Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with Smell

Where's that smell coming from

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:36:00 -0800

My boyfriend just called to say his apartment smells like spray paint. He hasn't used spray paint. What gives? He's been gone all day. The windows were shut. The A/C off. What could cause this? Should he be concerned? He lives on the second floor...if someone was spray painting outside, would that much smell seep into his place?

These DVDs smell!

santaliqueur — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:51:00 -0800

How do I remove the smell of smoke from DVDs? I recently bought a DVD collection from someone who smokes. I couldn't tell they smelled until I got them home, but now I'd like to remove the smell from the boxes. The interiors and disks don't smell that much, it's only the outer boxes. How can I do it? Febreze? Dehumidifier possibly? Thanks much.

Why does my pan, heating, smell like lighter fluid?

stance — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:53:44 -0800

Just started heating a newish stainless steel Alclad pan and noticed a weird smell as I was throwing onions into them (I've used it a few times before, and have never noted any strange odor). The best description I can think of for the smell is a charcoal grill, or lighter fluid. There was a whitish residue on the pan before I started cooking, which I thought was just hard water markings, but it could have been dish soap, too. Can soap smell like this when heated in a dry pan? The carbon monoxide detectors haven't gone off (just tested them, too: they're working, and they're loud), so I'm not sure what this strong smell is.

I guess the bottom line is: should I eat these caramelized onions? Also good to know: what is this smell, is it dangerous?

Unconventional air fresheners

cazoo — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:16:33 -0800

Coffee beans as an air freshener? I read somewhere on the net that coffee beans are good to leave around the house as their scent helps to clean the nasal palate and eliminate other odors.

What other natural ingredients may be used in this same way? Conventional air fresheners like candles, flowers, and sprays make me physically ill for some odd reason.

Will I ever enjoy the smells of fine wine?

DetonatedManiac — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:10:57 -0800

Olfactory Filter: My sense of smell is severely diminished, when it exists at all. I have known this for years but now I want to taste wines so I am wondering if there is any way to repair my sense of smell or is it lost forever? I recall distinctly smelling things (particularly foul smelling things) as a child. However I have always had bad allergies and colds and was often congested growing up, still am often. But even when my nose is working at its best (best for me at least) my sense of smell seems quite dull or non existent

I have heard reports about neurological damage causing olfactory malfunction and surmise that could be it but don't know where to start to get that tested or (if possible) treated.

I have always told people that I have no sense of smell but that is not ENTIRELY true. Just the other day I could distinctly smell a bottle of Steak Seasoning my brother was using from across the room. Today I was trying to test myself by going through the refrigerator, spice rack and family perfume supply looking for strong smelling objects. I could faintly smell and identify concentrated lemon juice and even more faintly smell rosemary (in that I knew it was producing A smell). Perfumes and other spices had no identifiable smell for me, but now I have a headache.

HELP What does this mean?

Why does this fabric smell so bad (and can I fix it)?

egg drop — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:51:50 -0800

Why does this fabric smell so bad (and can I fix it)? I bought a bedsheet in India. If it had any particular smell I definitely didn't notice. After I got home I washed it, and now it has such a strong chemical smell that it's noticeable from a few feet away, even after being aired out for a few days. Has anyone come across this before? I'd like to know why it happened and if I can do anything about it. Repeated laundering hasn't helped so far, but admittedly I've only tried twice.

How do you get rid of that old-lady-who-bathes-in-perfume smell?

chan.caro — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:37:12 -0800

How do you get rid of perfume odors that cling to everything? Google-fu is failing me. My brother recently sent over a package of some of my stuff (a necklace, bottle of lotion, bit of makeup), and unintentionally sent with it a small bottle of "perfume" that reeeeeks of a very unwelcoming stench - the kind that sticks to whatever touches it and makes your head spin and stomach churn. Of course, said perfume was so pervasive it leaked out of the bottle and onto my effects; washing them with dishwashing liquid didn't put a dent into the smell. I've yet to try baking soda, which may help, but I think something way more heavy-duty is necessary for this awful stench.

I'd like to bake eggy-stink-free biscotti, but how?

Salthound — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:33:16 -0800

Need help from experienced bakers: how do I get rid of the eggy smell that clings to otherwise delicious biscotti (and some other baked goods) after they come out of the oven? The only advice I have found is to add a teaspoon of honey to the batter. (I use your standard eggs, out of the shell) Does this work? What causes the eggy smell anyway? How do industrial biscotti-bakers avoid having the smell?

It's a gas

Pants! — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:40:08 -0800

I bought a used gas dryer, and need help connecting it. Right now, I have the gas valve shut off. However, when I turn it on, while the hose is connected, I smell gas. I'm not sure where the leak would be and am not sure how to diagnose that.

The gas outlet was not used by the previous dryer, which was electric. The dryer is used, the hose is new.

Smelly tree, smelly tree, it's not your fault...

summit — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:54:12 -0800

What tree smells like semen or vagina? This tree seems to be really popular around greater Boston. It has 5 white petals on each flower and the leaves look similar to this alternate drawing. The worst part is that while it's flowering, the tree smells like semen or vagina, depending on who you ask. What kind of tree is it? It's definitely not the Chinese chestnut.

Alternative Air Freshener for My Car?

mrgoldenbrown — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:40:45 -0800

I am soliciting crazy ideas for alternative car fresheners that smell good but not of chemicals. I have a hatchback, so there is no separation between people in the car and the trunk, where I often put smelly hiking boots and/or climbing shoes and/or sometimes sleep. I have been told by a friend that my car smells and that I should fix this problem before offering to drive a potential girlfriend anywhere.

The standard pine tree type thing hanging from the rearview mirror smells too chemically for me. Short of planting a pine tree in my back seat, is there any way i can get a natural, nice smell into my car? I would love my car to smell like a pine forest, fresh baked cookies, an italian restaurant, or a campfire. googling for "car sized fireplace" has not gotten me far.

So I'm contemplating (and soliciting) crazy ideas. Is it practical to grow basil or mint in my car? Should I just try burning incense in there once in a while? if so, has anyone found a brand of pine incense that actually smells like pine? would putting a box of baking soda in there absorb odors?

PS: I am also investigating ways to keep my shoes/boots from getting so smelly in the first place. But in general, I shower at least once a day and am not rank myself, when not on the way home from some sweaty activity.

I drink; therefore, I reek?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:51:12 -0800

How much beer do I have to drink to "smell like a brewery" the next day? Occasionally I enjoy drinking beer. I also occasionally encounter people who have consumed so much alcohol that they reek the next day. I wish to avoid this.

How many drinks (esp. beer) would a 5'9, 220lb (but otherwise healthy) man in his mid-thirties have to drink to stink the next day (after noon). Assume drinking would take place between 5:00-10:00pm.

Help me stop the house from reeking like a restaurant after closing.

winna — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:43:24 -0800

My living room smells like a restaurant. It does not smell like food, but like the old, greasy, disgusting smell left on your clothes when you leave the restaurant if you work there. This is making my living room unbearable. What is this smell? My apartment is in a four-apartment block in a complex owned by a management company in the western Piedmont of North Carolina. A couple of months ago my downstairs and next door neighbors moved out and the company renovated the apartments immediately below and beside me.

I noticed at that point a smell which I described as 'sausages' to the rental lady, but what familiarity over time has led me to describe as 'restaurant'. It was not initially a constant smell. It consistently can be smelled at 13:00 and 23:00. It has been getting worse. It does not appear to be related to whether or not the heat or a/c is on.

I have taken Great Stuff and plugged up the holes where my pipes route through the wall. The smell is not coming from my kitchen. It comes from the living room near the front door. It happened when I did not have anyone living next door or below me, so I'm at a loss to know where the smell is coming from.

I am at my wit's end. The apartment complex management has not listened to me, probably because this sounds like such a crazy problem. Can anyone give me anything that it might be, based on the description of the smell? I can't be any more precise than to say that it's almost exactly like the smell in the back of a restaurant after closing - a vague, bad, greasy 'food' smell with no actual food qualities about it.

My Roommate's Junk Smells

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:27:55 -0800

My roommate smells, and it's not just typical BO. Help! I live in a typical (read: small) college dorm room with one other person.

In the past few weeks, I've noticed that my roommate has developed an odor. It's not bad breath, or typical BO. It smells distinctly... cheesy. In a really nasty "this isn't a good smell" kind of way. Specifically, I've noticed the smell when he removes his jeans as he is going to bed. My desk is very close to his bed, and after repeated instances of this, I can say with some assuredness that the smell is eminating from his pelvic area. It's very noticeable, and it can be pretty hard at times not to comment on the sudden foul odor that has started assaulting my nostrils immediately following the removal of his jeans.

What finally drove me to make the AskMe question I've been putting off about this is that I came back to the room after going to lunch, opened the door, and hit a wall of the odor. I discovered my roommate taking a nap in his bed, the air absolutely saturated with the repugnant smell in question. I opened my window and door to get air moving, went out into the hall, and found the smell was strong enough to seep into the hall and smell just as bad. I borrowed air freshener from the people in the next room, and even THEY noticed the smell coming from the hallway! That just isn't right!

He used to be pretty sexually active, with many a partner, due mostly to the lowered inhibitions/standards caused by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol (I'm not juding, really, he's admitted this to be the case multiple times). But I've noticed he has been completely abstinent lately (to my knowledge), and it coincides rather neatly with the debut of his new fragrance.

I have two main questions. First, what is up with my roommate's junk? Why does it smell the way it does? Answers from personal experience, educated guesses/conjecture from "I am not a doctor," "I'm a doctor but not YOUR (ROOMMATE'S) doctor," and the like are all welcome.

Second, what can I do about this situation? Should I put up with it since the end of the year is quickly approaching? Maybe a buy a ton of febreeze? Should I bring it up? If so, how?

I can be reached at anonymousmefi@gmail.com if you have any questions. If I have followups or new information I'll try and get in touch with one of the mods to have them post it in the thread.

Thanks for any and all help you can offer.

Oooh that smell.

cowboy_sally — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:55:27 -0800

What is the strange smell emanating from certain areas of our apartment? It's very strong and sour, like boiled cabbage...and it's confined to the front hallway and the bathroom. Initially I thought it might be cooking smells from other people's apartments--there's a lot of that in the stairwells--but no one's cooking smells like this. And if that were the case, why would it smell that way in the bathroom? The smell is strongest when the heat has been on or it's hot outside, and it seems to be concentrated by the bathroom sink and (oddly) inside the hall closet.

We've lived in the same apartment for 4 years now, and the smell's aways been here. Pre-war multifamily (30+ apartments) rental building that's not well maintained. Yeah.

After reading through the other stinky-apartment askme posts, I suspect the source is something not so benign. So what nasty substance is the culprit? Is it mildew? A cockroach colony? Cracked pipes? (I doubt it's a dead animal, unless there's a special rat burial ground in our walls.) Even if it's something we can't fix on our own, I'd still like to have an idea of what it could be before I approach the landlord about it. Thanks folks.

Lost

hadjiboy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:32:52 -0800

What tree is this? These are the flowers which grow on it (they usually fall off every night and are strewn across the ground). Here's a close up of one of them. They have a nice and pleasant smell... something like Jasmine perhaps? Not sure, but if anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks a lot.

Most economical way to make your house smell good?

tanminivan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:44:50 -0800

What's the most economical way to make your house/apartment smell good? My apartment doesn't smell bad, but it doesn't really smell good, either. I've tried a few candles, potpourri, aerosol sprays, and plug-in air fresheners that all work at varying degrees of effectiveness, but they usually don't last long and they're expensive.

I already keep my place fairly clean by vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, disinfecting countertops, sweeping and mopping often. I try to open the windows as much as possible, as weather permits.

I've searched Ask Me, but most questions seem to be on removing odors, not solely providing pleasant ones. I did find this thread at Yahoo Answers where a few people said simmering some water with cinnamon and/or your favorite scent was a pretty good way to make your house smell good. I haven't tried this, but I'd imagine the smell would fade after several hours (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm looking for something more long-term.

So, has anyone found any other low cost ways of improving odors for a long period of time?

(Also, if it helps, I'd have to say my favorite scent is vanilla.)

fried electronic smell

sisquoc15 — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:41:41 -0800

What is that fried electronic smell? I cooked my computer's power supply over the weekend and now the house has that fried electronic smell. Molecularly speaking, what is that? Should I evacuate?

How can I get rid of this smell?!

Orrorin — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:14:14 -0800

A rat died in my wall (or ceiling), and it smells terrible. I'm leaving town for a week, what can I do to make sure the smell is gone (or greatly diminished) by the time I come back? My house had a rat problem, and my landlord opted to put bait in the attic. When asked about what would happen if one died in the walls, he insisted that the bait would make them thirsty and leave the house. No problem for a few months, but now there's definitely something dead.

I noticed that my bathroom was smelling sour a couple days ago, but I didn't think it would be a big deal. Now it's beyond belief nasty. The window is all the way open, I've taken everything out, and I've sealed off the bottom of the door to halt the stench.

I'm leaving town tomorrow, so Ive planned to leave the window open while I'm gone and put down some fly traps. What else can I do to help this awful process along, and will the smell die down over the week? If I were going to be around, I'd try and have my landlord do something about this, but I would prefer not to have him in my house if I'm not here.

I don't want to wash my dishes after I wash my dishes, either...

odi.et.amo — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:05:45 -0800

How can I get rid of my dishwasher's funk? There is some form of foul smelling beast living in the drain of my dishwasher and it has started to impart its scent on my dishes. Tap and filtered water both smell almost fishy if I don't first fill the glass with water and pour it out to get rid of the odor. Likewise for other food and baked goods that are on or were made in things washed in my dishwasher.

How can I get rid of the funk? So far, I've tried bleach and copious amounts of baking soda + vinegar. It helped reduce the general funk, but it always reappears when I run the dishwasher and stays on the dishes.

I like breathing formaldehyde as much as the next person, but...

misanthropicsarah — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:41:16 -0800

How do I get rid of that horrible new carpet smell? My office had new carpet put down in the hallways last Thursday through Tuesday. It's industrial carpet glued to concrete floor. The glue smell gives me horrible headaches. Plus, I'm sure it's toxic.

My coworkers (there's only 2 of them) don't grok that this smell is causing a serious problem for me; somehow they can't smell it or it doesn't bother them. I had the hall windows open yesterday, but it's all of 20° today and they'll whine about it being cold if I open the windows again.

So, how can I get this horrible smell to go away? I'd prefer to eliminate or neutralize it instead of covering it up with something (Febreze also not an option because that gives me headaches too).

Thrift store smell

bokinney — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:48:41 -0800

What is that thrift store smell? What makes thrift stores smell, and why do they all smell the same? Is it just a mix of general funk and b.o., or is there some chemical they are spraying on everything?

Brewing up a stink?

Goofyy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:29:01 -0800

AromaFilter: Nice apartmemt, next to a brewery. Will there be unpleasant exhaust from the brewing? It's quite a nice place, on top of a building (5th floor). But the brewery is nearly next door. Does brewing beer make for stink or excessive noise? Not big enough for a traffic issue, it's a smallish local brew (at least one of their brews is quite pleasant). Probably too big to call it a microbrewery, the appearance is more factory.

sulfur smell from somewhere. is it dangerous? how to find it.

Infernarl — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:31:15 -0800

sulfur smell from somewhere. is it dangerous? how to find it. Background info: I live on the top floor of a 4 story building. My water heater has no tank. My neighbor has a cat (pee?). Sometimes a sulfury smell comes from the sink but it is distinctly different. The smell mostly comes at night. The floor is tatami. The apartment has been renovated (possible drain somewhere in the floor?). The sink in the kitchen has no trap, just a straight pipe. This is Japan. The smell is sulfury with a little rancid oil note, quite dull but lingering. It only smells in the bedroom. It definitely comes from the right, the direction of my neighbor's apartment.

I googled but all the pages seemed to deal with a smell in drinking water. It seems to come from the floor but maybe the wall. I don't think it's based on water directly, it seems to come in puffs.

Any ideas on how to pinpoint the source? Is it possibly dangerous?

Whyfore the pleasant odor of refrigerators?

Quidam — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:20:16 -0800

I really like the smell of the inside of refrigerators and freezers. Why on earth is this? This is a weird question, but isn't that (at least partly) what AskMeFi is for?

Ever since I was little I can remember liking the way that the inside of freezers (and to a lesser degree, refrigerators) smell. It's most obvious in industrial-sized, walk-in coolers and freezers (I guess because there's more, um, freezer-air in there), but sometimes I can pick it up in any old household fridge/freezer too. I cannot describe the smell as anything other than... the inside of a freezer. It's not the same as, say, outdoors on a snowy day. It's distinctive to appliances. It has nothing to do with what's actually inside the freezer, and it's not a chemical smell, and if there's a fan in the freezer (like at the top in a walk-in one, or at the bottom in an upright one) it's usually strongest in that area.

I know I'm not totally insane because in high school, when I worked in an ice cream store where we had a large walk-in cooler, I remember one other kid saying once something like "I love the way it smells in here", but other than that I've never heard of anyone else acknowledging this.

So, I mean, I recognize that this is rather vague and totally off-the-wall, but does anyone know what the heck I'm talking about? And if you do, what is it that gives it that smell? Am I crazy?