Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

My new house smells

43 replies

Birdies · 02/12/2023 08:26

I've posted before in Property I think but it's now really making me anxious.

We've just moved to what we thought was our dream home but the smell is driving us mad. We never noticed it when we viewed. It's a bit like lillies but fusty ones. When we leave the house our hair smells of it.

There are no carpets. All wooden floors with underfloor heating (which makes it worse).

Can anyone think what it might be? Bought an air purifier but the smell is still there.

OP posts:
FiveShelties · 02/12/2023 08:28

Can other people smell it?

chumblywumbly · 02/12/2023 08:32

Any curtains?

Could it be under the floor?

Freakinfraser · 02/12/2023 08:34

I think you have had advice on this before, the advice won’t be different on this thread. You’ve been told it’s just the smell of the last people. How to scent a house, how to clean. How it will eventually go.

Original poster
Birdies · 02/12/2023 08:47

Yes I've asked before but the smell hasn't gone after lots of cleaning and windows open. It's worse if anything but could be as the heating is on. I don't understand why the smell would be in our hair when we leave if it's just someone else's smell. Honestly it's making me really anxious and long for our old house. Buyers remorse has set in.

@FiveShelties yes other people can smell it although they say it isn't a bad smell.

@chumblywumbly I've smelt the floor and it smells nice although we're in trouble if it's underneath as the whole house is wooden floors.

OP posts:
Draoicht · 02/12/2023 08:48

How long have you lived in the new house?

Christmasisonitsway · 02/12/2023 08:50

Is there anything stuck in or behind radiators?

autumn1610 · 02/12/2023 08:53

My house smelt weird for ages and I could smell it on me. I hated it. Took what felt like months to get the old home owners smell. We fully redecorated though so carpets out etc and eventually it went. But I just lit loads of candles and cleaned

SutWytTi · 02/12/2023 08:57

I think it can take a really long time to change the smell of a house.

Is it worse anywhere in particular, is there any chance there is a mould patch or rotten wood somewhere?

Original poster
Birdies · 02/12/2023 08:58

@Draoicht 2 days 🤦 I think I've just got panicky over the thought of it never going.

@Christmasisonitsway I haven't actually cleaned the radiators so maybe that's worth a try.

@autumn1610 that gives me some hope. If I know it'll go eventually I can cope with it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Birdies · 02/12/2023 08:59

@SutWytTi our shower room smells a bit damp as the shower leaks a bit and water sits on the shower tray all the time. Will get it fixed when we can find someone. But it's not the lillies smell in there - is quite fusty though.

OP posts:
Laszlomydarling · 02/12/2023 09:02

2 days is nothing! The previous owners probably had one of those plug in air fresheners or something. Give it time

SavBlancTonight · 02/12/2023 09:03

2 days?! It took 2 days to get "our" smell back after we had a housesittter for a week.

It takes time. You need all your cleaning products to have been used and to come on top of theirs. Your furniture and curtains. Your food.

Give it a week or two. Blimey.

SharedAccountWithMySister · 02/12/2023 09:04

Two days! 🤣😂 You’ll need to give it longer than that to air out. I can still detect a feint aroma of fish if I’ve cooked a salmon two days before!

FiveShelties · 02/12/2023 09:05

2 Days - I thought you had been there for weeks! I think just living, cleaning and cooking there will make it smell like your home.

Motherhubbardscupboard · 02/12/2023 09:05

It will be the previous people's air freshener or cleaning products or reed diffuser oils. Sounds really like the smell of a family member's home that I couldn't stand, it was a Scentsy air freshener. It should go eventually but if you have any carpets or curtains that were left behind, they will retain it.

veeolay · 02/12/2023 09:06

You moved in 2 days ago?!? I could still "smell" the previous owners of our house for a few months lol.

It'll be in the carpets/curtains/ any soft furnishings the previous owners left. We did a lot of redecorating and the house smells like us now

meatbaseddessert · 02/12/2023 09:07

If it's fusty there's probably a leak somewhere, especially if underfloor heat worsens it. Nevertheless I'd keep that on for a while to see if it sorts it. Try a dehumidifier above ground too.

When we bought our house the kitchen cupboards were incredibly fusty and made the whole house smell. Those damp rid things in every cupboard sorted that

Original poster
Birdies · 02/12/2023 09:10

Thanks everyone. Re the underfloor heating - it's extremely slow to warm up. Might that indicate a leak?

OP posts:
Doggymummar · 02/12/2023 09:10

Give it a couple of months we came back from a weekend away last week and thought our house smelled weird. Probably smells like that all the time but we don't notice. Now it smells of gingerbread candles.

Divebar2021 · 02/12/2023 09:10

When we moved into house the downstairs toilet smelled like coconut. We’ve no idea where it was emanating from but it lasted a few weeks but eventually faded. The family still talk about using Coconut corner when they’re off to the toilet though.

Incognito1975 · 02/12/2023 09:11

It could be a dead rodent behind walls, under floor or in attic. If so it might take some time but will eventually go completely

meatbaseddessert · 02/12/2023 09:12

Also we had friends come and stay on one floor of our house (self contained) for a few months. It smelled super stale when they left. The bloke clearly didn't wash his clothes or hair enough. Took about 3 weeks for the smell to go with plenty of airing.

Went to their lovely brand new house a few months ago, new floors, walls, carpets, furniture and it smelled exactly the same!

SutWytTi · 02/12/2023 09:13

2 days?!?!?

I thought it had been months.

HeddaGarbled · 02/12/2023 09:16

2 days!!!!!

For goodness sake, have a bit of patience.

Towerofsong · 02/12/2023 09:16

When I move house - and when I was younger I did this a lot -I absolutely hate that feeling of it not smelling like my home, it makes me anxious. I clean everything to make it smell right. It's probably the human equivalent of a dog marking their territory.

Take down any curtains that were left and wash them.

Run an essential oil diffuser.

Cook spicy food

If it is particularly strong in one room, wash the walls in that room.

Are the wooden floors varnished? Could it be the varnish reacting to heat? Maybe the heating wasn't on when you viewed the house?
Or maybe it's some type of floor polish used?