Going mad - Cannot locate bad smell.

art_for_arts_sake

We had a constant "dirty" smell in our house when we moved in which was somewhat disguised by the fact the previous owners weren't too fond of cleaning, which contributed towards the lovely bouquet. In the end we discovered we had a gas leak :eek:.

Misstress

I had a bad smell for a few months too, was convinced the cat had pee'd somewhere, spent ages on my hands and knees sniffing trying to locate the smell, cleaned everywhere, turned out I had a gas leak too.

Mrs_justjohn

Sniff your electrical sockets and light switches and cooker switch - I know it sounds odd but a loose connection can cause it to burn but it doesn't smell of burning - it smells of cheesy fish....LOL

I have had it with my shower switch and my MIL had a double socket that did the same (she thought she was being haunted by a fisherman due to the smell....LOL)

pimento

Burning bakelite smells like cheesy fish so Mrs_Justjohn is correct, check your electrics.

leckl

we had an awful smell in our kitchen a few months back, like you we tried everything and everywhere. A colleague suggested the drain from the fridge freezer, we pulled it out (inbuilt) and washed the trap and drain out and lo and behold the smell went.

Good luck it's so annoying.

Peater

Thanks all.

I indeed own the property and moved in after renovating it 7 months ago. All my appliances are integrated and were fitted by a, well, fitter. Are they easy enough to slide out?

I will have a look at the manuals and see if i can get to the drain trays.

In response to some of the other suggestions:

- I did go around and sniff my plugs like a mad man. If i had a pet, i'm sure it would look at me with confusion.

- There's no gas main coming into the complex so i can discount that.

- Seen all my immediate neighbors in the last week (Although, funny story, one further down went on holiday without letting anyone know. Left her dog behind (being fed and walked during the day by the grandson) and lights on timers. We all thought she had died so the Police came round and knocked her door down. With comical timing, she returned home at that very moment....Awkward)

-Concrete floor with new laminate and soundboard on top.

- Got no potatoes in the house currently. Also, all the cupboards smell fine inside.

- Cleaned the U bend and overflow pipes. They weren't the problem, but a job worth doing anyway.

The hunt continues!!!!

blossomhill_2

We had this and cleaned all the drains, appliances etc only to find it was an onion in a polythene bag - didn't even look mouldy - smells a bit like gas and was even waking us up at night

Good luck

Peater

Was that in a cupboard or in the fridge?

McKneff

Have you fallen out with anyone lately who may have left a kipper behind a radiator..................

ljonski

its usually prawns inside the curtain rail. Someone was in the same position as the op . They decided enough was enough and left - taking the curtain rail with them!