Can't find the dodgy smell!! Any ideas?

[Kiddleywinks]

Picked up LO from morning preschool, whilst doing dinner I noticed a 'sweaty sock' smell

Discreetly sniffed LO's feet - no smell.

Every now and again, I'd catch a whiff, but then it'd be gone again.
Started getting stronger whiffs near the kitchen.
Went to the park before the school run, came home and it was definitely a lot stronger, still smelt like sweaty socks

It's definitely in the kitchen. Is quite acidic, still sweaty socks but it's really really strong now, and I can't find where on earth it's coming from!!

I've just spent the last 2 hours stripping the kitchen, moving the washer, dryer, dishwasher, steam cleaned them and behind them, emptied the cupboards, it's officially driving me nuts now!
Please - does anyone have any ideas what it could be?!
We don't have any pets so am ruling out something dying in there, but even if it had, it shouldn't have come on so strong so quickly....

Off to tear my hair out some more

[tori4]

Have checked the sink/ drains ??

Inc waste pipe ours comes straight down from bathroom throu corner of the kitchen :-/

Hope u find it xT

[smurfette]

Is there a damp sock stuck down a radiator?! Sounds annoying hope u find it!!

[MessybutHappy]

My first thought was drains too...or something has died under your floorboards

[loocyloo]

mouse/dead mouse behind fridge? they like to sit near the water thing on the back, as it gives access to water to drink, but as they wee endlessly its smells!

mouldy veg in the bin? mine was smelly on sat and some dear person had put their veg soup on the bin and it had gone through a hole and gone mouldy/fermented in the bottom!

good luck!

[Kiddleywinks]

No to drains
Checked them when I pulled the washer and dishwasher out, doesn't smell as strong behind them either.

No socks in the kitchen or on any radiators

Tiled kitchen floor - hope it's nothing under them

Will pull the fridge out in the morning - too tired to do that now


Bizarrely, it's smelling the strongest above worktop height but in the middle of the kitchen!
Isn't so strong low down and at floor level - yes I've been on my hands and knees sniffing round the kitchen

Oh I give up! I'm off to bed - anyone got any really strong air freshener they'd recommend

[JCrakers]

My trick was to defrost some mince one night in the microwave, then I couldn't find anything to go with the mince so decided on something else.

Totally forgot about the mince until 4-5 days later there was an awful smell in the kitchen and I couldn't work out what it was, thought the cats had bought a mouse in.

After a bit of searching DH found the mince.......it wasn't a pretty sight

[clareelizabeth1]

I had a strange smell in my play room that got steadily worse over a week. Cleaned all toys, steam cleaned carpet twice. Moved sofa cleaned all around it. Got everything out from around it and checked every single little thing. Eventually found an odd wet patch between the seat cushion and the base. Cut the sofa open in the end and found a squashed mouse. Someone obviously sat down at a bad moment for the mouse. Sofa had to go dump as nothing would get mouse out.

Good luck on your smell hunt.

[silvermist]

My trick was to defrost some mince one night in the microwave, then I couldn't find anything to go with the mince so decided on something else.

Totally forgot about the mince until 4-5 days later there was an awful smell in the kitchen and I couldn't work out what it was, thought the cats had bought a mouse in.

After a bit of searching DH found the mince.......it wasn't a pretty sight

Eewww lol theres nothing like the smell of gone off mince. :/

[Becci26]

I had a strange smell in my play room that got steadily worse over a week. Cleaned all toys, steam cleaned carpet twice. Moved sofa cleaned all around it. Got everything out from around it and checked every single little thing. Eventually found an odd wet patch between the seat cushion and the base. Cut the sofa open in the end and found a squashed mouse. Someone obviously sat down at a bad moment for the mouse. Sofa had to go dump as nothing would get mouse out. Good luck on your smell hunt.

Eurgh, that made me feel a bit sick lol!

[Mouse]

Have you solved the mystery yet?

Twice we've had untraceable smells in the kitchen. Once it was some really stinky cheese in the fridge. Everytime someone opened the door the smell wafted out and hung around in the air. I triple bagged it, but it still smelled disgusting, so I made DH throw it away & have never let him buy any more.

The other time it was the drainage pipe at the back of the fridge. There is a drainage whole behind the veg box at the bottom of the fridge and it had got blocked. I poked it with a straw to unblock it & the smell was horrendous. The water hadn't been clearing away (or whatever it does) and was rank.

The very worst smell we had though was in the car. It was getting to the point that we couldn't go in the car without having all the windows open. Our kids were little & I thought it was probably where milk had been spilt in their carseats, so washed them all. We cleaned the car thoroughly, but couldn't get rid of the smell. Eventually I looked in a little compartment in the boot and found a bag of prawns. They must have been there for about 2 months

[emma04]

Spilt milk is foul! Even when you think you've cleaned it up, if you've not find it thoroughly enough the smell will appear about a week later??

[Kiddleywinks]

Have you solved the mystery yet?

Nope, not yet!

I've pulled the fridge freezer out, and other than half a dozen lego bricks, several pens, and a load of fluff, nothing.

Since I got up this morning I've started at one end of the kitchen and am taking everything out, steam it, wipe it down, checking stuff and putting it back.
I'm now in the process of doing the hob and oven, and still I'm none the wiser.

On the plus side (if there is one lol) my kitchen will be gleaming, even if it still smells

[charlottenash]

That mouse story! No way!!!!! I'm petrified why would a mouse be in your sofa!!! I'm quivering I hope there is none in mine! Ewwww

[tulip0803]

My parents went to Australia to visit my brother and I was looking after the house. I went in a few days after they had left and there was a horrendous smell - I eventually tracked it down to the fridge's freezer compartment where there was some trout that had been frozen before my Dad in an efficiency drive turned the fridge off. I did say that if they had wanted me to clean the fridge thoroughly they only had to ask next time and not make the awful smell!

[Ripeberry]

Some old plastic light fittings can degrade over time. My parents had a problem in the bathroom. Really bad stink, fishy. It was the plastic! Been fine for years and then just started to smell.

[auntym]

I had same thing - at the very back of fridge frzr at the very bottom is a tiny drip tray. Water in there even tiniest bit goes mouldy and stinks. Exact same thing happened to me - found problem there :/ xx

[SJ35]

Some old plastic light fittings can degrade over time. My parents had a problem in the bathroom. Really bad stink, fishy. It was the plastic! Been fine for years and then just started to smell.

I was going to say this too, electrical faults can show up as a weird fishy smell. Might be worth getting sockets etc checked? X

[Maza]

We had a horrible smell in the bathroom shortly after moving in. It was a dead bird that had somehow got in the boiler/airing cupboard.

[clareelizabeth1]

That mouse story! No way!!!!! I'm petrified why would a mouse be in your sofa!!! I'm quivering I hope there is none in mine! Ewwww

I live in the country surrounded by fields. If you leave the door open at night they just walk in. I'm normally so good and our house is fairly mouse proof. Every now and then I have an epic fail. Had a mouse jump out of the toaster before cue lots of screams.