please help me to identify a strange smell that's inside the house.

[mckenzie]

I first noticed it about a month or so ago inside the wardrobe in DS's bedroom. He has the new room that was added on to the house about 4 years ago and has two outside walls. The smell though is coming from the inside wall the joins the children's bathroom and has the shower head on it.

We've just come back from 3 weeks away and as soona s I walked in the front door, somehting smelt not quite right. When i went into the kitchen it was a softer version of what i can smell in DS's room.

It doesn't smell damp, it's not even particularly unpleasant but it's just not right and inside the wardrone it's quite strong. IF the wardrobe doors are shut you can't smell it. I can only liken it to wood, perhaps where wood is being shaved off to make it fit something. It's a tad musky perhaps.

BTW, the kitchen is not directly under DS's bedroom but very close.

Any ideas please? I'm quite perplexed what to do next. I've taken everything out of the wardrobe and I can't see anything sinister.

TIA

Have you heard any scuttling noises from the wall? Could be mice, rats?

I agree with meg, could be a dead mouse or something. We had something similar in our kitchen and it didn't smell awful, just not quite right. DH pulled up a floorboard and there was a rather dried up looking dead mouse in there.

Is there anyway to take the wardrobe apart to have a closer look?

Is it the wardrobe itself? What's it made from?

thnaks for teh speedy replies

Grapefruitmoon - I dont think it can be the wood of the wardrobe as he has another one right next to it and that doesn't smell at all.
The wardrobe is free standing so we can move it away and check if anything has got behind it although I haven't hear any scuttling noises. DH is away until next weekend though so might have to wait a bit longer.

another thought then, Do you think this is the sort of situation where a pest control company would come to the house and maybe be able to identify the smell? Presumably if it is a dead rodent it's a smell that they would be familiar with.

If it's woody and musty it could be woodworm or even dry rot.

I would get whoever did the work for you to come and check it out for you as should still be in builders warrenty(10yrs)

Is it near a light fitting?
I had a light fitting that was eroded and it smelt awful...

It might be the wood though...my parents have a fairly new wardrobe in their spare room which has a very strong smell, really quite nice and woody - I like it and associate it with their house now...it could be heating making the wood oils/moisture and varnish/paint/whatever smell ?

we have a similar thing in my new study which has a suspended wooden floor- sometimes it's really strong, sometimes not there at all.....no idea what it is, but did wonder if dead mice are involved

This probably isn't it but we had a really weird smell in DD's bedroom for ages. I was convinced there was some sort of prescence eminating from the room centre cos that's where the smell came from - what seemed like mid air. It turned out to be the bakelite on the ceiling light being burned coz we had too strong a bulb in it. Replaced the old fixing and smell never came back

Sorry not sure what a woody smell could be so no help to you.

Just reminded me that I once had an unpleasant smell in my lounge. I couldnt work out what it was and got a pest control company out to investigate but to no avail. It only seemed to occur in the early evening. Anyway had the lounge decorated and moved lamps and ornaments into the kitchen during the work. Kept getting a strange wiff again in the kitchen. My sis sniffed it out and it was a lamp!! Chucked it out. It was noticable when I switched it on at night.

thanks for all the replies. You've given me some more things to investigate. I'm going to have a good think about what is in both the kitchen and DS's bedroom to see if I can get further clues. I'll check the light fittings Doublebluff but it doesn't smell too bad so don't think it will be that. The wardrobes are only cheap Ikea Margaretmountford and the smell is only coming from one of them so I dont think it can be the wood. I think I need to get my nose really working tomorrow and see if I can tell if it's coming from groundlevel or higher up.
The plot thickens

The update on the smell to see if anyone has any other ideas please.

I emptied the wardrobe and left it to air and put the clothes elsewhere. I have gradually washed all the clothes. The empty wardrobe did not smell! I've now put the clean clothes back in the wardrobe and almost immediately it smells. But, to remind me, DS has another wardrobe in his bedroom made of the same wood etc with clothes in it washed with the same laundry powder etc and that wardrobe doesn't smell.

We also got the drains checked and they are all fine and checked for dead rodents.

Any ideas please? TIA

Have you sniffed all the coathangers - one by one ? One could be whiffy !

I haven't Lucylamb but I will now although the clothes were on those same coat hangers in the other wardrobe and the smell wasn't around then.