If you had damp in your property, how would you describe the smell?

[Plaugey]

As the title says really. There’s an awful smell filling one of our rooms downstairs and it’s been there for a few years. No visible signs of damp, everything has been changed, flooring, skirting, doors, the only thing we haven’t done is replaster in there, but I have repainted the walls about 6 times. I’m at a loss and can only assume that the smell must be damp. But it doesn’t smell how I think damp would.

definitely no dead rodents / birds in chimneys as we’ve already exhausted that and the smell has been here since we moved in.

Dodgy electrics can smell fishy.

I have the exact same thing in a cupboard but pretty sure that's just a musty smell.
Are you on floorboards downstairs?
If so, could be something has got under there and died.
Reason I'm asking is, we are on floorboards with a cavaty underneath and had a rat under there that died. Blimmin god awful smell but it's a definite decomposition smell if it is.
Sorry, not much help

What is under the floorboards? Under my hall is a gap down to the clay the house was built on and in very wet weather a smell comes up from the space.

Otherwise is there a fireplace? Or is the room just ill ventilated?

Damp literally smells damp - musty and stale, but not offensive as such. If it's more similar to something dead are animals coming under the boards, getting stuck and dying? Or is there a broken sewer around your property?

It smells musty, you can smell it’s damp without knowing it’s damp IYSWIM. You also end up noseblind to it, I only ever smelt it when I came back home to it.

How would you describe the smell? Is it similar to another smell you recognise?

Thanks all, really good replies. Have ruled out electrics as had an electrician over to give us a full check of the electrics. I would have guessed lack of ventilation under the floor too but it’s a concrete floor and not timber so no void. No where for animals to get trapped underneath the floor and would have thought even if they could that the smell would have gone by now if it was soemthing that had died. Was an old fireplace but had this ripped out, ventilated and had some repointing done on the chimney.
It smells musty and stale, sometimes bitter too. Not earthy though which is how I thought damp smelt. No obvious leaks anywhere, pipes are exposed and not encased in the walls and no bubbling of paint etc in the room. We do get quite high humidity readings though - sometimes in the 70s if it’s particularly wet outside so we do run a dehumidifier and the readings aren’t constantly high. Were at a total loss and don’t want to get a damp company out that will suggest chemical injections rather than find out the actual issue.

The smell is definitely musty and stale, but also offensive 😬

Between damp towel that's been tucked in the bottom of a washing basket too long and smelly shoes. And also things left in a damp corner are always much colder than you'd expect them to be.

Have you looked at the back of your curtains? When we had issues the backing of the curtains had become speckled with mould and that smelt bad.

Do you have pets or did the previous owner have them? I moved into a house where dogs had peed on the walls - is this possible?

Have you tried using a handheld damp meter to see where in the room you get high readings? Any gutters running down the walls of that room on the outside which could be overflowing or leaking?

It smells a bit like washing that's been left in the machine too long does after it's dried.

Don’t want everyone to think I’m dismissing their ideas - have checked the curtains already. Previous owners had no pets, we have a cat which we’ve had years and goes in every room of the house. The description of a wet towel and smelly shoes is very fitting of the smell though; like this but also sour. I’m surprised there are no visible signs though and it’s just the smell, I’m unsure where to start in terms of tackling it but will start by buying a damp meter as suggested.

Empty the room and run the dehumidifier for a couple of days+ straight

How old is the property. Are you using any original pipework?

We had a copper pipe that emerged from the wall and connected to the toilet cistern. There was actually a lead pipe in the wall that had been joined to copper and then plastered over. The joint was weeping slightly and causing damp.

Have you bought a damp meter and tested all the walls, floor and ceiling?

Is a radiator got a small leak anywhere.
This can leave a musty smell.
Damp board, skirting metal pipes or plaster.

How old is your house and how is it constructed?

If you have solid or early cavity walls have the walls been 'dry-lined'?

If you have cavity walls have they been filled with insulation?

50s house, cavity walls that have been insulated according to the structural survey we had (which identified no damp 🤷‍♀️). Interesting point about the pipes - yes we have the original copper pipes and the room that smells is below the bathroom. We’ve had the panel off the bath and no leaks above the floor that we can see, however very possible that we could have a similar issue to another poster. I have just ordered a damp meter from Amazon so will use this in various points in the room tomorrow.

radiators in this room are only a year old as was replaced last year, no signs of damp on skirting boards etc.

will also try the suggestion of emptying the room and running the dehumidifier constantly.

@ThisOldThang how did you work out what had caused the damp, and did you have a smell?

Is this a terraced property? If yes, then maybe the source is from next door.

Broken soil pipe?

A damp meter won't be any use, they're made to test wood, not masonry.

If there's no visible dampness, the smell will be coming from somewhere hidden. I'd be tempted to try and get the CWI and the chimney checked.

My DM bought my DD a pair of wellies in a charity shop. As soon as she handed them to me outdoors I could smell them. They have a really strong smell, possibly like they came from a house that had lots of animals in it. I put them in a wardrobe hoping the smell might have dissipated by the time they will fit her in another year or so and every time I open the wardrobe I can smell them and it’s been a few months. I think the smell of animals that have lived in a house can seep into the walls and linger for a long time, could that be it?

could it be your concrete floor?

Concrete slab: All concrete slabs have moisture in them. Sometimes, an underground moisture source may continually add moisture to the slab. If the slab is holding more moisture than its surroundings, the excess moisture will evaporate. The carpet underlayment may absorb it all, which can lead to mold or mildew. Moisture may also get into the carpet fibers

https://www.wagnermeters.com/concrete-moisture-test/concrete-info/why-my-carpet-smells/#

we manage damp and usually few small windows left open the whole time eradicate the whole smell ( we left them open when on holiday), but I fell cold very easily, so yeah, smells a bit, but with 2 dehumidifiers is all managed

I don't care how my home smells - I sweat a lot also overnight, so wash clothes, towels, sheets, blankets and duvets regularly also

we all do what we can and live where we can