Stinky home!!!

[Lauramab85]

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice here- what would you do??

I live in a house with my DP and DD (8 mo) and my sister is in my spare room at the moment. Everyone gets on just fine, but the slight issue is that my sister keeps a very untidy room which is now starting to smell really quite bad I don't know what it is and I respect her privacy and would never let myself in her room. It's getting to the stage now though that you can smell it from downstairs and I am paranoid that any visitors can smell it too...

I keep a clean and tidy home (certainly not sterile as we have 2 big dogs!) but I keep it as clean as possible for my little girl. I don't know if I'm being silly but I worry that whatever is causing the smell might also be causing bacteria. And my DP is just about at breaking point with it

I know I really need to have an honest conversation with her (she's 30, not a teenager) but how do I bring this up without really hurting her?? I know she won't take it well if I just tell her that her room smells and to get it sorted, she has been depressed before and I really really don't want to set her back. What can I do???

Suggest everyone pitch in with a spring clean? Hand her rubbish bags and cleaning stuff

-Ask her to bring down any plates if she eats up there.
-tell her it's bin day and suggest she empties her bin.
-keep complaining that there's a smell coming from upstairs until she gets the hint

But I'd have the adult conversation with her. Would you put with with it if it was any other lodger? Tell her it's effecting your relationship with your partner and nobody wants to have that convo with her. Could she possibly be depressed?

Thanks guys, they're good ideas and I'll definitely try that.

You're right, I wouldn't put up with it from any other lodger, but it's so hard because she's my sister and I love her and I hate the thought of upsetting/offending her. I don't think she's depressed now, she has a good job that she enjoys and seems happy. But I know she's been in that place before x

Look for the cause when she's out and get rid of it on the pretence you thought one of the dogs had done something smelly in there.

Maybe mention the house has a smell so you're looking into cleaning firms to do a deep clean?

Ask her if she could clean her room first as you'd rather avoid it if you can?

Like say I'm thinking of doing this X but I'm going to have a big clean up weekend first, can you help and do you space?

Thanks guys, you've all given great ideas. I done exactly that and blamed the dogs and said I wanted to get all the carpets in the house cleaned at the weekend (ie you've got a few days before I'm coming in ) x

When she's in you and your partners company, "there's a really bad small coming from upstairs, think I'm gonna have to go through all the bedrooms to try and figure out what it is".