This morning, my wife discovered a forgotten bag of potatoes that have apparently been our pantry since the Taft administration. The bag burst, leaving rotten potato mush and juice on our old hardwood floors. It smells like death has vomited more death on top of death. Help.
[more inside]
posted by 4ster
on Jun 8, 2013 -
12 answers
We just bought a new house, yay! It's in suburban NC, less than 3 years old. Starting today, my husband and I noticed a strong musty smell in the front entryway. There is a guest bathroom and a home office just beyond this foyer, but those rooms smell fine to me. The floors are hardwood, no rugs down yet. There is an air vent directly overhead as you enter the house. Could that vent (pushing out a/c for the first time since move-in, now that weather is warm) be the source of the funky smell? If yes, why?? And how do we get rid of it?
posted by little mouth
on Apr 10, 2013 -
11 answers
Embarrassing and unusual symptom has been plaguing me for months now. Your insight, experience and advice appreciated.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Feb 8, 2013 -
9 answers
How can I best keep my walk-in closet from smelling like my shoes? And how can I best keep my shoes from smelling up my walk-in closet?
[more inside]
posted by decrescendo
on Jul 9, 2012 -
14 answers
Many new garments have a distinctive smell that disagrees with me. What's the likely source of this odor?
[more inside]
posted by jocelmeow
on May 14, 2011 -
15 answers
My son has severe rages. When he has these meltdowns, he gives off a certain odor. It isn't sweat. Any idea what's going on?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Mar 22, 2011 -
29 answers
I recently went out on a date with a woman I'm interested in. (I'm an early-30s male.) It's very early in the proceedings, so we're still getting used to each other. Anyway, during this date, she informed me that sexually-aroused men have a particular odor in their breath, and that I'd had it all evening. Later on, she told me that she actually didn't care for the odor at all, which was news to me. This is the first I've heard of this phenomenon, so I'd like to learn more about it.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Mar 7, 2011 -
75 answers
Our extremely friendly outdoor cat came inside reeking of cologne. This was two days ago, and it's still across-the-room strong. How do I clean this off?
[more inside]
posted by Prince_of_Cups
on Feb 27, 2011 -
16 answers
How do I remove a burnt plastic, chemical odor from blackout drapes?
[more inside]
posted by amme
on Sep 12, 2010 -
4 answers
A question from Ms. Ash3000: "My vagina smells funky, but I don't have the symptoms of a yeast infection. Could this be just a side effect of the summer heat, or is it more likely that something else is going on?"
[more inside]
posted by Ash3000
on Jul 18, 2010 -
15 answers
How do you store your truffle salt to prevent your whole kitchen from smelling of it. Also, what are your favorite uses for the stuff?
[more inside]
posted by Xalf
on Mar 8, 2010 -
12 answers
My parents have just bought a house and now realize it has a smell of unknown origin. Ideas on things to do or people to contact to help get rid of it?
[more inside]
posted by geekgirl397
on Feb 17, 2010 -
12 answers
Is it possible to get cologne smell out of clothing? I kind of "inherited" a half-dozen nice sweaters that reek of perfume, and I'm allergic as well. I've tried mucho baking soda and soaking in the wash machine; haven't tried vinegar yet; past (somewhat related) threads suggest
Ozium and
Synthrapol, but they're really not for this purpose.
posted by Shane
on Oct 5, 2009 -
11 answers
My basement smells like rotting fruit. What is causing it and, since I'm thinking it needs dehumidifying, any dehumidifier tips or recommendations?
[more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry
on May 7, 2009 -
9 answers
How do I cover up cigar smoke in my clothing? Legal age, but would rather not explain to the parents.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Apr 13, 2009 -
27 answers
Last Wednesday I was assaulted by a foul smell in my front (guest) bathroom. I have been trying to pinpoint the cause for several days. I'm about to go out of town and need advice on what to do, especially since I'm extremely broke and have tried all the usual methods of attack. Details inside...
[more inside]
posted by Unicorn on the cob
on Oct 27, 2008 -
13 answers
Help for a chronically musty room? Though I keep my bedroom clean, organized and vacuumed it's always got an "old closet" smell. It's not terrible, but it's definitely noticeable upon entering. Any tricks for getting rid of it? The catch: I don't want to cover things up with another scent - I just don't want it to smell at all.
[more inside]
posted by aladfar
on Sep 15, 2008 -
28 answers
How long does it take a couch to stop offgassing? I assembled a new Ikea
Karlstad sofa
five days ago, and while the odor has decreased a bit, it still smells. Worse, there's some VOC that irritates my nose and throat after I sit on it for half an hour or so, which is rather worrying. (My wife gets the same 'acrid feeling' too.)
[more inside]
posted by sebastienbailard
on Aug 22, 2008 -
9 answers
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?
[more inside]
posted by stance
on Jul 28, 2008 -
8 answers
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?
[more inside]
posted by winna
on Apr 16, 2008 -
12 answers
How do I get fried chicken smell out of fabrics? I would just wash them, but two of them (a jacket and a shawl) aren't very washable.
[more inside]
posted by fiercecupcake
on Nov 16, 2007 -
15 answers
We're expecting our second child in the next couple of weeks, and I (foolishly) stored the co-sleeper/bassinet that we used with our first in the basement for the last two years. Now it smells musty. I need as benign a solution to the odor as possible. I don't want to put a newborn in a musty bassinet to sleep, but I also don't want to use harsh chemicals on something where she'll spend several hours a night (fingers crossed). What will work best? Will one of those passive odor absorbers like an air sponge, or that German metal thingie be sufficient, or do I need to use something that I actually apply to the surface fabric?
posted by SobaFett
on Oct 31, 2007 -
16 answers
My man crevices smell of yeast but it's not acting like a topical yeast infection. It won't go away and the dermatologist was useless. Helllp!
[more inside]
posted by Bravely Anonymous
on Jul 30, 2007 -
27 answers
We just moved in to a new apartment with a gas stove/range. When we run the oven, even though the pilot light is lit and it heats up, there is a strong gas smell. We freaked out and turned it off but is this dangerous? Is it possible that it just smells of gas right away but it would dissipate in a few minutes? I would call the landlord right away but we already called with a laundry list of problems today so I'd like to avoid a follow up if at all possible.
posted by jules1651
on Jun 21, 2007 -
9 answers
We just bought a house with a separate, finished apartment. The apartment turns out to have a smell, and we can't figure out where it's coming from. The smell is bad: part must, part mildew, and part warmed catfood. So my questions are:
1. Does this smell sound familiar to anyone? (As in, "Oho, that's plainly mildew he's talking about; he should check the blah blah!")
2. Ways to pinpoint an ambient smell?
I am going
under the apartment this afternoon :( but if I i don't find any carcasses under there, I am out of moves.
posted by everichon
on Jun 11, 2007 -
13 answers
My kitchen sink drain stinks! I've tried a couple of different things to fix it, and done some Googling, but the stench remains. Help!
[more inside]
posted by autojack
on May 13, 2007 -
22 answers
We have a large closet in our apartment that has always smelled of cat urine. Despite taking every measure we possibly could to eliminate the odor, it still smells, 2 years later. Is there anything left to try?
[more inside]
posted by catfood
on Dec 19, 2006 -
27 answers
