard” in the house. Or perhaps you called it “the smell of the old house.” Either way, one of the most common causes of musty odors, especially in older homes, is latent mold, usually in walls.
As you probably know, some types of mold can be toxic. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most household mold problems under 10 square feet are safe enough to clean up on their own and don’t require a professional, but to be safe you should read about different types of mold on the EPA website here .
So the first real order? Find out where this mold may be hiding. Here are some common culprits:
- Leaking plumbing
- Gutter problems
- Poor ventilation in the kitchen and bathrooms
- Window frames that collect condensation
For minor non-toxic mold problems, such as mold that builds up on windowsills and frames, simply clean the mold with a soapy solution as shown in the video. You can also use vinegar or diluted bleach. Add it to water, then spray directly onto the mold and clean. For more serious mold problems, you should see a professional.
Prevention is key in fighting mold, and the University of Missouri Expansion offers some simple tips to keep this trouble at bay:
Keep cabinets, dressers, basements – all places where mold can grow – as clean as possible. Soil on dirty objects can provide enough food for mold to start growing at the right humidity and temperature. Greasy films, such as those that form on kitchen walls, also contain many nutrients for mold, which causes mold.
For climbing spots under houses, spread a layer of waterproofing material on the soil. You can use dense roofing felt or plastic wrap. Good ventilation is essential. If possible, do not block the walk-through area. In extreme cases, a fan or blower may be required to remove the moist air from under the building.
In rooms without air conditioning, especially in the basement, mechanical dehumidifiers are useful. A hygrostat can be attached to the device to control humidity. However, mechanical dryers can heat a room.
Take extra care in laundries, kitchens, bathrooms, and basements where humidity and humidity are out of control.
Your carpet and walls have soaked years of stink
Carpets and paint will absorb unpleasant odors over time: smoke, pet urine, spilled milk. I always spray fresh paint on the walls when I move, and this usually gets rid of most of the remaining odors. If you rent, you won’t be able to paint without a refund of the deposit, so always check with the landlord first. At the very least, clean your walls, ceiling, and baseboards thoroughly to get rid of the stench as much as possible. Home Guides offers several different solutions for removing stubborn odors:
White Vinegar Solution : … Start by adding warm vinegar to a spray bottle to remove stubborn stains. For less visible stains, dilute one to one with warm water. Apply warmed vinegar or mixture directly to the walls. Since the tar and nicotine form a sticky and hard surface, the warmth of the vinegar helps soften these substances. Vinegar removes odors and stains.
Ammonia Method : Ammonia can also remove cigarette tar and nicotine from walls when mixed with water. Mix a tablespoon of ammonia for each glass of water, or about 1/2 cup of ammonia per gallon of warm water. For painted walls, reduce the mixture to 1/4 cup per gallon of water. For a stronger solution, increase the amount of ammonia to a full cup. Apply the cleaner directly to the wall and let it sit for about five minutes before wiping it off. Then rinse with clean warm water.
For stains, we also recommend a mixture of bleach and water . Be sure to replace the air filters at home as well. They can also be stink traps.
Obviously, replacing carpets is the best solution to remove the odor they have absorbed over time, but for most of us this is not realistic. This is an expensive project, and if you are a tenant, the landlord may disagree. To get rid of the unpleasant smell of carpets, sprinkle with baking soda and let it sit for a while – maybe even overnight. Then vacuum the carpet and the baking soda with it thoroughly. If that doesn’t work, you may need to do a deeper cleanup. Rent a carpet cleaner or steam cleaner. Typically, you fill it with a cleaning solution (or white vinegar and water for a cheaper solution) and then run the car up and down the carpet, as you can see in the video above.
Your dishwasher is dirty
A dishwasher needs a simple cleaning about once a month, and it’s as simple as putting it in the dishwasher with a cup of vinegar. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and start the dishwasher. The video above will show you how to do this.
Beyond the basics, however, every dishwasher needs occasional deep wash, and if yours smells like dirty old food, it’s probably time to do the dishes. Focus on two areas : the seals and the dishwasher siphon.
Find a siphon (or filter) under the dishwasher spray. If you haven’t cleaned it in a while, you may find leftover food and other debris. Sometimes the pallet comes out and you can simply rinse it in the sink. Otherwise, you will need a towel to remove plaque.
Second, clean the rubber seal on the dishwasher door. Use a water solution and vinegar to loosen any mold or build up around the area.
A dead animal is decomposing somewhere in your home
I have never (knocked on wood) come across the supposedly pungent, sickly scent of a dead creature in my walls or ceiling, but from my understanding it is difficult to ignore.
The odor is likely to be strong in one specific area, and this should help you identify the source, be it an attic, basement, or a specific wall. Deleting wildlife points to some common areas :
- Attic : Finding the culprit in the attic can be tricky because it can be buried under isolation. They explain that when an animal dies in the attic, the smell usually spreads throughout the house.
- Wall : Yes, sometimes animals live within your walls or fall into them, get stuck and die. Experts sniff out the stain, cut a hole, remove the carcass and patch.
- Chimney : This is rare, but it does happen, especially if you have a metal chimney that animals can’t get out of.
- Under the House : Animals of all kinds – raccoons, possums, and even cats – often live under raised houses and die underground.
They add that people often think that there is a dead animal in their air ducts, but in reality this is very rare. Usually, the smell is caused only by the flow of air. As we pointed out earlier , if you are going to remove the carcass yourself, some cities have rules that they want you to follow, so check with your city’s sanitation department.
When it comes to cleaning, removing the mascara may not be enough. Clean the area thoroughly to get rid of residue and odor. Do My Own Pest Control recommends the following :
If you can remove an animal’s carcass, you can quickly eliminate odor with products like Bac-A-Zap or Odor Hunter, which use enzymes to break down odor-carrying molecules. These products should be sprayed on the area (or as close to the area as possible) where the odor is coming from in order to be effective. You can also use Earth Care Odor Removal Bags. These bags are simply hung in rooms with an unpleasant smell, and when the air in the room passes through the bag, the smell is removed.
If the carcass is out of reach, bring a pro. Call your local pest or wildlife management company to help you locate, remove the source, and clear the area. However, if you have DIY skills, you can try it yourself. In the video above, wildlife control specialist Shinya Coulter removes drywall from the inside of the toilet to get to a dead rodent (thankfully Coulter doesn’t show it) and then just plugs up the hole and we showed you how. do here .
You have a problem with electricity
I once fried a fish and the smell lingered on for so long that I thought something was wrong. The turns from the fish just really got stuck, but in my research, I found out that malfunctioning electrical wires often give off a stinky fish smell.
Boulden Brothers Service Company explains :
Electrical screens, wires and other plastic parts give off a “fish” or “urine” smell when exposed to high temperatures. If you smell fish, go around your home and look for outlets and other electrical equipment that looks burnt out or melting. Also, make sure plastic and anything that might burn is away from heat sources, including lighting fixtures.
Electrical problems can be dangerous, so if you suspect that the wiring in your home is faulty or its electrical components are overheating, call a qualified electrician . Many professionals are not familiar with the fishy smell problem, but any good technician should have an infrared camera to help pinpoint heat sources.
Sewer gas seeps into your home
Wastewater and rotten eggs have similar putrid odors, and rotten eggs can indicate a gas leak, which is much more dangerous. If you smell rotten eggs and suspect that it is a gas leak, leave the area, do not turn on lights or use any flammable objects, and then call your gas company. Pacific Gas & Electric offers a more detailed gas safety guide here .
Also, if one part of your home – usually the bathroom – just smells like sewage, it might just be a dried-up P-trap .
U-shaped siphons are designed to trap water in the pipe, creating a seal that prevents sewer gas from seeping through a sink or bathtub. If you haven’t used your sink for a while, the water in the P-siphon evaporates, removing this barrier. In other words, sewer gas flows through your bathroom. Likewise, gases can escape when the water level in the toilet drops. Means? Just flush the toilet or turn on the sink or bathtub a little to unclog the pipe.
However, in some cases, you may have a more serious problem with your sewer, drainage, or ventilation pipes. As Home Guides explains , your toilet may crack or the ventilation pipe may be clogged. In such cases, you probably want to call a plumber , although the Home Guides offers steps to fix the problem if you do it yourself.
Your water heater needs service
While you are checking your P-siphons, you can also check your water heater. As Water Tech Online explains , in places where the water is high in sulfur, the sulfur reduction agent often reacts with the anode rod in the water heater.
Replacing the standard anode with an aluminum-zinc anode, provided no water softener is used, often works in this situation because the reduced anode current significantly reduces the amount of H2 gas generated in the tank.
Turn on hot water and see if you can smell more. If so, you may need a new anode rod, which experts recommend replacing every five years anyway. Just be sure to read the warranty on your water heater, because some of them require a certain type of rods, otherwise the warranty may be void.
You can call a plumber or appliance repair technician to replace the rod, or try it yourself . The video above shows how this is done. Again, there is a big difference between the faint smell coming from your sink and the strong smell of gas leaking (which may be accompanied by hiss), so be sure to take the necessary action if you suspect a natural gas leak .
Household odors can be subtle and unpleasant. They sometimes faint and creep up to you over time, making them difficult to identify. These common household problems are often the culprit, so watch out for them and you will find yourself on your way to an odor-free home.
This story was originally published in June 2016 and has been updated in 2019 with new photos and to reflect current links and information. Updated again on March 15, 2021 with a new header image and reflecting current style guidelines.