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

[NotAgainWilson]

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.🤮🤮🤮🤮

With respect, he is not my child and there is no way I want him and his smelly shoes anywhere near to me and my house ever again.

The room has nothing in it but furniture. There’s no clutter to hide a sock.

I have avoided talking to him as I will find it impossible not to be rude. 10 days of daily cleaning and the smell is still there! I cannot begin to imagine how could anyone produce this level of pestilence in a week!

Can anyone else smell the stinky feet smell? Xx

Maybe you are pregnant and super sensitive to smells?

Enzyme spray might work.

Or spray Lysol or other antibacterial / antiviral spray on every surface.

I can assure you they do. I had a divan bed and 3 cats... you can tell where this is going...

One day, there was a weird smell, at first it smelt almost sweet, and I checked the entire room for anything that may have been dropped, & ticked over the nooks and crannies. After a week, the smell was so bad I swear I could smell it in my dreams... again, checked everywhere and couldn't find the culprit and thought I was going mad.

After 2 weeks, I took the bed apart because the smell was decaying and it smelt like something had died. I took the bed apart and nothing. When putting it back together, I shoved the two parts back together when a dead decaying mouse fell out from the lining into my hand. It was revolting and I still have nightmares. Moral is, you can smell dead mice.

Yep I once couldn’t work out what the awful smell was in our house. Eventually after a long time searching I found a putrefied mouse in the gap behind one of our speakers where it had obviously hidden from the cat and then died. Absolutely abysmal smell.

OP, did you get rid of the smell?

There is still a faint whiff if you leave the room’s door and window closed for a full day but thankfully, it is almost summer, so the window is partially open all the time.

He was storing his smelly shoes under the bed so I suppose the smell impregnated the under the mattress as well 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have started asking for a trial period of 1 month and a notice of one week before taking anyone in for more than a month. It is going beautifully with the new lodger.

Glad to hear it! It must have faded a fair bit if the new lodger hasn’t complained!

It is a whiff not the stench it was when I started this thread. But it has certainly helped that the new guy comes from a very cold country so, while I am still bringing my hot water bottle to bed with me in the middle of this wintry June, he is happily keeping his window open 24hrs a day 🙂

… or maybe, he has noticed the whiff!

I have an update…

I kid you not, I can still smell it…21 months and counting.

Noooo! Can other people smell it now or just you?

My husband is a runner and especially if his shoes get wet during a run and then dry out, the smell is incredible. At home he has to leave them outside in the shed because they are so foul and instantly stink up our home. When we go on holiday in our campervan the only solution that works is to place them in the airtight waterproof dry bag expedition bags, so they are completely sealed. You want the heavy duty ones that have tough pvc fabric and roll down multiple times before clipping together NOT the lightweight ones that use thinner materials that have a sprayed on waterproof lining. Something similar to this but in a smaller size.

www.amazon.co.uk/Earth-Pak-Waterproof-Dry-Bag/dp/B0BVXTQ72Z/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=8DIHZ0CG1PE5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VhkjamWSjspjvPJedNFOkdBg2dQIZ6LHOWHm5SlwaHuy1cR8nqpF0gfbA_B9sYAwlFXcGRfiYP89vMBWy2BgCv8LWkgesICNWYeMvTD7OaOPT7EvkiJscnZGvpN6DKXTV3z1XWtgLkVfUk99HvCq3O_gAJ_ZTrrdVWkmzq9B11R0KnRnOOo53fhSowLmlkQvTEwdSOY02Mc4cYCSji_z4g.BOPc_boQuLmN_ufuzSPCCPapGs4EVlCpDM4jVU6GBXM&dib_tag=se&keywords=drybag+bags&qid=1764311103&sprefix=drybag+bags%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1-spons&aref=u9ohkTBkCi&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

The one night he put them in the camper (under my bed) before we found the solution was horrendous and I couldn't sleep because of the smell, I felt like I couldn't breathe properly. So I can totally imagine how weeks of it could permiate the room. It's too late for you now but if you ever come across a similar thing in the future, these bags do work. He also has another one for his running clothes too.

Thank you. If I ever come across a similar thing (let’s not not forget this is not normal stinking but the stench of doom) I think I will give them ONE verbal warning to sort themselves up or be out within a week.

By the way, what worked on my DS’ shows (similar to what you describe about your DH’s) should is Odor Eaters insoles and spraying them with Odie Eaters Sport edition as soon as he takes them off.

Yes. If the dehumidifier has been off or the door closed for the day, every one can smell it. I have stated to wonder what was life like before the big stench.