Thanks so much for your website. It is the most informative I have found and I have been searching for an answer for a while. We bought a home and found that when the master bedroom is closed up we got a strong smell, the longer it is closed the more the smell builds up. The odor smells a lot like the ‘organic mold/odor eliminator’ given to us in a spray bottle by a mold guy.
A few weeks ago I discovered the smell was coming from a dead space area behind one of the MBR walls next to an adjacent ceiling soffit. I have been venting it the dead space and soffit areas directly outdoors (through small crawl spaces) with box fans for about 3 weeks now. The smell is still prevalent in the exhausted air and in the bedroom after 3 weeks. Although I cannot see completely into the dead spaces (because of limited access from obstructions such as framing inside the walls and soffit) I do not see any source of the smell and there is no moisture or mold evidence.
Any advice for ridding us of this odor once and for all? I do not like the idea of breathing in unknown chemicals. We have run a box fan out the window almost continuously since moving into the home in an effort to avoid breathing whatever this is. I did find that when the previous homeowners had a leak in their water pipes in the nearby bathroom, an ”antimicrobial’ was ‘fogged’ into the area when the drywall was removed and replaced. That was almost 5 years ago. Could that odor still be behind the walls and ceilings? By the way, we have had 3 mold inspectors and all have said mold is not the problem.
Thanks for any advice you can give. If you help us, I will gladly send you compensation.
First of all, it’s important to understand that smelling something is a personal thing. Odors offensive to one person can be sweet smelling to another. Additionally, some people are able to detect even the slightest odor. In general this is true with women meaning they can many times notice a smell others either don’t notice or don’t consciously register. In my home, I’m able to smell things way ahead of the wife and child and in most all cases they’ll notice the smell only after I mention it. But clearly I have the ability to notice scents they’re not aware of till I say something about it. I point this out because in the end, the mere “memory” of an odor can linger well past the actual physical scent molecules. And a good way to judge if this is happening is simple. All you need to do is test by asking anyone in the home if they smell the odor as well. If you find less than half of those asked don’t smell it, the odor is clearly depreciating and the “remnants” you or someone else are detecting could be linked to the original problem. This could turn out to be important because over time, most every smell will dissipate more and more unless there is something renewing it. So that means if the odor you’re detecting is in fact linked to something used to control odor, it would naturally break down and disappear unless you have been continually spraying it over and over and it doesn’t sound like that is happening so in theory, there should be no new source for the smell to be coming back over and over.
Second, based on the location of the odor, has anyone looked up above the bedroom in the attic? And what about exterior or interior walls? Do you notice it stronger on any one wall or side of the room? If so, there could be something going on somewhere undetected or not inspected thus far. The fact that you’ve focused your attention on the soffit area is good but if the odor is originating elsewhere, what you’re doing there won’t knock it out anytime soon. In other words, if you’re able to get more on top of the spot of origin, you’ll see faster results for sure so don’t ignore these areas.
Lastly, at this time I’d recommend two products. As our ODOR CONTROL ARTICLE explains, it’s imperative the scent you’re detecting must be neutralized if you want it completely gone. A direct treatment of the NNZ in the odorless form would do the job. But as explained, it will need to be applied directly on the odor to have it’s best impact. This could be in the soffit area but it could also be in a wall space or attic so again, be sure these areas are inspected. Another product worth considering is the ODOR NEUTRALIZER AEROSOL. When set up on a TIMER MACHINE, this product would be ideally suited for use in the bedroom. The quick release from the can will effectively neutralize the smell and should make it less noticeable for sure. In the end the smell will return until it’s source is found and treated but no doubt this setup would help providing immediate relief where you live and sleep.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Odor Control Article: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page200.html
NNZ: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page884.html
Odor Neutralizer Aerosol: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page887.html
Timer Machine: http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page888.html
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