Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with smells

I smell dead people.

trixare4kids — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:32:23 -0800

I smell dead people. No one else can smell them. It happens at random and lasts for a day a two and then goes away. Am I crazy are have some of you experienced this too? OK, it's not really dead people, but dear lord it's that bad.

It's been happening for the last 6 months or so. Every few weeks I will get a whiff of this scent and it sticks with me for a couple of days. I can smell other things, but this is the dominant smell. It smells like a mixture of burnt lavender, ground cloves, dry/hot urine, old vinegar, smoke, menthol, slightly rotten oranges, and rancid meat.

It will suddenly come on no matter where I am -- home, theatre, work, the park, in the car, wherever -- and usually lasts 24-48 hours. It's highly distracting in general and I have a hard time eating while I have the smell stuck in my nose. I tried covering it up, but nothing helps. It’s an earworm for the nose! A noseworm, yeah, that's what it is.

I thought maybe it was the detergent I used, 7th Generation Free & Clear and so I washed my clothing in mixture of baking soda, washing soda, and vinegar. At the same time, I switched from my normal Aveda hair and face products to simple, clear, hypo allergenic, non-smelling products. No dice! I still get this dead-people smell that lingers.

I’m not stupidly asking for medical advice from ya’ll, basically just wondering if you’ve experienced it or heard of someone who has. I’m not sure where to even start looking.

If it helps:
Late 30's, female, perfectly good health and I haven't had a cold or flu in at least a year.

help me eradicate the bad unhealthy smell that I can't locate.

Grod — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:19:36 -0800

There's this odor. I don't know what it is or how to describe it except as dry, organic, and searing. Noisome and musty. But not organic like shit nor like mildew. Not searing like acid. Astringent but not like alcohol. A staleness, certainly, that tickles the throat and makes the eyes water. A malodorous fustiness, raw but not putrid. It seems worse when the weather is damp and it only occurs in the room in my old and badly maintained apartment where I spend all my time. It isn't me, though. It could be rotting wood or mold -- the bathroom ceiling had a lot of black mold for some time before I bleached it; it gives me headaches and a dry throat and post nasal drip when it gets bad; but I can't bleach my bed and chairs and sofa and books, nor can I replace them. What could be causing this odor? What can I do to destroy it? The water from my tap smells slightly marshy; the building is over 100 years old and badly maintained; there are many things in a dump like this that could cause this smell. I'd just like to make it stop. Any suggestions?

secret to getting "OLD" out of fabric

Pressed Rat — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:57:43 -0800

Getting "OLD" moist smell out of fabric? After buying a tapestry from an Estate sale recently I have noticed the tell-tale signs of neglect. Is there a tried and true method to rid an Antique of it's musty odor? Have tried leaving it out in the sun for three days to no avail. Thank you...

Removing a powerfully bad smell?

beckish — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:15:14 -0800

So I got this beautiful antique chest of drawers which is perfect except that it stinks, really badly...please help. The insides of the drawers are sticky with what I can only assume is really, really awful old perfume. I tried putting the drawers on the fire escape to air out but the chest stinks even more with the drawers out. Now I have the drawers back in with a pile of baking soda in each one. Is there any hope?

Does the smell of cinnamon really neutralize the smell of decay?

richardh — Sun, 06 May 2007 11:08:05 -0800

Does the smell of cinnamon really neutralize the smell of decay? I recently read "Girlfriend in a Coma" by Douglas Coupland, and in there a character states that cinnamon is the natural anti-smell of decay (I'm sure there are better words to describe this, but I'm not well versed in the field of olfactology).

I've tried looking up whether that is true, but it seems that this is one of the very few questions Google can't answer.

So, hive-mind, can you help?

I spilled a bunch of gas in my car.

mwachs — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:08:11 -0800

I spilled a bunch of gas in my car. The smell--apparently--does not dissipate even with the windows rolled down. Any ideas?

What's that smell?

acridrabbit — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 18:37:24 -0800

What causes "old lady smell"? Some older women have it. Some don't. Last night I sat next to an 80-year-old woman who had it bad, but my 76-year-old mother-in-law doesn't have it, and neither does my elderly grandmother. So what causes it?

PS Some men probably have it too, but I've never smelled it coming from a man.

Kitty Likes To Stink...They Think

weirdoactor — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:48:51 -0800

Why does my cube-mate's cat have hygiene issues? My cube-mate asked me about this, as I am the long-time human slave of four cats, and he and his wife have recently adopted a kitty. They have no other pets, and spend a lot of quality time with her. I had no answer for him, so I call on you, hive mind!

Lately, they’ve noticed that she smells like cat pee. A lot. Obviously, this makes it hard to cuddle and play with her.

They clean the litter box once a day, and she’s not dropping waste near the opening, or marking anywhere else in the house (female cats can sometimes mark, right?), and there are no other obvious reasons for her to smell this bad.

Is she possibly just hitting herself with her own pee? Or even marking herself for some reason? Has anyone ever heard of a similar situation? Any help at all would be appreciated.

My phone smells worse than my armpit

catfishjohn — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 19:23:35 -0800

Why does my cell phone smell like heinous body odor? ME: Clean person, showers regularly. Healthy. Fit.

My cell phone: A motorola razr with a nasty odor problem.

Seriously it smells bunk. I cleaned it with qtips and warm water, still smells. I don't even use it that much. The keypad smells the worst, like a an NYC cab whose driver hasn't showered in weeks. Like he's just been sitting in the cab sweating, dripping fast-food grease on his chest, like he has no idea what deodorant is and even if he did he would never use it.

I think the phone smells worse the longer its been on.

Ideas?

How to get rid of bad smell on leather bag?

sachabright — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:27:03 -0800

How do I get rid of an unpleasant leather smell on a bag bought in Morocco? I think the leather is either poorly tanned or newly made so it has a really strong animal smell.

Am I smelling pot roast?

overanxious ducksqueezer — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:09:20 -0800

Why does the odor of a neighbor's pot roast make it all the way into my apartment, but never anything yummy? I've lived in several different apartment buildings, and occasionally there is an all-pervading stink (sorry, I'm a vegetarian who has never liked pot roast) throughout our apartment that for a while I thought was bad pipes or sewage problems. But the fact that it only lasts for an afternoon or evening, then goes away, only happens every few months, happened at the last couple of places I lived too, etc made me realize it's probably a cooking smell. What I don't understand is, why do I never smell any other (better) cooking smells?

We cook all the time, are there any other dishes that I should be aware of which have odors that would be reaching my neighbors?

How can I make my apartment more like the outdoors, esp. making it more visually interesting and dynamic?

Furious Fitness — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:25:31 -0800

I want my life to be more "sensor-y" exciting. I could get a bunch of great art works (paintings and sculptures, say) but seeing them day in and day out my brain would filter them out. In a sense, I'm trying to make my apartment as much like being outdoors as possible, using technology. This is unlike a dynamic ecosystem, which has a balance of consistentcy and change, which I understand is at least partially the basis for our desire for sensory experiences (due to comparatively dull office and living environments).
Some ideas:
1. Lamps and track lighting can be adjusted and moved around, and could even be given small motors to move slightly or slowly (sort of emulating sun's progression). Or could the sun's effects within apartment be amplified somehow? The flickering light of a candle flame or fireplace is also great, are there good electric emulations of that or good convenient and safe (and cheapish) ways to light with flame?
2. Smells. I have this concentrated lime spray that smells great and natural (it's only lime), whereas most smells from incense, etc. have things I'm allergic to or just don't like. Recommendations for adding allergen-free smells, esp. dynamically, to an apartment (or appropriately for a workspace)?
3. Touch. I'd love to have an uneven floor, but don't know a good way to do this in an apartment.
4. Visual. Plants are great because they are always slightly changing and a great visual benefit, but it's hard to get the same level as being outside. Ideas?
One idea I had is to someone use chemicals that form an autocatalytic set whose reactions go through different colors, combined with other things. But I don't know how to do this. It seems someone else would've had this idea but I haven't found it.

Anything else related to making my apartment and office more like the outdoors is welcome.

Does Urine-Gone (or similar products) work? If not, what does?

Shoeburyness — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:37:45 -0800

AsSeenOnTVFilter: I have a lot of pee stains/smells that I need to remove from carpet and mattresses. I've looked up other threads, but what I specifically want to know is: Is Urine-Gone (or it's apparent twin, Urine-Off) worth buying? (Not from me personally, but from kid's accidents, dog's accidents, and men's/teenage boy's inabilty to frickin' AIM in our carpeted bathrooms. Who the hell thought carpeting bathrooms was a good idea?) I've used something called "Out!" in the past for pet urine on carpet, but it smelled awful (as in heavy perfume awful) until it dried. I don't really want to wait for something to be delivered, I'd like something I can go out and buy. (I've seen the Urine-Gone at the local Bedsheets & Kitchen Stuff type stores.) If it's not worth buying, what is?

Also, how do I get blood stains out of a feather bed? I tried Oxi-Clean and it just took things from bad (large dark stain identifiable as blood) to worse (larger, somewhat lighter stain that is not identifiable as blood, but now looks like something really, really gross.) Of course, I'm not in the habit of showing my uncovered feather bed to all and sundry, and *I* know what the stain is, but it would be nice to get it out if I could.

How do I adapt to a pregnancy-induced heightened sense of smell?

echolalia67 — Sat, 17 Dec 2005 17:20:16 -0800

I am nine weeks pregnant. As a result, I now have a frightenly acute sense of smell which is wreaking havoc with my life - a bad scent will trigger nausea and even vomiting. Walking down a city street has become excruciating as I am very sensitive to the smells of cigarette smoke and perfume in particular. Suggestions?

How can I make my refrigerator stop reeking

Your Time Machine Sucks — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 10:15:10 -0800

My refrigerator reeks like a landfill, with no apparent reason for it. Please help me. So, I've removed absolutely everything questionable, I've scrubbed it very thoroughly, and I've put in baking soda. These activities improved things a bit for about a week and now it is again emitting a vile deathly stench. If anyone who has won a battle with Mystery Fridge Stink would be kind enough to share their wisdom, I would be most appreciative.

Help me get the funk out!

thimk — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:45:16 -0800

How can I keep my Handi Wipe and my scrotch bite sponge from getting smelly? These usually only last for a couple of days before the *stench* I personally call *the funk* settles in. What strategies are ther for combating the funk?

Removing smells from paper

fire&wings — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 03:51:33 -0800

I have an antique photo album that stinks and I am looking for tips to neutralise the smell... I buy and sell vintage photographs in my spare time but have never come across this problem before. I came into possession of a card photo album, 100yrs old, full of excellent photographs, but I am unable to sell it on because it reeks of mothballs. I've sold musty stuff in the past, but this is offensive and would clear a room...

Obviously I have to protect the photos and the album itself so dousing it in perfume isn't really an option. Anybody got any tips for getting rid or masking the smell without inflicting damage? I'm really looking for some kitchen sink wisdom passed down from Grandma rather than expensive products/conservation materials. Thanks.

Question number 14987

drpynchon — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 14:57:05 -0800

HomeDeodorantFilter: My friend recently moved into a new place where the prior tenants had left a rather strong scent. She's tried airing the place out, air fresheners, a few candles here and there, but nothing really gets the smell out for good. Any tips?

Question number 10627

theNonsuch — Sat, 02 Oct 2004 08:09:16 -0800

What's the best way to get rid of lingering odors?

Question number 5151

pomegranate — Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:37:45 -0800

Skunk attack! My friend's house had a large family of skunks living underneath it. Dog went after the skunks, and a nuclear cloud of skunk-stink enveloped their whole house, permeating every single plastic, wood, cloth, or food item. Other than burning the whole thing down and starting over, what can she do?

Question number 4113

Tubes — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:19:49 -0800

I have a nice black leather jacket that has absorbed a bit of smoke smell each time I've gone out downtown, and it doesn't seem to let any of it go. It's gotten pretty stanky. The only advice I'm finding online is to rub baking soda into it, but I'd wonder if it would ever look black again after that. Febreze is not recommended for leather. The jacket is that very soft, pliable glove-leather -- not heavy-duty Harley gear. Anyone have experience with this?