What's that smell?!

[fancifulmanciful]

You know that bin smell you get, that staleness that can overcome a home that's not properly cleaned or just left to fester a tad too long? Many homes with animals in have it to an extent.

That smell has just appeared in my home and been there for the past few days.

I can't find anything! I've taken the bins out and cleaned out the bin and bleached and cleaned but it's still there.

Suggestions?

Shoes - speaking from experience this week. Guess who’s shoe shopping this week.

@fancifulmanciful Those spray pads just don't clean your floor properly at all. I saw a clip by that scientist guy on TikTok who swabbed a hard floor after cleaning with one with floor cleaner in & sure enough, bacteria grew. After you use it next time, wipe your floor with kitchen roll and I think you might be surprised

This really made me giggle!

The extractor fan filters above your hob.

Mops with cold wipes just spread the dirt around and are environmentally unfriendly.

You need hot water, fairy liquid and a bit of disinfectant... and a proper mop head that you keep dunking into the hot water.
Does wonders for bingo wings.

This smell has usually been traced to a manky potato in my house.

@fancifulmanciful please tell me more about this because I’m in the market for a new mop.

Seen this exact post on so many different threads now I'm fed up of hearing about this damned fridge drip tray !

Agree
Wileda mop
Zoflora
Washing up
Liquid

@JingsMahBucket I use two mop heads. First one is to clean the floor with the detergent and to scrub, than I get new clear water and a new mop head. I than clean the floor to remove the detergent from the floor and to dry it. Works like a treat. If I didn't do this method I would have streaky floors that got dirty, they never get dirty now and really I can get away with spot cleaning (no children get). Worth a try.

Or you can use your current mop but go over with a dry towel to buff and dry?

www.amazon.co.uk/Vileda-Ultramax-Flat-Microfibre-Cotton/dp/B005U94DEA

I would second the fridge drip tray . There was a faint smell in my kitchen so I cleaned everything. On a very hot night I was feeling unwell and went to.get some paracetemol. The smell had increased and was horrendous in whole of flat. Eventually l pulled the fridge out. The drip tray ( which bizarrely is not removable)had a brownish liquid in it with a sort of cottage cheese in the bottom. Got a wooden spoon with a tissue wrapped round it to empty it. Washed it out with sterilising solution . Seems OK now.

In my student house it was the sofa throw.

Yes, the weird fridge drip tray nobody knows is even there.
Really it's a vile smell. Pull out your fridge and see if it's worse behind there.

Dead/dying flowers smell really bad.

I've never mentioned my dad's fridge on mn before so this seems unlikely tbh.

This happens in my house if I put the bins too close to the outside vent and it’s a warm day…

Possible explanations:

• Dead mouse under the floorboards somewhere or dead bird in the chimney (if so the smell will go away after a few days)
• Smell from outside that's getting in through an air-brick - can happen if there's something like a drain with soap scum or rotten leaves in it next to the house
• Food wrapper or vegetable peeling or something that's somehow fallen down behind a cupboard
• One of your kids has left something in a lunchbox in their schoolbag or has stashed a sandwich somewhere in their room and forgotten about it
• Washing machine needs cleaning

Damp sweaty football kit left to fester in kitbag in hallway.

Rotting fruit left to fester in school bag in hallway.

Bloody teenagers!

Sure you’re not pregnant? ;-)

😳

Drain from our sink, the overflow pipe. I have to squirt bleach down there periodically.

Just to answer this (to be clear, I don't care what you do or don't use to mop your floors) but yes, I have one of those Vileda spin mops - the head pops off and can be washed in the machine. It's great.

We had this and it was a small slow leak in the cupboard under the sink, the U bend pipe had come loose and it was damp all on the cupboard. Annoying but easily solved.

Anyone else initially read that as the Cards Against Humanity prompt? My answer is "windmill full of corpses"

Anyway - in serious terms, have you checked for tiny poor deceased mice or birds?