to worry about the 'pear drops' smell appearing in my house?

[redridingwolf]

It's here again today - second time in a week. In the hallway, living room and one of the upstairs rooms.

It's not nail varnish remover because I don't use it, but it's that smell.

Is it a strange, toxic gas? First sign of zombie attacks, perhaps?

Anyone diabetic or been ill recently?

I agree with dead mouse. Dreadful smell.

Can anyone else smell it?

I though of diabetes too.

Keytones are produced by burning up muscle because the body can't use glucose. These are breathed out and can be smelt (pear drops) by others.

Can happen if a person is on a crash diet or has been ill and not eating.

Citrus fruit going rotten?

Definitely dead rodent. I think they smell like pickled onion monster munch personally but can see it could be pear drops.

Suffered badly last year until I nailed the cat flap shut and the little feline killing machines stopped bringing me presents!

A friend of mine kept smelling peardrops then got diagnosed with diabeties some months later.
Sorry dont mean to worry you maybe nothing, maybe worth getting checked out

Scientist husband says it's amyl acetate which is a decomposition by-product (fungus/fermenting/decomposing fruit type not bodies :o).

A tangerine left over from xmas, or a bit of peel lying around somewhere?

Oh god, not dead rodent, don't say that. Surely that would be a constant smell until it rotted away? This smell disappeared for several days and then returned today.

It's quite a nice smell (if you like pear drops).

DH and I can both smell it. Everyone in house has a bad cold at the moment, and kids not very well, but it's not their breath, I would notice that. It's just in the air in certain rooms.

Next door (we're in a terrace) is doing quite major building work. Could it be something to do with that (and don't say the rodent thing again, aarrgh).

I didnt know that about diabetes.

I doubt its a dead animal. Pear drops smell nice, rotting animals are a putid, awful stink.

Mmm - we had a really unpleasantly sweet smell in the hallway of our old flat and that was defo a dead rodent. Is the upstairs room above the hallway/living room?

Sorry, x posted the rodent thing.

Could cope with a decomposing tangerine better than a mouse. Hmm. Will have to investigate.

Don't think it can be diabetes unless both DH and I are developing it, which seems unlikely (i hope).

The upstairs room isn't directly above the hall or living room. It's got a new printer in it, which arrived the same day the smell first did, so I thought perhaps that was the culprit. But the smell isn't stronger nearer the printer.

Ask next door what chemicals builders are using, if any. Some smell like pear drops - especially things like carpet/tile glue.

Yes - and woodworm treatment. If they've sprayed joists next door the smell could penetrate your place.

Dry rot!

Could be the foam they inject into window frames or cavity walls next door?

Our kitchen bin smells like this quite regularly like this because it needs changing!

Have you got older DCs or have your neighbours? Could it be poppers?

When I briefly took them as a teenager my parents assumed it was nail varnish remover

DCs are 4, 2 and 7 months so really hope it's not poppers, Cyclebump !!

It genuinely is a nice smell, not the kitchen bin.

Perhaps it is carpet/tile stuff or woodworm treatment from next door. Would explain why the smell is intermittent. Might have to hang around outside till see neighbour scuttling past trying to avoid me

Rotting fruit? I had that smell in my kitchen and quite by chance found that a whole bunch of small bananas had slipped off the (too full) fruit bowl and fallen behind the microwave. They must have been there for at least a week or more and had turned into a black sticky oozing mess .
Have you checked the dc's lunch boxes/ school bags/ coats for forgotten bananas?

Husband also says it's used as a solvent for paint and lacquers. So very possibly coming through from next door.