Going mad - Cannot locate bad smell.

Peater

Hi all.

So, i have a Ground floor flat., the Lounge and Kitchen are one room. Over the last 2 weeks, a nasty niff has developed in this area that i just cannot locate. I cleaned the oven, cleaned the extractor hood, cleaned all the surfaces within an inch of thier lives etc.

I also started trying to eliminate items like bins, plants etc by leaving them in the bedroom or bathroom for a day. Yet, the smell still smacks me in the face when i enter the kitchen/lounge.

I even had the kitchen unit skirts off tonight to see if i had a dead rodent/decomposing food under there. Nothing.

The smell doesnt seem to originate from anywhere, so i can't track it down. Perhaps it is everywhere???

One thought of mine: The smell started in the days after i cooked some 'Parmesan Swede Chips' in the oven. At the time, the smell was quite strong so i opened the doors/windows. I have since cleaned the oven twice and the smell remains.

So, what can i do to A)find out what the smell is and get rid of it?

Redecorate????? ARGH!

Any ideas gratefully recieved.

danlojo

Try the U Bend on the sink and the overflow slot. I had this smell which I thought was the washing machine but it turned out to be some food which had rotted in the overflow area of the sink.

southcoastrgi

are you sure shegirl hasn't shifted hers onto you ?

elsien

Got any potatoes that might be going manky? They can smell a bit as if something's died.

shegirl

southcoastrgi wrote: »

are you sure shegirl hasn't shifted hers onto you ?

He/she is welcome to mine if they want it!!!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Does the smell go if you put the plug in the sink and get worse if the appliances are draining?


Check the washing machine and (if applicable) dishwasher seals and outlet hoses (probably joining the sink plumbing somewhere near the trap) and clean them and along the pipe.


Other than that, check the back of the fridge, wash out the bin with biological washing powder - and think back to when you last saw your upstairs neighbour.

C_Mababejive

mouseinthehouse?

DevCoder

If its only when you cooked the swede chips with parmesan then chances are its on the elements or nearby

Id just run the oven for 3-4 hours on max temp with the window open.

Not exactly MSE but it might save your sanity.

Same as doing a 90c wash in the washing machine with nothing in it to cleanse the machine of bacteria that survives 30/40c washes.

keystone

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Does the smell go if you put the plug in the sink and get worse if the appliances are draining?


Check the washing machine and (if applicable) dishwasher seals and outlet hoses (probably joining the sink plumbing somewhere near the trap) and clean them and along the pipe.

+1. Take as much apart as you can and give it a thorough clean.

Other than that, check the back of the fridge,

Yes thats normally where the cheese collects. Heaven knows why.

and think back to when you last saw your upstairs neighbour.

Ewwww!

Cheers

BobQ

You seem to be doing the right thing.

Do you own the flat? If its rented then ask the landlord.

I would start lifting anything that you have not lifted since it occurred. Sofa , chairs, fridge freezer, washing machine etc. Remember a mouse could die and decompose somewhere other than the floor (eg they could climb into a kitchen unit (maybe a corner unit) and be above floor level. Or climb up into the fridge or washing machine or even an extractor unit, and die on a ledge. Have you checked on the top of tall cabinets and wall cupboards for dead rodents? Is there an external vent tube that has been eaten into, a laundry basket?

Is the floor boarded or solid? Could there be something under a floor board or a leak in the soil pipe under the floor or coming from the plat above? Have you asked the flat above?

sunflower_2

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Other than that, check the back of the fridge, wash out the bin with biological washing powder - and think back to when you last saw your upstairs neighbour.

haha - very quick & witty.

obviously i sincerely hope this isnt the case though.:o