We've been living in the same home for over 6 years. It's a normal, modern home & we keep it clean. Maybe 6 months ago, this strange smell appeared in my daughter's bedroom. It's a combination of musk, fish & just plain stink. Sometimes it only lasts for a few minutes, sometimes hours, sometimes days. Then, it goes away without a trace. It may stay away for days or even a week. But, then it comes back. It's strong.
We've sniffed everything in the room, including my daughter & can't identify a particular item or even an area of the room where it seems to originate.
Some of you folks have had a smell due to an electric overload. That makes a lot of sense to at least check first as it would present the most immediate danger and most easily remedied cause. Priorities after that I would rate as:
1) Plumbing vent pipes
2) Moisture problems, such as leaks or standing water
3) Mold/mildew problems from old moisture issues
4) Pest problems, either rodent or insect
5) Chemical issues, such as carpet or plywood outgassing
6) Exterior causes, such as fertilizer or industrial smells on the wind
Let me repeat, CHECK THE ELECTRIC, FIRST AND FOREMOST, nothing smells as bad as a burnt down home!
We discoverd the smell in my daughter's room!
It is coming from the cieling light. We were burning a 100W bulb in a max 75W socket and we think it was making the socket smell (must have been plastic getting too hot). Anyway, we left her bedroom light off for 10 days just to be sure....and no more smell.
We are going to replace the sockets and make sure we use only the max light bulb. We found they do sell ceiling light fixtures that allow for 100W so we may replace the whole light.
I hope this helps. We are relieved because the "fishy" smell was driving us crazy!
Anne
Thank goodness for all the answers on this site. My husband and I have lived in the same house for 33 years and have been experiencing the same smell for about a month. We have done all the things everyone listed: checked plumbing, crawled through the attic, ready to call critter control. It has been driving us crazy. Finally I tried some internet research and came up with your answer. After reading it, I remembered that we recently replaced the bulb in our celing fan last month. We went straight to the light, turned it off, and took it out. Yep! It was a 100w bulb that was in a 75w socket. The smell coming from the area was strong. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!
I have the fishy smell that comes around 11am in the morning for a few hours in my bedroom that is backed up to the bathroom....the electric wall box is in that bedroom....and sometimes when I turn the hot water off or on from the power box (to save money from being on all day)...I notice the buttons are warm...when the fishy smell comes, my eyes water and my nose runs....my answer from the LL is just to run a fan in the basement....can someone help me???...Jan in the Poconos
Until our experts check in, the warm buttons at the power box disturb me. Ask your landlord(that is what LL means, yes?) to check the connections at the power box. Electricity flowing through the connections over the years can loosen the screws.
Have you checked for mold in the walls? Have it tested. Also, not that your kids are doing this, but it happens. Have you checked their drawers for panties that have been shoved in the back due to embarrasment?
My neighbors were having a fishy odor in a hallway closet, under the stairs. At first they thought it was something (rodent) that had died inside a wall, but, after carefully checking, couldn't find anything.
This smell has gone on for months and seemed to be really bad one evening. I decided to google it and found this forum along with another one that all basically said the same thing. One thing stood out though...the comment that said..."Check the electrical, nothing smells as bad as a burnt down house".
My neighbors electrical panel is in that closet.
Sure enough, her husband discovered a hot wire that night. Upon pulling the breaker, he dicovered that the back of the breaker had actually melted inside the panel.
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