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What would cause this sour smell?

I've been researching a little and I can't seem to find an appropriate answer for this. I have this awful smell in my house, almost like something is rotting (and dead). However, that can't be it because my partner can't smell a thing and thinks I'm crazy. I thought I might be crazy too, so I made a mental note to check out the smell after I got home from work. I didn't smell it at work, so it's not my imagination or something happening with me and when I got home, I was hit by it when I walked through the front door. Now, we are clean people and when I say that, I'm not just saying it. I have OCD and things must be clean and a certain way. Everything is dusted, swept, mopped, scrubbed and in it's place. We live in an older apartment building and I have read to check out the ducts and whatnot, however, it's not our place so all I could do was stick a digital camera down the vents and snap a photo but saw nothing out of the ordinary that would cause this stink.

Here's the kicker, this smell didn't start until it got warm and damp outside. It also seems to be mostly in the bedroom and just travels outside into the apartment. We have a small one bedroom and everything opens right into the other rooms so the entire apartment smells now. I have trouble sleeping at night because of this and I'm not sure what to do. My only guess is this is mold? If anyone has a clue, please fill me! Thanks so much in advance.

Update:

I rechecked vents and they are super clean with what appears to be NO dust. I have moved around all bedroom furniture to find nothing in the bedroom and checked all closets. I have no idea what is causing this. I would like to exhaust all options before contacting our landlords, they are amazingly cool people and will do anything to help but I don't want to bother them if I don't have to.

2 Answers

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  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    This happened to us once many years ago. the smell ended up coming from a dead mouse that had eaten some poisoned bait and crawled under one of the bookcases that was open at the bottom in the back. From the front, it looked solid on the floor but the back was open and had a small space under it where the mouse had crawled into and died. Look for something dead in your bedroom. Leave nothing unturned. Mice can get into almost any small teeny tiny space and die there.

    The smell will dissipate as the dead thing dries out. This takes usually about 4 to 6 weeks. But it would be nice if you could find it before then.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    If it is a droopy eared dog they are proned to yeast infections in the ear...that's the sour smell your smelling. NOT ear mites. Make sure water doesn't get in the ears, which mean no more baths...that will make it worse due to keeping it moist! She's going to need a drying powder that groomers use to clean out ear hair. If the dog has ear hair it makes it worse the hair traps moisture. I can't believe that the vet didn't say anything! Did they look in the ear???? Anyways if this is not your pet it 's not your responsibilty. Let the owner treat the dog when they return, the puppy will be okay. Do not put anything else in the ears! She may need prescription drops to fully recover.

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