Potent hairspray smell that comes and goes (I don’t use hairspray)

[nmc718]

Ok, I need everyone to help me solve this mystery. Yes,It is absolutely fair to say that this situation is definitely bizarre. Here we go….
I noticed it in my bedroom yesterday morning when I got back home from dropping my kid off to school. It smells exactly like hairspray and it’s kind of strange because nobody uses hairspray in my home. I actually thought somebody was in my house until today. It’s happening right now and it’s alarmingly potent. Out of nowhere I started smelling hairspray. And I turned to google for some answers. Unfortunately, for the first time ever Google has nothing that can explain why this is happening. However, I came across this post and now see that it has happened to other people. It is very unsettling to say the least. Has anyone found any answers or has any ideas whatsoever that explains why this mysterious potent hairspray scent comes and goes suddenly? It would be a relief and so awesome for everyone to help me to conclude this mystery once and for all. Thanks in advance!!!!

How old are your kids?

I used to smell TCP for a while - totally unmistakable - and not just in my home, but in my car too. My mum told me it was my Nana... who had died. Not sure if this helps, but it did eventually stop when it got to the first anniversary of her death... could it be connected to your child? Nail varnish smells similar. I would also check all of my light fixtures and plug sockets.

I had something similar upstairs in my house - only it was the smell of bananas, you know when they are going slightly off and all brown and horrid. I even started to wonder if I'd put a banana down somewhere and forgotten about it. Turned out it was something up at the top of the house, in the loft, an old coffee table that had had something spilled on it and because it's winter now the loft windows were closed, concentrating the smell.

So it might not be in your bedroom, OP, and it might not be hairspray, it could be varnish, acetone or even paint.

Do you live in a detached house or do you share any walls with neighbours? It could be a neighbour using it in their bathroom and it could be coming through some kind of ventilation system.

If you share a wall with neighbours it could be something coming from there as @BertieBotts says. Our neighbours have had issues with their flooring and each time they've had it repaired and stuck back down, the smell of glue is overpowering in our utility room.

Yeah probably ghosts OP

Is it only in your home, or is this in random places? A change in smell is something that needs a GP appointment.

It could be a smell hallucination? Have you recently had covid or similar?

I was being tongue in cheek to be fair! Although I've never bought TCP in my life and it was very weird when it was in my car and so strong I had to pull over because my eyes were streaming. And I promise I wasn't driving past a TCP factory at the time!

Glass cleaner? I sometimes smell things that aren’t there after a bad sinus infection.

I smell wood burning occasionally. I googled it and random smells can be a side effect from COVID.Google phantosmia.

I also get weird taste in my mouth at times .

Me too.

Have you/a cleaner wiped down your radiators with something and you’re noticing the smell only when the heating clicks on?

Very old plastic degrading can smell like hairspray. I have had ancient Addis boxes and plastic lampshade fittings smell like that. Drove me bonkers locating the source

Anything that contains soluble / volatile components (like plastic, cleaning products, DIY home improvement products) can start suddenly smelling when the components break down.

The boxes a PP mentioned are a good example, but there are other items.
Can you go methodically through all things in this room and check up close if anything could be the source?

And when it's coming through the walls or something, go along boundary walls and check them closely, too.

Do you have carpet glued in? This could be another source, both when the glue dries and when it's old and breaks down
And also think about whether you have brought any new products at all into this room in the past weeks.

Check also for old wiring and near plug sockets, when old cables start smoldering they smell, too. Most cables are metal covered with soft plastic, the softer the plastic is, the more volatile components it has to make it bendable.