Some households have a grimy smell? What causes it?

[Bronzeacorn]

When I was a teenager I dated a guy and his home house (he lived with his mum and dad) was just grimy, not even particularly messy or cluttered... just badly maintained and never truly clean. Think brown rings on bath/sink grime on every surface. Their house had a smell I can't explain.... its not like a sick to your stomach smell, no animals in the house so not cat wee it was bearable but noticeable.... i can only describe it as greasy?? But I don't even know if that'd the right description.
I recently went into.a neighbours house and I noticed the same smell for the first time in 20 years. There is no judgment here I was just interested if other people have noticed this and what causes the smell? Do the homeowners get it? Could my house smell like that and I dont know? Just looking for others experiences I suppose out of curiosity

It's caused by not cleaning and not opening windows. If the bath and other things are covered in grime, then it's going to smell.

So one house two decades ago

and a neighbours house the other day.

So both these two families weren’t too bothered on cleaning.

You describe how unclean the houses are

but then express bafflement about the grimy smell

It's not a smell from frying is it? Certain foods seem to hang around in the air as a kind of 'old chips' smell and I've noticed quite a few houses having that smell.

I think it's really just people who don't open their windows enough.

Not opening windows, dirty carpets & upholstery and clutter all contribute to a grimy smell, plus the occupants lack of personal hygiene

Stagnant air

Yes I think its this! Old chips! I think my neighbour probably cooks a lot so that could explain it she has 2 teenagers but weirdly my exes mum didn't cook they mostly ordered takeaway

Agree, my in laws house smells of chip fat,it's disgusting, lingers on your clothes. MIL always kept a clean house but ill health and age means she can't keep on top of things. FIL tries his best but again not good at a thorough clean. They also don't open the windows much anymore. My DH scrubbed their house from top to bottom when they went on holiday in May but the place still stinks.

The cause is nose-blindness

I think old water has a smell. Like when laundry isn't dry properly or you get caught in the rain and have to sit in your damp clothes. its not like death smell but damp... unclean bathrooms and kitchens have old water smell. (I sound nuts!)

I know, my exes mum god love her used to try to clean before I came over but nothing ever got rid of the smell and because it wasn't regularly being cleaned everything always looked stained and unclean. Looking back i think there were some mental health issues at play

Yes definitely! I get that smell if I've left a load of laundry in the washing machine too long before hanging it out to dry.... end up having to wash everything again because it stinks!
It's not the specific smell I'm talking about but my exes clothes always smelled like that until he moved onto his own house.

I used to care for an elderly couple and the smell going into their house would knock you sideways when you went in.... yet it was an acceptable level of clean and it took me ages to realise that the smell was coming from their coats hanging in the hallway. They hadn't been washed or aired properly for years and they absolutely stank! His had a really oily collar....

My sitting room often smells like a pile of dirty laundry. That's usually when DH is sitting in it! He doesn't change his clothes very often.

I used to live in a block of flats where someone used a deep fat fryer most days and I don't think they ever changed the oil. They're not that common now and the smell is so nostalgic.

I know what you mean. My in-laws aren't the cleanest and their home has that smell. They try and cover it with air fresheners which just seems to make it worse. It's hard to describe but a mix of damp, dirty scalp, with something sweet thrown in. I often refuse to visit but DHs clothes have that smell when he comes home.

Feet smell from shoes .

I think it's fried food where the smell permeates soft furnishings. Made worse by never opening windows. I think some people have stinky coats hanging up in the hallway too, also soaking up the fried food smell. Yuk!

I agree with others that it can be from a mix of fried food and clothes and furnishings absorbing the smells. I used to be able to smell it at my parents house. I washed all my dad’s coats and changed the filter in the extractor hood and that helped.

Yes!!!! Best description yet.

I know exactly the smell you mean. I would have to regular visit people's homes and experienced this so often. The smell clings to your hair and clothes too. It's a mix of old fryer oil, body odor, grime, and just general uncleanliness

Do you get the feeling the residents of the house realise that their house/clothes smell or are they just nose blind to it?
It's one of my worst fears is that my house smells bad and I don't realise it. I mean I clean everyday and open windows etc but you never know how others perceive your home.

It's a rancid fat smell. Sticks to hair and clothing. Awful!

Eek! Maybe your ex is now my husband lol.

Im now worried that when I cook with olive oil my house now has this smell . I do notice that my house has a certain smell especially if I return from a few weeks away. No cats anymore but a dog that likes to jump in the canal! Maybe I should bath him daily. Our house is pretty clean tho- no grease or chip fat as cleaners come weekly and are very thorough.

Yeah I know exactly the smell you mean! - it’s hard to describe, just a grimy, dusty smell and, yes, old oil.
We used to have a deep fat fryer when I was young. I bloody hated it. The smell was just grotty and the smell you are describing reminds me of that as well, deep fat fryer.
For a few weeks there I was paranoid about a damp smell in my house. Turns out we had a leak under the kitchen sink!