Dumpster diving in my own apartment
March 1, 2014 9:27 PM   Subscribe

Nearby dumpster smell is invading my apartment. How do I get rid of it?

I just moved into a new apartment last November. Because it was cold outside, I didn't notice any smell coming from the dumpster that sits right in front of my apartment. It's a dumpster with an automatic compactor (like this one), so I figured the smell would be mostly contained anyway.

Fast forward to now when the weather is warming up. I still barely smell the dumpster when I'm standing outside. I like to leave my patio door and windows open to let fresh air inside, and save electricity when the outside air is a nice temperature. (You see where this is going, right?)

The first time I "aired out" my apartment, when I closed up the apartment, it started to smell very badly. I thought it was the refrigerator, but I checked the drip tray and it was clean and dry. I also cleaned the coils. Then I noticed the smell wasn't always in the same spot in my apartment. I dealt with the smell for a few days, and the A/C eventually filtered the bad smell out, and I let it go.

Today, I opened the doors and windows again, and the smell returned even worse than before when I closed everything up again. I went and got an air purifier, and left the house, leaving it running for a few hours. When I got back, the smell was just as strong as when I'd left. It smells like garbage inside my apartment.

I've ensured that it wasn't my own trash can (it's been emptied and washed out recently, and doesn't smell when I get close to it). It HAS to be the dumpster outside, because the only days the smell is bad in my apartment are days after I've closed it up after having the doors and windows open for the day.

On the weekends, our entire apartment complex brings their trash to this dumpster. Inevitably, the dumpster bin runs out of room, and people just pile their bags up against the dumpster. The maintenance crew shows up on Monday morning, and puts the bags, one-by-one, into the compactor. But the trash is left out over the weekend. I think the area would smell less if it all got compacted immediately instead of sitting out. But the controls to the compactor are hidden in the back, and while I've figured it out, I'm not volunteering to compact everyone's garbage over the weekend, and I don't think residents should be expected to operate machinery like this.

A few questions:

1. Most importantly, is there a better/faster way for me to filter the dumpster smell out of my apartment? This is unbearable, and embarrassing to explain to company. I'm not a fan of covering up smells with other smells - I'd rather the odor be neutralized, but I'm not sure how to go about this. Should I just suck it up and douse my apartment in some fruity Febreze spray? :-/

2. Am I doomed to closed doors and windows the entire time I'm living here? There's no way to block the smell but keep the windows open, right?

3. Why does it smell worse AFTER I shut the doors and windows? Shouldn't it smell the same, or worse coming directly in from outside? Shouldn't having the A/C on help filter the smell out more quickly?

4. Should I contact the apartment office? If so, what should I ask of them/tell them? Is it unreasonable to expect to be able to open my windows on a nice day? Or is that what I get for moving into a building right next to a dumpster?

Thanks, mefites!
posted by evolvinglines to Home & Garden (10 answers total)
 
Talk to the management. You have the right to quiet enjoyment, and the garbage is not allowing that. Worse case is they let you out of the lease for free. Best case, they figure what stinks.

I know this is a long shot, but is there forced air heating/cooling? Is it possible someone sabatoged the place by putting something gross somwhere it doesn't belong (air vent/intake).
posted by bensherman at 9:46 PM on March 1, 2014


Response by poster: What's the difference in forced air heating/cooling, and an HVAC system that has a box outside?
posted by evolvinglines at 9:52 PM on March 1, 2014


Are there vents that blow air around or is it baseboard heat and no AC?
posted by bensherman at 11:01 PM on March 1, 2014


In terms of not wanting fruity febreze: they have an unscented version.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:02 AM on March 2, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm not sure this is caused by the dumpster. If it's worse after you close everything up, it seems as if the smell is coming from inside the building. You could be creating what should be a nice airflow from inside to outside when the windows are open, but instead drawing the smell out from where ever it originates. I would clean all the drains first, using baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water. Then check ductwork and HVAC.
posted by raisingsand at 6:24 AM on March 2, 2014


As far as deodorizing, I've had good luck with crumpling up a paper towel and setting it into a shallow dish with an ounce or two of white vinegar. Set a few of those dishes out on a table or a shelf. The paper towel creates a wicking effect that helps the vinegar vaporize. I sometimes walk around waving the dish back and forth a bit before I set it down.

As for where the smell is coming from - some of your data points don't seem to make sense. It seems like if it's the dumpster, it would smell when the windows are open. But if it's in the forced air system, it would smell on ALL the days that you don't open the windows, not just the one after. Is it possible that it DOES smell on all the days, but that you get used to it after the first bad day, then after you air it out for a day you really notice it the first day back to the normal smell? That doesn't seem right either, because I think you would notice it any time you were out of the house all day and came back in.

It seems like you should be able to go up to a vent while the air is blowing and sniff to see if that is what smells. Similarly, you should be able to go out on your patio and smell the dumpster (pretty much any time, windows open or closed). If neither of those is true, then I don't know. I've had friends who had an animal die in their walls - maybe the change in air flow is causing something like that to smell at certain times and not others?? It would have to be pretty old, since I've heard that a fresh dead thing stinks like crazy ALL the time.
posted by CathyG at 7:17 AM on March 2, 2014


Could it be a dead rodent inside the walls smell? The fact that you barely smell the dumpster when you're outside and it still smells strongly inside make me thing the source is inside. Dead rodent smells distinct, yet a lot like garbage.
posted by cecic at 10:04 AM on March 2, 2014 [2 favorites]


Sniff your sink and tub drains. Run your taps, then re-sniff.

Depending on how your drains are plumbed, your P-traps could be dried out and letting drain-line funky smells through. Or they could be full of gunk from previous tenants that's causing an odor, and need a dose of drain cleaner.
posted by CKmtl at 10:27 AM on March 2, 2014


For question 4, I would call the building management and ask them to come by at a time when the smell is at its height. Make sure your place is pretty clean when they come (and double check any possible smell causing places). I wouldn't pinpoint the dumpster as the problem up front. It very well could be another tenant's trash or something dead close to a vent somewhere in the building that circulates through your apartment with the AC. They really should fix the problem; you have a right to a non-smelly living space.

When you go out to the dumpster, is the smell the same as the smell in your apartment? What happens if you open your windows after the maintenance crew empties the dumpster and then close them a couple hours later? Is there anything hvac-related outside near the dumpster (vents, "box", compressor)? Do any other tenants complain of the smell? Do any of them also face the dumpster?
posted by bluefly at 10:32 AM on March 2, 2014 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Embarassingly, I think the problem was my collection of plants near the window. While they were healthy-looking, I think the soil may have been causing the smell. Once I moved all the plants outside (now that it's warm enough), the smell went away. Glad it was that simple!
posted by evolvinglines at 9:04 PM on May 1, 2014


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