Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with stink

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.

I don't wanna stink!

ellighi — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:14:32 -0800

I think I stink! What can I do to smell nice at work? I share an apartment with smokers and dogs. The house smells funky and I fear I may be carrying that stench to work with me. What can I do to smell my best and ease my mind?
Because I have to wake up so early for work, showering in the morning isn't an option I would be happy with. I do shower before bed. What else can I do to smell nice when I get to work?

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.

One little mouse...

yellowcandy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 20:41:01 -0800

Something inside (the walls) just died right near our heating pipe, and we can't get it out... It is most likely a mouse, and it smells putrid whenever the heat kicks on in our apartment building. So two questions: (1) If you have first-hand experience with this kind of odor, how long is it likely to last, and (2) what will be most effective at neutralizing the smell, in the meantime?

Why does Subway™ stink?

sportbucket — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:43:26 -0800

Every Subway smells the same, and it's rank and pervasive. What is it? There's a distinct smell to Subway restaurants. I suspect it has something to do with the bread, but no other bakery or sandwich shop smells like this. And no other bread smell is so pervasive. I had a sandwich several hours ago, and I can still smell it -- oddly wet dog -- on my jacket and hat. When someone else in the office gets subway, they announce it silently upon their return. The smell is unmistakable.

As far as I can tell, it's universal -- I've been to numerous locations on the west coast that all had "the smell", this guy in the UK knows what I'm talking about, as does this guy and numerous MeFi commenters. Commenters on Chowhound think it's bad yeast.

Any food chemists in the crowd care to weigh in on this?

How to deodorize a second-hand book?

long haired lover from liverpool — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 05:58:51 -0800

How to deodorize a smelly second-hand book? Got a second-hand book yesterday. It's in great condition throughout, although the previous owner was clearly a smoker. Even with the book just nearby me on the desk as I type this, I get the whiff of stale smoke. It's obviously worse when I open and read it.

It's 600 pages and I'm only just got past page 100. So is there a way to deodorize a book?

Smelly face?

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:58:12 -0800

What would cause my face to...smell? The reason I ask is that mine seems to have a very pungent odor that becomes apparent if I rub the area on the sides of my nose or my forehead. I have oily skin, but this can happen even after I wash my face with regular or facial soap.

For some clarification you can try what I'm doing by rubbing your forehead firmly with the back of your hand then smelling the back of your hand.

I believe that I'm in good physical condition and I don't have any particular ailments that would cause me to emit an odor. I can say that as a teenager I did use Retin-A for acne, along with many other pimple-clearing creams and soaps, but it has been years.

I have gone to a dermatologist about this in the past, but he didn't offer much of a solution.

I've googled for this in as many ways as possible, but the only other instance I can find is here (last post).

(I have good hygiene, I shower regularly, etc..)

Overpowering kitchen sink stench threatens life on earth

autojack — Sun, 13 May 2007 10:28:01 -0800

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! I have a pretty standard deep kitchen sink, with a garbage disposal, from whose drain emanates a foul stink. My attempts to dispel the odor have so far failed me:

1. I've pretty much stopped using the disposal for anything other than light leftover plate scrapings - a few grains of rice or lentils or an errant noodle or two.
2. I've tried filling the sink completely with hot soapy water, then letting it drain while running the disposal.
3. I've tried pouring a kettle of boiling water through it.
4. I've dumped most of a box of baking soda in it.

I'm just assuming that the main reason for this smell is that the inside of the disposal is coated in a rank slime built up over years and years of use by tenants of this apartment who passed before me. I'm just surprised that none of my efforts have been able to eradicate it. If you have a suggestion, preferrably one that doesn't involve taking apart the drain or disposal unit, I'm all ears.

Non-morally objectionable deodorant that works like Axe

arcticwoman — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:26:51 -0800

My partner claims that Axe is the only deodorant that doesn't go rancid on her within a couple hours, but I have serious objections to supporting that offensive and misogynistic company. I need suggestions for deodorants that will make my partner feel clean and nice-smelling and yet not set off my moral objection sensor. She does not like gel deodorants or the salt crystal hippie sticks. Any deodorant other than Axe goes rancid on her within a couple of hours (I have never noticed it, but I don't spend as much time near her armpits as she does). I'm not sure what it is about Axe that makes it work better/longer, but whatever is unique about it is what my partner likes. Are there other deodorants with similar compositions but from other companies?

How to get a gasoline smell out of my sneakers?

Ryvar — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 19:37:01 -0800

How do I get the smell of gasoline out of my shoes? Basically, some twit left a giant puddle of gas in front of a pump at a gas station two nights ago. It was night, didn't see it, stepped right out of the car into it.

Tried soaking them in a sink full of soapy water, and just leaving them there. Twice. They still reek. So does the floormat on the car, but whatever. Ordinarily I'm not the type to get upset about this sort of thing, but my feet are incredibly finicky and these are brand new. Suggestions?

Wherefore art thou, O stinkless sandals?

blue_beetle — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:23:23 -0800

Help me free myself from sandal stink? So I'm wearing some cheapo sandals from Wal-Mart (similar to these) and they make my feet stink. I've never had this kind of problem with other shoes, just certain sandals. I've noticed that different sandals make the ol' feet stink to different degrees. I want to be free from this horrible curse. To that end I am embarking on a sandal quest. Perhaps you, O noble footsman, would be willing to help me?

Where can I buy sandals (in the aforementioned style) that will not enstenchify my feet? I seek to me free of malodiferous experiences. Price is no object (within reason) but I'd like to hear recommendations of sandals that you have direct olfactory experience with. I'm not looking for random lists of footwear as I can do that myself. I've search amazon, and google, but no one speaks of the smelliness factor of their foot protectors. Meat-space stores are preferred over internet sites so that I can go and sample their wares before purchasing. Am I condemed to wearing socks with sandals through the remainder of my days or whilst thou have mercy on this poor soul?

How do I get rid of the stink around my 5 month old's ears?

Chuck Cheeze — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:01:07 -0800

How do I get rid of the stink around my 5 month old's ears? I am not sure if it is from inside or behind the ears, but we bathe him every night and we don't bathe him in garbage...so I am not sure why there is a faint stink near his ears. We clean them every few days with baby sized Qtips, but they aren't dirty at all when we are finished. We do see a little wax (or whatever it is) on the Qtip when we clean around the outside of his ears (as in, not the ear canal, but the outer ear).

Any ideas? He smells baby fresh everywhere else.

I got StinkFoot~!

DickStock — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:19:12 -0800

Oh My Stinkin' Shoes~! I understand the basics of healthy feet: Change your sox EVERY day and keep feet and shoes clean and dry. Rotate your shoes if possible to give them a 'rest'.

But how can I fumigate a pair of {favorite} shoes which are hopelessly stinky? Is there a common household chemical which will neutralize the fungus and refurbish the shoe? Or do I just pitch them?

Help with habitually stinky clothing.

mragreeable — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:24:27 -0800

Does anyone have any recommendations for dealing with chronically stinky articles of clothing? Alright, imagine this:
Shirt A I've owned for over a year and have worn it running perhaps once or twice a week in that time.
Shirt B I've owned about two months. It gets worn as frequently as shirt A.

For whatever reason shirt A smells really bad after I exercise. Running is just an example - I do other types of exercise. They are both 100% cotton. Right out of the dryer they both smell fine. If I wear them out when I'm not exercising they both smell fine at the end of the day. But if I get sweating much, it becomes noticeable.

It just seems like there's some finite amount of exercise I can do in some clothes before they get this way. Socks seem to be immune to this.

With t-shirts it's no big deal, because they cost all of three bucks at Walmart or whatever. But something like a gi for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu it's a bigger issue, because they cost $100 or thereabouts. I have a gi that I can wear a few times a week, and one that I can wear precisely once between washings.

I tried soaking the affected articles in vinegar for 30 minutes or so, which struck me as a great idea, but it didn't work. I figure maybe there was some really durable bacteria living in the shirt that only make trouble when the shirt gets a bit sweaty, and I might be able to kill them off. If it is bacteria I guess I need something more capable of killing them.

Dry cleaning isn't an option for several reasons. Bleach is out as well.

Yes, I googled and searched here.

Thanks.

How can I stop my rubbish bin stinking?

teem — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:10:21 -0800

Something in my rubbish bin stinks, and since I was away for rubbish collection day it's going to be there for a while longer. What can I do to get rid of, or at least reduce, the smell? That something specifically is 2 pounds of uncooked prawn heads and about a pound of ricotta cheese. Yeah, I'm an idiot. When I put them in my large rubbish bin outside I tried sealing them away in their own plastic bags but it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. The next day was boiling, and since then the smell makes me feel sick just to walk within 5 meters of the bin. This is particularly bad as a shared driveway falls within the stench zone.

I now have about a week until the rubbish will be collected, and I would quite like to avoid facing the consequences of what amounts to putting raw seafood in a box outside my door. How can I get rid of this smell?

Help me quell this smell!

bDiddy — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 07:12:56 -0800

How do I get rid of the smell of rotten onions? I recently opened a drawer in my kitchen to find that the bag of onions had melted. Of course I mean that they went bad and produced the rotten onion liquid. This liquid caused a mighty stink and I don't know how to get rid of the smell. I cleaned it up with some spray cleaner and currently the bottom of the drawer is covered in baking soda. And yet the smell lingers on. Anyone have any suggestions for egtting rid of this smell? It's killing me!

Also, I had potatoes in the drawer with the onion. Is there some sort of "don't store potatoes and onions together" rule I should have known about? My friend mentioned something to that effect. Anyone know?

why does my agua stinka

luriete — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 09:15:31 -0800

The water that comes out of my kitchen sink tap STINKS. Not just the hot water, so I know it's not a chlorine / water heater problem - i.e., I've inspected the water heater & it's fine, and the symptom is more noticeable in cold water anyway. Outside taps don't seem nearly as bad/noticeable, bathroom taps seem OK; the stink disappears if I let the water run full-throttle for about 2 minutes or so. The odor is a very strong, nausea-inducing rotten eggs - I'm guessing it's hydrogen sulfide, but why just this tap? What's the cause? How do I fix it? How much will it cost?

Time for a new HEPA vacuum filter?

salsamander — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 13:49:07 -0800

How do I de-stink the HEPA filter for my brand-new bagless vacuum? I recently washed the washable (or so the instructions claimed) filter for my bagless and returned it to the cannister assembly. Unfortunately, it must not have been completely dry, because when I started up the vacuum a week later, a strange ammonia-like odor started covering the room. I've since washed out and dried out all the cannister parts, but the filter still reeks like a bucket of ammonia. What do I do? Is it time for a new filter?

Why do I suddenly smell so bad?

Anonymous — Sat, 07 May 2005 12:15:34 -0800

In the last week or two, I have undergone a transition from pleasant-smelling to ripe and rank. Why? None of my regular habits have changed- I still shower once or twice a day, brush my teeth regularly, and I haven't tried any new foods- but suddenly every part of me is a stink-machine. My feet practically have smell lines coming out of them, my armpits are on overdrive, and *ahem* certain bodily fluids that are normally pleasant on account of my vegetarian diet are starting to smell as well.
Any ideas as to what's causing it? I'd also appreciate advice on how to deal with it in the meanwhile.

How do I to get my iBook not to stink?

ShawnString — Mon, 02 May 2005 17:41:06 -0800

StinkBookFilter: (Finally) got my work iBook (used) from my boss. and i love the specs, but hate the smell...how do i defunkify it? it kinda smells like armpits, i assume its from the oils from the last persons hands. will putting a dryer sheet in between the keyboard and screen work without getting weird stuff on the screen. any advice/recommendations?

Question number 9168

Faze — Thu, 05 Aug 2004 06:19:37 -0800

How do I get rid of the musty smell in an old guitar that's spent a lot of time in a damp basement? (It's a pre-Beatle Hofner bass with f-holes.)