Musty Smell

[JeJeTe]

So question.....I came home from being gone for a few days to a horrible, musty smell in the house. It seems strongest in the kitchen but the smell can't be pinpointed on what exact place it's coming from.

About a month ago, I was gone for a few days and left the faucet dripping becuase it was so cold and the sink overran and got the peel and stick tile floor wet (the previous owners had put it down). But other than that I can't think of anything it might be.

So I guess my question is does that type of floor smell when it is drying out? Or could it be something else? It's definitely better when people are home and the air is circulating but it just came on all of the sudden. It wasn't gradual at all. Any ideas what it might be?

 

[Bay_Kat]

wet dish cloth you may have left out? something in the garbage disposal? happened to me once and it was a wet dish cloth I forgot to put in the laundry before I went away.

 

[MMDad]

A potato that got away from you and his hiding in a corner rotting.

 

[JeJeTe]

wet dish cloth you may have left out? something in the garbage disposal? happened to me once and it was a wet dish cloth I forgot to put in the laundry before I went away.

There isn't an overwhelming smell in the laundry area which is in the kitchen but I'm going to make sure I do all the laundry tonight just to be sure.

A potato that got away from you and his hiding in a corner rotting.

Potaoes cause mustiness? We haven't had potatoes in the house in a long time.

 

[Bay_Kat]

My husband was getting something out of the freezer one night, he set a pack of sqiud (bait) on top of the fridge to move it out of the way, found what he was looking for and closed the freezer, next day there was a horrible smell, took us 2 days to realize it was the squid he set on top of the fridge and forgot to put back in the freezer. We had had crabs that same day and were looking all over the floor thinking a crab may have gotten away and died in a corner or we dropped shells or something, didn't even think of looking up.

 

[RoseRed]

My husband was getting something out of the freezer one night, he set a pack of sqiud (bait) on top of the fridge to move it out of the way, found what he was looking for and closed the freezer, next day there was a horrible smell, took us 2 days to realize it was the squid he set on top of the fridge and forgot to put back in the freezer. We had had crabs that same day and were looking all over the floor thinking a crab may have gotten away and died in a corner or we dropped shells or something, didn't even think of looking up.

In my world, if it's above eye level, it doesn't exist. :teamshorty:

 

[John Z]

Usually when we have a bad potato, it smells rotten. I was going to suggest a dry "trap", the place where your drain pipes bend back up. When they dry out, the smell from the sewer/septic can come through the drain (since there is no longer a "seal" composed of water in that bend). That isn't likely for an absence of just a few days, though. Maybe some wet trash still in a trash bag that you would have normally emptied?

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Check the bottom of your drywall to see if it soaked up the water from the sink, maybe the bottom of the cabinets and subfloor. You may be smelling mold or rotting wood.

 

[GWguy]

Check the bottom of your drywall to see if it soaked up the water from the sink, maybe the bottom of the cabinets and subfloor. You may be smelling mold or rotting wood.

^ My thought too. If the sink overran and it wasn't properly dried out behind and under the counters, you've got mold.

 

[JeJeTe]

Check the bottom of your drywall to see if it soaked up the water from the sink, maybe the bottom of the cabinets and subfloor. You may be smelling mold or rotting wood.

^ My thought too. If the sink overran and it wasn't properly dried out behind and under the counters, you've got mold.

I've checked and the floor doesn't appear to smell funny and below the current floor is like 2 more layers of floor. I'll double check all of this tonight too. Thanks!

 

[luvmygdaughters]

I've checked and the floor doesn't appear to smell funny and below the current floor is like 2 more layers of floor. I'll double check all of this tonight too. Thanks!

Do you have a garbage disposal? Sometimes they will get an odor to them. I usually 1/4 a lemon and run it thru there.

 

[JeJeTe]

Do you have a garbage disposal? Sometimes they will get an odor to them. I usually 1/4 a lemon and run it thru there.

Nope, I don't. I'm a bit frustrated by this.

 

[itsbob]

So question.....I came home from being gone for a few days to a horrible, musty smell in the house. It seems strongest in the kitchen but the smell can't be pinpointed on what exact place it's coming from.

About a month ago, I was gone for a few days and left the faucet dripping becuase it was so cold and the sink overran and got the peel and stick tile floor wet (the previous owners had put it down). But other than that I can't think of anything it might be.

So I guess my question is does that type of floor smell when it is drying out? Or could it be something else? It's definitely better when people are home and the air is circulating but it just came on all of the sudden. It wasn't gradual at all. Any ideas what it might be?

If you were gone long enough the water in the s-traps in your drain will evaporate and the smells the water is there to prevent will seep into the house.

Easiest solution make sure EVERY drain (including floor drains) gets more water running through theM.

 

[frequentflier]

So question.....I came home from being gone for a few days to a horrible, musty smell in the house. It seems strongest in the kitchen but the smell can't be pinpointed on what exact place it's coming from.

About a month ago, I was gone for a few days and left the faucet dripping becuase it was so cold and the sink overran and got the peel and stick tile floor wet (the previous owners had put it down). But other than that I can't think of anything it might be.

So I guess my question is does that type of floor smell when it is drying out? Or could it be something else? It's definitely better when people are home and the air is circulating but it just came on all of the sudden. It wasn't gradual at all. Any ideas what it might be?

The night before I left on a trip, I heated up some broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave. I forgot about it.
When I returned, my pet sitter said she smelled something funky in my kitchen. The veggies had been in there for 4 or 5 days. It wasn't horrible but it was bad.
I hope you find the source of the smell.

 

[Ken King]

Probably an almost blocked trap (p or s) beneath the sink, given the sink over-flowed when the water was dripping. Some funky stuff can collect in those traps. Pull it off clean it out reinstall. Another funk maker in the kitchen can be the drip pan beneath the fridge.

 

[frequentflier]

Probably an almost blocked trap (p or s) beneath the sink, given the sink over-flowed when the water was dripping. Some funky stuff can collect in those traps. Pull it off clean it out reinstall. Another funk maker in the kitchen can be the drip pan beneath the fridge.

Hadn't thought about that as a possibility, either.

I hope all the advice people have offered helps the OP with figuring it out.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Probably an almost blocked trap (p or s) beneath the sink, given the sink over-flowed when the water was dripping. Some funky stuff can collect in those traps. Pull it off clean it out reinstall. Another funk maker in the kitchen can be the drip pan beneath the fridge.

Oh yea, my mom had a mouse climb into her drip pan and drown once, took us forever to find where the smell was coming from.

 

[nutz]

Oh yea, my mom had a mouse climb into her drip pan and drown once, took us forever to find where the smell was coming from.

Yep, check the contents of the stove drawer, under and behind the stove, dishwasher, refrig...etc.

 

[JeJeTe]

Just an update....there is a hole in the cinder block of my foundation right underneath the kitchen. It looks like water from the yard just all drains that way and eventually eroded the cinder block and water getting under the house is where the smell is coming from. There are plans in the work for it to be fixed. Thanks, guys!