How to beat a smell

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

My Nephew (14. 15 this month) came to live with me about 18 months ago due to family problems. It has been lovely company for me and his behaviour has been more settled. Think it is the rural life here!

I have never had children myself but I find there is a smell in his room I simply cannot get rid of. I have tried washing the bedding daily, hoovering. He has a habit of leaving his dirty clothes around and I have found a few manky socks and such under the bed. I have been keeping on top of that though but the smell quite indescribable just won't go. He doesn't even smell of it directly that I can smell and I have told him there is a smell but he can't smell it.

Anyone else here with children have a problem like this. Google throws up a few things but mainly about bed wetting and nappies and nothing like this. None of my other rooms smell like it. It's quite exasperating.

monty-doggy

Is he showering enough? Teenage boys sweat lots and he should be encouraged to shower daily. Also after sports or physical activity.
Is he using good body products, deodorant etc?

paulineb_2

Manky socks do smell, as do trainers. Shoe spray and a foot spray might help, I get mine in poundworld, I teach fitness classes and am in trainers a lot.

And not leaving manky socks lying around would help massively.

arbroath_lass

Do you/he open the windows?


You need to find where the smell is coming from, first. Does it ever go? Is he smoking? Could it be something like milk spilt on the carpet?


Hope you get to the bottom of it OP.

krlyr

Could you maybe redecorate or reorganise the room, as an excuse to empty it out and try to track down the source of the smell? Any chance of him staying at a friend's for a few days, or are there any school trips coming up?

I'd probably strip the room entirely and air it out for at least a good few hours, if not half/the whole day. If the smell still lingers, you'll know it's something fixed in there - possibly carpet or underlay? Something split and left uncleaned could begin to smell quite nasty - and the smell may come and go as the room heats up and cools down. If the smell goes, it's a good sign that it's a piece of furniture or his belongings - you could see if the place you've stored them in has begun to smell too.

I'd then put things back in bit by it and see when the smell returns. E.g. put the bedframe back in the morning, if there's no smell then put the matress in later, and see if the smell has returned the next morning.

Bed wetting isn't limited to small children so may be worth checking the state of the actual mattress. Or sleeping in the bed sweaty/dirty could impregnate the mattress with a nasty smell.


As a side thought, would you recognise the smell of something like weed? Could he be possibly smoking it in the room and airing it out (but leaving a faint odour), or the odour being on his clothes?

paulsad

Sounds like BO to me - get the !!!!!! to bathe regularly and to tidy up his act ... sounds like you're being too soft. Give em an inch and all that. I was the same with my three but they at least were a very clean bunch.

skitler

it might be something dead under the floorboards, as its a rural area, could also be in the roof / eaves area of that room if its localised. also look behind the radiator as food ect can fall down.


cut a onion in half and leave in the room next to a small bowl of water will get rid of most bad smell over 24hrs, but if the offender is still there so will the smell be. bol.

paulineb_2

Some people suffer from body odour and it's not a cleanliness issue.

jackieb

My son's room has a strange smell. It's not bad as such, just different. I'm usually quite good at identifying smells but can't seem to figure this one out. It's not pee. It's not sweaty clothes. It's not damp. I can't really describe it either. I have 2 other sons so i'm used to 'boy smells' but don't know what this is. He has quite bad eczema so I don't use smelly stuff to wash his clothes and bedding. His room is vacuumed every day.

If you find out what the smell is i'd be curious to know lol

Mojisola

paulsad wrote: »

Sounds like BO to me - get the !!!!!! to bathe regularly and to tidy up his act ... sounds like you're being too soft. Give em an inch and all that. I was the same with my three but they at least were a very clean bunch.

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

I have never had children myself but I find there is a smell in his room I simply cannot get rid of.

He doesn't even smell of it directly that I can smell and I have told him there is a smell but he can't smell it.

Doesn't sound like BO.

krlyr

Oh, good call on rotting animal. Though if OP has lived rurally for a while, she may have a good nose for that - we as kids all soon learnt the recognisable 'eau de dead rat' after a few occasions!