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Help me unravel this mystery before I burn the contents of this room down

315 replies

NotAgainWilson · 21/03/2024 11:39

As the title says, I am feeling like purifying this room through fire after a week of cleaning. washing and replacing stuff has proved unsuccessful to remove the stench a short term lodger left behind.

The room was spring cleaned before his arrival. He was around for 3 weeks. He had massively smelly feet (I said that as the mother of a sporty smelly child that I could barely stand at times, but this is in a different league, more than ten times worse and resistant), after a week around I asked him if he could do something about the smell stench, he apologised (he was lovely and polite otherwise) and said he would get odour eaters to sort it.

It didn’t make a difference so, as I had told him when I rent the room that I would be going in to open the window to ventilate the room every morning, I got the super strength version of Odor Eaters and sprayed all his shoes every morning and left the window open the whole day. This helped the smell not to extend to other rooms as before.

The last of his 3 weeks, he had a cold so stayed at home, therefore I was unable to spray shoes if open the window. He left the room tidy but the stench is still there. It smells as if you have crossed bad smelly feet with buttery toffee and is of such strength you feel like vomiting.

The room was also left covered in some white fluff, very similar to the fluff you may find under the bed if you don’t clean for years, but it was EVERYWHERE, all around the floor, walls, furniture, picture frame and a lot of it has gone into the radiator. I cannot imagine such amount of fluff being produced in three weeks, much less so by a single person no matter how dirty they could be.

I have removed more than bucket load of fluff, vacuum cleaned and washed the walls, floors, furniture and the inside out of the radiator, used a whole can of Odor Eaters, Oust and a full bottle of Ecover as well as leaving the window open every day, one week later the stench is now a smell but is still unbearable.

I have bought a new duvet and pillows. But I am convinced that this situation can be due to either an endocrinology related issue or bacteria, and therefore not safe. Shall I burn all the bed linen? the whole room? I am at the end of my tether, have spent a week cleaning and again every day over the last week and the smell is still there.🤮🤮🤮🤮

OP posts:
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TheGhostOfKatesProlapse · 21/03/2024 14:30

Agree to getting rid of all soft furnishings. I think you need proper enzyme spray if it hasn't already been suggested, to kill the bacteria and reduce the smell.

Sounds like a bad bacterial fungal foot infection and he's been sockless on the carpet etc...

25thCenturyQuaker · 21/03/2024 14:30

I'm genuinely intrigued by this - my eldest grandson lived with us for a few years, and his room perpetually stank like a cage of ferrets. No amount of febreze or air freshener worked, I always made sure his bedding and clothes were clean and he was scrupulous about his personal hygiene and yet there it was. If he left his bedroom door open, the stench would flow out onto the landing and eventually creep insidiously downstairs...

It's no comfort to you, OP, but it only went away after he had moved out and my husband employed a scorched earth policy; the carpet was deep cleaned, the bed, mattress and curtains went to the tip and the room was repainted top to bottom.

DecayedStrumpet · 21/03/2024 14:27

The 'science professional' angle opens up a lot of unpleasant possibilities... Butyryl chloride smells like stinky feet turned up to 11 and then there's legendary things like thioactetone

I also vote for removing all soft furnishings from the room so you can at least isolate where the stench is coming from.

Thioacetone - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thioacetone

PuttingDownRoots · 21/03/2024 14:25

You say its worse under the desk...

Any possibility of something dead under the floorboards?

Otherwise... do you have a fan? Close door, open window, fan on full blast?

MollyRover · 21/03/2024 14:25

Is there any possibility he had a pet that you weren't aware of?

brytersky · 21/03/2024 14:24

Could he have been a demon? They're supposed to smell quite bad. Brimstone and treacle, could that be the 'toffee' odour? 🤔

You need to get some incense burning, or perhaps sage if you're more of a pagan.

burnoutbabe · 21/03/2024 14:23

Light fitting's? Maybe!

But yes I'd be removing items to say a garage to eliminate offenders.

TinselSniffer · 21/03/2024 14:21

Chaoseverywhere · 21/03/2024 13:54

But a second hand mattress from eBay sounds like a terrible idea. I’d sooner move house

EBay isn't just for second hand things. I think pp's were suggesting OP buy a new mattress from there.

I am also incredibly invested in the source of the stink and am surprised nobody's set up a smell detecting service yet, as there's always someone on here trying to identify a pong in their house. In my experience it's usually the reservoir at the back of the fridge or a forgotten potato, but probably not in a bedroom.

GalileoHumpkins · 21/03/2024 14:15

It might be time to call in a priest.

MrSlant · 21/03/2024 14:13

I think you need to call Dr Who and check this guys interplanetary visa.

PossumintheHouse · 21/03/2024 14:03

Have you, dare I ask, sniffed the mattress? :/ I can't comprehend just how smelly he could be, especially if he was washing so excessively. And the fluff mystery... sorry, I'm having a giggle.

Where did he go!? A new home? Back to his own home, assuming he was lodging with you for a work project?

I once read a thread about an aggrieved woman who dealt with her ex-boyfriend by stuffing prawns into the curtain pole in their bedroom. How did you end things with the smelly-footed lodger?

Mumof2teens79 · 21/03/2024 13:58

I think you need to remove all the furniture and see if a) the furniture smells in another room or b) the room still smells

All the things you are trying will really only cover up the odour or clean the surface....vinegar itself is quite smelly and somethings will react with paint or varnish. Other cleaners will provide a source of food for some organisms.

It's sounds ridiculous but is the fluff from inside the mattress or something? Has he hidden something in there?
Or as others have said it could be mould.

You need to empty the room and leave door closed windows open.....for a week or so and see what happens.

HootyMcBooby · 21/03/2024 13:58

Not a huge amount to add but could it be that he left an unpleasant gift for you if the "break up" was not amicable? ie a rotten fish head behind the radiator etc? You hear these (probably urban myths) about people leaving things to rot in hidden places to have revenge against someone etc.

Have you been around on your hands and knees, going slowly around to sniff everything?

Could the white fluff be fungal in nature? Have you checked down the crevices inside the radiator if that is where the smell is stronger? Could it be something that has either been poured or spilled on the floor and is now under the boards?

I'm honestly mystified, sounds like something has died in there!
Try bicarb of soda, a few dishes of it around the room should help to absorb the lingering scents.

RhubarbGingerJam · 21/03/2024 13:56

I'd also suggest cut lemons and onions and bicarb sprinkled l liberally around left then hoovered up and and wipe with white vinegar over all surfaces.

Though agree with PP any sun get mattress and anything else outside - sunlight has anti bacterial properties and will give it all a good air.

Only other suggestion on-line I've seen you've not said you tired is air purifier - but not sure what that would do that a good air won't.

Tagyoureit · 21/03/2024 13:56

Is there anything stuck down the back of the radiator?

Chaoseverywhere · 21/03/2024 13:54

Talipesmum · 21/03/2024 13:53

I’d also take things out of the room one by one and see where the smell goes. Bring the mattress out and see if the smell comes with it.

It’s easy enough to buy European mattress sizes in the UK by the way.

Then bring the body out from under the bed and see if the smell comes with it

Chaoseverywhere · 21/03/2024 13:54

But a second hand mattress from eBay sounds like a terrible idea. I’d sooner move house

Talipesmum · 21/03/2024 13:53

I’d also take things out of the room one by one and see where the smell goes. Bring the mattress out and see if the smell comes with it.

It’s easy enough to buy European mattress sizes in the UK by the way.

RogueFemale · 21/03/2024 13:53

You can get Euro size mattresses on ebay.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 21/03/2024 13:50

Cut up lemons and leave them in the room - they are fab at removing odours.

thesunday · 21/03/2024 13:49

Wait, before you fire cleanse the room, try this. Order 15kg (a massive sack) of bicarbonate of soda and sprinkle a thick layer all over the soft furnishings. Leave to soak in as long as you can (overnight plus).

PoochiesPinkEars · 21/03/2024 13:49

The poor guy who is attached to those feet!!

I mean if he is just living with it, maybe less sympathy... But imagine if he's doing everything he can, seeking treatment and nothing is working!! 😭 Oh god no escape. 🤢🤢🤢

PoochiesPinkEars · 21/03/2024 13:47

This should pique their professional curiosity then and it can be at the cutting edge of science, could end up with unintended consequences like a new cure for cancer via some weird property or other of this exciting discovery.

Wait!!!
You probably know if this already, but can you send a swab... They are looking for weird things here...

https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/public-engagement/swab-send#:~:text=Help%20us%20hunt%20for%20the%20next%20antibiotic!&text=If%20you%20choose%20to%20give,literally%20be%20on%20your%20doorstep.

I'm not even joking. 😁😁😁🤓🤓🤓

Swab & Send

https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/public-engagement/swab-send#:~:text=Help%20us%20hunt%20for%20the%20next%20antibiotic!&text=If%20you%20choose%20to%20give,literally%20be%20on%20your%20doorstep.

KreedKafer · 21/03/2024 13:47

NotAgainWilson · 21/03/2024 13:00

This is outing, my lodgers are science professionals in short term projects… I have been wondering if it could be something brought back from the lab.

My bet is a skin bacteria, we all have them and in the wrong conditions they get wild…

I'm now incredibly invested in this mystery and will not rest until we know the biological source of both the smell and the fluff.

Hobknobbers · 21/03/2024 13:45

NotAgainWilson · 21/03/2024 12:56

The fluff is a mystery… I can see he used at least 6 rolls of toilet paper when he had the cold, but how could he produce all that fluff??? I cannot imagine him spending all day rubbing toilet sheet against each other.

Cheap low ply loo roll can be really bad for dust but sounds like he was using your normal stock.