Or a neighbor's unit, especially if in outdoor utility closet if in non-freezing area. As your furnace ages, worn bearings may cause the blower motor to seize up or bind. Walls also washed several times, several different ways. Hope this helps! It was not draining much condensation . Answered by Member Services: Hi, This is James in Member Care. Chlorine gas appears to be yellow-green in color. A rotting cache of fruit or such from a resident varmint could also smell like this, as can birds nests because of the ammonia in the droppings. Answered by Member Services: Hello, This is Robin in Member Care. From what pets you have to what laundry detergent you use, every house and family has a signature smell. We followed directions and it worked. I haven't read anyone else writing about residual chlorine smell. We have had three mold companies out to our house, all have used moisture meters on the walls and have not found evidence of a leak anywhere in our home nor have they found any mold to remediate. The question becomes....what do I do next??? There is no smell in 1/2 bath or laundry closet on 1st floor. Chlorine poisoning has been known to occur in individuals over the years, so diagnosing it usually isn’t difficult. The Angie’s List Answers forum ran from 2010 to 2020 and provided a trusted space for homeowners to ask home improvement questions and receive answers directly from Pros and other users. But our relative air humidity in the basement is very good because we have a continual dehumidifier running down there and have sloped all exterior surfaces away from the foundation and caulked well everywhere. 13) If all else fails, I would use plastic sheeting and tape and close up all room vents and exhaust fans, close and cover and tape all windows, power off HVAC system, and use cheap painter's plastic sheeting and masking tape to seal off every room (weighted at bottom to seal door bottom gap, like with board or such if carpeted - use tape if hard flooring), and let sit for as many hours as feasible (take a day out of the house on weekend say) then when you come back into house move from room to room smelling if there is a higher concentration in any one, or if smell burst out when you untape the duct registers. This form of rhinitis is characterized by the appearance of crusts in mucosa of the sinus, as well as dysfunction of sense of smell. The vanity drywall was replaced and painted. The older part of the house has metal ducts and the newer part has flex. All have said they believe the smell is chorine /bleach based. It smelled like regular old gas - like from a gas leak, or from a gas stove, or from gasoline. so much so that you can smell it in your clothes after spending some time in the house. We do have a leak in the slab part of the house.....water has been shut off as we determine best way to repair ------ just don't think that could be causing the smell. Can happen with interior or exterior paints. I almost passed out on the basement floor. Drinking water is considered safe as long as the chlorine/chloramine levels do not exceed 4 milligrams per liter. I really didn't think it would work but it worked 100%. This is an archived question from the Answers forum. 10) water contamination or over-chlorination - smell and taste the water to be sure it is not something carried in the water, 11) if on septic, open (or have opened) septic tank hatch to smell if it is from chemicals in the tank/leach field - maybe they dosed the heck out of the field because it was smelling from lack of use, or dosed it with a chlorine-containing root killer chemical, 12) if smell is possibly plasticy (is that a word ?) 2) ozone - is the major irritant in smog, so causes coughing and respiratory irritation and burning, and burning of eyes and nasal membranes in higher concentrations. (Thanks Dad!) That is generally limited to carpets and heavily contaminated unwashable curtains, rugs, mattresses, unfinished rough wood or fabric wall coverings, and the like. Answered by broderbund: Thank You LCD for your detailed response......as you can imagine this issue is driving me a little crazy so am grateful for any potential ideas/help. NOTE - it is important that if the ducts are used for this, it should NOT return through the furnace/air handler - can cause significant damage. The day we closed on the house we noticed a fairly strong chemical smell (bleach/chlorine like) in the house but chalked it up to the house being closed up. I'm at my wits end. There are three primary sources of smells that commonly occur after rain. I smell the second floor laundry discharge trap and no smell at all. HAHAHA! The bleach smell stops when chlorine completely dissipates. Well, if all your faucets are turned off all day, and you come home and smell chlorine before you turn any water on, it can't be coming from the water. Next step is to hire an environmental firm to test for what chemical is present in the house......it's strong enough that it will be asborbed into your clothing if you spend 15 minutes in the house.......any thoughts/help are greatly appreciated! we have the EXACT thing going on in our house, but no idea where it is coming from or how to get rid of it. Our call center is available 8:00 am-9:00 pm weekdays and 8:00-5:00 pm ET on Saturdays. A chlorine smell can come from certain cleaners spilled on towels or rugs. We live in Philly, where no basement is ever going to be bone dry. 5) pouring bleach into a floor drain that was smelling because the trap dried out from lack of use while house sat vacant. Mention that you suspect water might be getting in. Inside my unit is a drain hose . We took down the medicine cabinet and it smelled really bad. The thing that throws me, and why pool/spa chemical or hazardous waste or sewer gases coming from the street or odors from some business (or neighborhood illegal drug lab maybe) drifting into your property moved to the top of my list, is the long-term persistence - because for the odor to persist and permeate your possessions, it would normally have to be active - meaning liquid or gas from usually unless it really pearmeatedthe entire house (like fire or cigarette smoke does) - and something done 3 months ago I find that hard to believe in usual cases unless gallons were poured into the drains or ground or such. The more you clean with bleach, the less strong the scent will be over time. Your furnace might create a similar electrical or metallic smell when it overheats. Also, if you use powder or tablet chlorination check where it is stored (and pool acid storage too) to be sure it is not leaking or dry hypochlorate is not getting wet and releasing chlorine gas, 8) using chlorine-based dishwasher detergent, which then gets into the kitchen air as the dishwasher vents during operation. 3) tossing bleach tablets into toilet tanks (toilet bowl cleaner tablets) - this and the next two are is the most likely to cause persistent smell of this type. Generally, a sewage-like or rotten egg odor in your tap water results when sulfur-reducing bacteria grow in your drain, water heater, or well. 3) If doing the investigation, i would also be looking at title data for historic ownership and uses of the land and adjacent areas - against the chance this is a leak from either a previous industrial site, a FUD (formerly used defense site), or could be getting contamination from adjacent plant or facility. 16) not that it smells really like bleach, but if gas water heater or furnace, smell at the exhaust flue on roof, or outdoors if direct-vent unit (just a few sniffs - don't do for long and suffocate yourself or pass out) to smell if it is exhaust smell from those appliances - if so, you may have a backdrafting vent hood at the unit, or a flue leak. What they don’t know, however, is that what they are smelling is not actually chlorine, but chloramines . 10) Go around house and unplug every plugged in item you don't absolutely need, especially electronic devices and any chargers, air out house well, and see if that helps - then plug back in one at a time (maybe one a day) till it comes back. I feel for you as I cannot tolerate chlorine at all. No chemicals there. You said HVAC system has been investigated - I presume that means the evaporator coil for the A/C and ducts were checked for mold/fungus ? Could also call (if on public sewer) the sewer utility and ask if they will check at their lines for such a smell - or you might be able to (without getting hit by a car hopefully) smell at the small hole that is usually in sewer manholes in the street or sidewalk. I would also suspect city water; perhaps they have upped the ratio of chlorine. Like people who cook a lot describe irritating household smells by different spice names, ones I have never heard of. If possibly so, you might invite a couple who seem safe (i.e. Of course, that type of contractor would have police as at least one of it not their most common customer so if the answer is yes, they will undoubtedly inform the police - probably required to by law, so your attorney should be present during the walkthough to contact the police on your behalf first before they hear about it from a third party. 4) heater element in dishwasher staying on all the time, overheating plastic and causing it to stink. I went to my doc's office and had to see the nurse practitioner who just told me to take Flonase. FAQ | A "stinky stock syndrome" coil or high-humidity ducts can smell to high heaven - hence the stinky sock name. Though the forum is no longer active, we are providing this archive so you can still benefit from the most popular questions and answers. My husband who is allergic to dust mites and mold has no symptoms at all. Common contaminated surfaces cleanup modes for your sort of case, assuming an in-house contamination source (as opposed to groundwater contamination or buried waste or drifting-in contamination or such): 1) commonly, a bleach or hydrogen peroxide or solvent or borax (depending on chemical) cleanup protocol is used, using "wet-wiping" techniques - like mopping all surfaces, commonly with either a second person following to wipe up the excess liquid after a short exposure time, or sometimes vacuuming the remnant up - usually followed by normal detergent wash using TSP to remove residual and the cleaning chemical. Answered by BaggyJ: Did you ever find the sour of the odor? Here’s a few things a google search came up with: If you’ve ever stood out in a thunderstorm, you’ve likely smelled the sharp smell of ozone, a scent reminiscent of chlorine. I got a whiff but couldn't comprehend it being mold....it's all mirrored and metal. ( Small amount of water standing in the drain pan). 5) electronic device (TV is a common one) with overheating power supply (which is usually always on) causing hot plastic smell, which can include chlorinated or brominated products - as in prior comments, unplug electronic/electrical devices and leave unplugged for several days, 6) scorched guts in a microwave or toaster oven or such, 7) of course as mentioned before, smell at breaker box and around outdoor electrical boxes for possible overheating/burning insulation smell, 8) halogen, CFL, LED, low-voltage, track lights - check at each of them or swap out bulbs one by one temporarily - when they or their transformers start overheating can cause a real nasty strong chemical smell. It is also possible, if prior drug lab use is a viable likelihood, that the attorney will recommend asking the police if they will do a meth test on surfaces in your house - but that brings in the possibility of case 6 b) below with police condemnation of the house, at least till it is investigated and has been cleaned up to whatever local or state standards your area might have. Lingering odors can affect how much you enjoy your home. I see now. We'll be happy to help find providers to help you out, but it doesn't look like you have a subscription to the List yet. Now the odor is back but for the life of me my 65 y/o brain would not unlock the info! My … golden tiny crystals of crystallized reduced Os on the floor, especially days after cleaning the area with bleach. I am mildly chemcially sensitive and have the nose of a dog. I have developed terrible sinus problems over the last month only when I am in my house. They can emit ozone which has a chlorine-like smell. 3) flex dryer vent in clothes dryer partly disconnect so it is getting scorched by the hot air coming out and stinking (melted plastic smell). You are right that stone is porous and it is always going to retain moisture. Need professional help with your project? Way to go! A friend's parent tried the car shocker from nasty mold growing in car from getting rained in ooops those back windows. Did the owners leave any paint cans or spray cans or anything that could be leaking in the garage or basement ? Commonly on the order of $0.05-0.25/SF with higher end usually being only for the directly contaminated surfaces, lower end for secondary contamination and areas where airborne odors are sticking. http://somechicksblog.com/make-meth/meth-smell-is-something-not-easily-h... c) or in cases of major contamination (almost always from gross area-wide soil/groundwater contamination) sometimes permanently condemned and then remediated under CERCLA or RCRA or such (remember Superfund and Love Canal, which started this way with groundwater-borne gas infiltrating into the houses and causing illnesses). Towels would smell of it after a shower and you could definitely smell it in the bathroom when the towels were hanging to dry. They might recognize the smell right off the bat from prior professional or personal experience. Common causes of this sort of smell - though most would not last months: 0) spillage under kitchen or maybe bathroom cabinet or in laundry area, possible getting in under the bottom board in the cabients - commonly those are loose or lightly nailed down so easy to remove and check underneath. if from this source should be sharply stinging to the nose and much more evident near the motor when running, and of course turning off for a day or so should stop the smell.” https://answers.angieslist.com/What-causing-consistent-chlorine-bleach-smell-home-recently-purchased-q224287.aspx. 10) failing photocell or starter circuit on outdoor lights getting hot and causing burnt plastic smell - woudl smell outside plus possibly coming in through wall to inside. Can also check at an outdoor sewer cleanout (usually a standpipe with cap or plug a few feet outside house) to smell if any such smell there. I used to live somewhere where I could always taste and smell the chlorine, but some days/weeks it was definitely stronger than others. Our call center is available 8:00 am-9:00 pm weekdays and 8:00-5:00 pm ET on Saturdays. Light smell of chlorine but washed walls, aired out and it was fine. It smells toxic. How to Get a Lingering Smell Out of Your House. Answered by msm35: Personal experience! Yes, I did use it a day extra but Im sure others have as well and posted as much. Cleaning hard surfaces is different than cleaning porous surfaces (including skin), because porous surfaces absorb liquids much faster. Use Figure 1 to locate the source of the … Ditto if it was repainted and the primer or first coat (especially with oils) was not thoroughly dried before the second coat was put on, so it outgasses over a very long period. OMG the junk that was in there! (In Philly, they are not separate.). If strong enough, however, "pool smell" can signify a source of irritation to the eyes, lungs and skin of swimmers. No visible mold but slimy smelly. Our washing machine is 6 months old and we have never added bleach to it. --a brief background about osmium. Have you had your HVAC serviced lately? We used it in guest bedroom when tennis student left their smelly gear there. We hope this information will help you make a more informed decision on your home needs. 23) large insect nests (termites, ants, beetles, bees, etc) can have a chemically smell - but presumably if people have been in the attic and crawlspace they would have mentioned an insect infestation if they saw it. I had this same odor several years ago and found the answer somewhere on the Internet . In addition, atrophic rhinitis is accompanied by dryness in … By nature, houses are full of smells. A visit to a highly-chlorinated indoor waterpark once left me foggy for days. It smells like chlorine and is the byproduct of chlorine dioxide...Biodcide's Room Shocker. (If it turns out to be toilet bleach tablets in toilet tank or sump pump pit I bet you will really kick yourself). Below, we will give the ultimate guide about how to neutralize bleach on the skin and destroy its smell. And be sure they take an adequate number of duplicate samples so if the cheaper GC test does not pop up an obvious strong hit or cannot identify it, they already have samples at the lab to run a full GC/MS test - though $500-1000 is not unusual range for that in small quantities for one customer because they make a killing off blood and urine tests for drugs so the cost has doubled or more in recent years. Though the fact you and the home inspector during purchase (if you had an inspection done) did not detect the smell at that time - which could mean it was wide open windows and airing out when you were there (which would imply owner know about the issue and failed to disclose it) or that possibly it was something going on after your offer and inspection and before closing - a vacant house presenting an opportunity for just a day or few of illegal use. Usually, unless drenched in the stuff, furnishings and clothing and such are commonly readily cleanable, though some may take dry cleaning rather than laundering to remove it. That was last week. If backdrafting you should smell the odor at the unit when it fires up. Re: Cleaning are 3/4" radius sinks and improvement over zero radius? There is an intense chlorine / bleach / hot tub odor throughout my basement. (amorphous reduced osmium is black but it can also be a red-brown hydroxide confused as iron rust.). I was using metal electrostatic filter on central air system. Why smelling chlorine at a swimming pool is a bad sign - and what that chemical smell actually is. It doesn't smell like bleach exactly, but like strong cleaning agents. If you’re exposed to unhealthy levels of ozone from your air cleaner, you’ll notice a … I was desperate and replaced the filters with paper ones. if it's from what I think it is, then it's undoubtedly still there. This requires turning on outside faucets and letting the water run until the smell is gone. Indeed, why does this product have such a mind-blowingly strong odor?! 24) remote chance - if your A/C runs on ammonia (R-717) or sulfur dioxide (R-764) which are usually only in commercial units but being used more in residential units now, could it be that ? Now 4 hours later no more chlorine smell just a light sent of Pinesol. Can the wood attic floor be sprayed with a neutralizing chemical? Well..... tried it in the master bedroom vanity area and left it an extra day as I can't be exposed to it with my sensitivities. 17) one last option - don't really smell like bleach to me, but some wood funguses do have an astringent, sharp, very chemically smell - so could be significant wood rot from a leaking pipe in the house - though would not expect that to be detectable very far outside the house if at all. 3) unshippable chemicals dumped by the previous owner outside the house somewhere, or into a drain - especially if on septic, though the right solvents poured down drain could have melted through plastic pipe and caused formation of a pool of waste chemicals in, under or outside the house. I’ve always been sensitive to the smell of chlorine. An electrostatic filter does produce ozone - which is an acrid smell, and especially for people who have not been around high voltage equipment or opne-housing larger electric motors might be identified as a bleach or chlorine smell. I am not living there. Hot air rises while cold air falls. There was a chemical sprayed in the attic called Sporicidin. | I've tried to get an allergy appointment and the wait for a good one is 6-months, or others it is 2 months. The IAQ folks did not pick up any evidence of mold but I'm interested in your references to ozone. With some types of contaminants, again generally if actually saturated with the chemical as opposed to just exposed to airborne contamination, replacement of absorbent countertops, flooring, etc is necessary. The amount seemed to vary a lot. Sure enough it was blocked. Cat litter is super absorbsent and can capture the moisture that's in the air--given enough time. 2) If I were them I would also take an organic chemical sniffer (OVA - Organic Vapor Analyzer or similar) around the outside perimeter of the house and adjacent yard area to detect any concentration of spilled chemicals, to rule out (or confirm) that source. To our knowledge (and from what the homeowner is telling us this is the ONLY thing that was done to the house while under contract). News. Has he brought some home and stored it somewhere? Ditto to leaking containers that rusted through the bottom of the can and is vaporizing or maybe reacting with the shelving material. 5) Because of the need for documentation and proper independence of investigations, and possible dealings with the police and local government if the odors are from prior illegal drug manufacturing in the house, I would (I hate to have to say it but for your own good) strongly advise getting an attorney experienced in contaminated property claims and issues on board BEFORE getting an environmental health /industrial health investigator in - to work with them on documentation in the event you end up having cause to go against a previous owner for non-disclosure of something he/she knew about. 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