*sniff sniff* Whats that smell?...

[Eggs4Sale]

I inherited a really old trunk about that old. It smells really weird. Not moldy. Not musty. Just weird. I've aired it out for 8 years. I've sprayed with fresheners. I've tried baking soda. It's been outside on my patio since i got it because it STILL smells the same as the day I got it. It came from my aunt's home in Kansas. She had no pets. I know what new, old, and very old pee smells like (maybe not 150 year old pee!). It's not that. It just smells old, but not good. It's made of wood, with metal frame.

Has anyone looked in your attic?

 

[Eggs4Sale]

BTW, when I walk in the house and get hit with a weird smell, it usually stems from my husband.

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

I have the same problem here. I bought an air purifier with an ionizer in it and it really helps tone it down. (Allen has really great purifiers!!) I always leave windows open too, even when it gets cold to keep air moving through the house. Don't want old air sitting around picking up and intensifying the old stink!!

Ah, the joys of old stuff......

 

[justusnak]

I would have to say the odor is coming from the basement. More than likely. If the "oil room" floor is dirt or gravel...it has probably absorbed many years of "spills and dribbles" You can get some agricultural lime, and spread it over the floor. However, I doubt this is the problem. I would say....check the ceilings in the basement. Look at the wood beams, REALLY well. Sounds like just old wood...maybe rot...have the place checked for termites. IF the walla in the "iol room" are concrete, you can take the lime, and make a "whitewash" for the walls. This will help controll odors. Good luck...thats a hard odor to pinpoint in an older home.

 

[Rosalind]

Did it always smell like that? Or is this a recent development?

Honestly, if it's the smell I am thinking of (smells a bit like an attic, sort of dusty but not moldy per se, like potpourri that's been sitting in a bowl for a couple of centuries), that's just one of the joys of an old home, along with creative wiring, field mice, and random bits of toys stuck in the floorboards from the previous owners' children.

You can try to get humidity controls in and keep the humidity between 40-60%, because that will help save the wood from getting either wet rot or dry rot. It'll still smell a bit, but not as much. Humidity is a problem this time of year AND in the winter--whenever humidity gets either very high or very low, it's bad for the wood. But given that most old houses have no vapor barriers, it's going to be a constant issue. If you have an air conditioner, replace it with a swamp cooler, that will help keep wood in good condition.

My house smells of many things that I'm sure I never cooked, thousands of wood fires, damp from the well, citrus-scented cleaner, and wet dogs. I decided as long as it is actually clean, I'm not going to bother being embarrassed--if my guests couldn't tell just by looking and listening from outside that the house is elderly and contains fireplaces and dogs, then they aren't observant enough to notice that the second floor smells like a granny's talcum powder.

when I walk in the house and get hit with a weird smell, it usually stems from my husband.

DH always blames the dogs when that happens.​

 

[saddina]

My DH blames ME when that happens

 

[Judy]

I would stay away from the air fresheners. IMO they are one of those yukky things we will eventually find out are harmful. There are odor eliminators on the market but Glade etal. make them hard to find. Here is my favorite:

http://www.orangemate.com/

Might sound a bit pricey but it is not, as one or two sprays clears a room in seconds, so a can lasts forever.

 

[Sillystunt]

growhouse, hummm i smell a problem! Check you attic!! They ruin house when they di that! I watched a show and the attic had mold from the systems they ran through out the house. Try a rainbow system. they are expensive but mt friend had a fire and dang that thing worked!

 

[consdrs]

Quote:
I completly agree. I love those. I had a rental house that was smoked in. after painting all the walls, ceilings and washing everything else it still smelled funky. the ozone machine (we rented it) really knocked it down.
Also could it be furniture? curtains? bedding? carpet? anything made of material really holds on to smells.

Connie

 

[Dar]

Quote:
where I live, if they (the police) find a grow op there are certain regulations that MUST be followed before the house can be occupied again this is why there is an inspection EVERY year they set up these little thingies in every room for 2 days and then take the air samples back to the lab and see whats in the air, this is also done for the attic and the basement, my MIL's house smells the same way ..(i just thought it was old people smell...lol O did I mention that I cant STAND mil?...)