6 Bad House Smells and How To Solve Them

Do you ever enter your home and think, “What is that awful smell?” Aside from the typical odors from pets or dirty dishes in the sink, we have a list of some really important odors to keep your nose on. 👃🏼

1. Rotten Eggs – About half of the homes in the United States use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, or drying clothes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. An undiscovered gas leak could cause a fire or explosion, yet under normal circumstances, natural gas is colorless and odorless, which makes gas leaks practically undetectable. As a safety measure, gas companies add a foul-smelling odorant to natural gas to produce a characteristic “rotten egg” smell. If you smell rotten eggs, vacate the premises immediately—do not use the landline or turn on or off any lights or appliances—and call the gas company from a neighbor’s house or a cell phone a safe distance from your home.
2. Fishy Smell – If something smells fishy in your home, it might not be last night’s seafood dinner—in fact, you may want to call an electrician who can check your “Electrical wiring in Orlando and do an electrical repair in Rye, NY ASAP. That fishy smell is typically a sign that an electrical component is overheating or burning. The smell can come from loose or frayed wires or cords, overloaded circuits, faulty outlets, incorrectly sized breakers or fuses, or overheated electrical shielding or insulation. If not addressed quickly and properly, any of these problems could result in a house fire. Therefore, hire experts like Ewing Electric Co. who provide electrical panel replacement in Harrisburg, NC to avoid a house fire.
3. Sewage Smell – Don’t point fingers just yet! If you have excessive sewage smells emanating from your bathroom, expert plumbers can help. Experts who provide plumbing services – Superior Plumbing say that the smell may mean that your plumbing system or vent pipe is clogged, or that you have a broken sewer pipe.  If you need to remove water clogged with mud, sand, or other debris, you’ll need to use a pump that’s specially built to handle thick, sludgy water. Experts like Plumbing Washington can help with this.
4. Decomposition – Rotting food has a distinctive sickly-sweet smell that tells our animal brains to stay far, far away. If you notice a rotten smell in your home, it could be that an old potato has fallen into the back of a cabinet, but it is more likely that a mouse, rat, or other animal has perished inside your home’s walls, ductwork, attic, crawl space, or chimney. Have a professional plumber or HOA pest control services come and check your ductwork and plumbing as soon as possible to remove the dead intruder.
5. Locker Room Smell – That all-too-familiar “dirty sock smell” may not be coming from your teenager’s gym bag. Instead, it could be caused by a buildup of bacteria on your heating system coils. Bacterial growth can occur at any time of year but is especially prevalent in the spring and fall when the system is constantly cycling between heat and cold. Experts say that condensation on the coils creates the perfect environment for bacterial growth, which produces a distinctive odor. The best way to rid your home of the stench is to clean the evaporator coils with a non-acid coil cleaner or call in a qualified air conditioning professional to clean the coils and air ducts.
6. Musty Odors – A musty smell is often a sign of mold or mildew, especially in humid or moisture-prone environments like the basement, laundry room, kitchen, or bathroom. Mold and mildew can create severe respiratory problems and can exacerbate allergies and asthma in sensitive individuals. It’s important to install an access door to eliminate mold as quickly as possible. Small areas of mold and mildew can be cleaned with Quick Shine Disinfectant Cleaner; more serious mold and mildew problems may require the services of a professional. To prevent mold and mildew from coming back, check for leaky fixtures and broken or cracked pipes, and consider installing exhaust fans or otherwise improving ventilation in the affected rooms.

Enjoy a healthier home with Quick Shine!

Tags: clean home, cleaning, cleaning care, house safety, mold and mildew, odors, odors in the home, quick shine disinfectant, safer homes