Mystery smell suddenly in bedroom

Lucyspell

Hi
A mystery smell something like cats has appeared in a guest bedroom. We are in a 1970's semi, well heated and no damp.
We recently had a two year old grandson staying for ten nights. After about three nights the smell appeared. His cot was brand new, no spills or accidents at all. I have moved the cot to another room, and it is fine, no smells.
Until today I was convinced it was an electrical burning smell, but I have just had an electrician out, and he couldn't find the source to be electrical. The child sleeps with a sound maker and monitor on, so I felt it may have overloaded the sockets, but apparently not...
Everything is removed from the room now, and the smell is still very strong.
The house next door has recently had insulation pumped into the walls. This was about six weeks ago, and nothing unusual was noticed till now. Could this be the cause?
I am mystified!

Payton

Possibly the light pendent, if they are still the original chances are it's made of bakolight (not sure of the spelling)...when the bulb heats up it makes the pendent smell.

Lucyspell

Thank you for your reply!
I know that pendents can smell, I have smelt a fishy smell from them at other times. And I will definitely get this one changed. But this smell is different, it smells strongly of cats, or very strong coffee, or running shoes...none of which are in the room. The electrician said it was not the usual smell of burning electrical equipment.
The lights weren't even on much if at all, as the little lad went to bed and got up in daylight at this time of year. Still will check it, thanks!
Lucy

Doom

Maybe it dampness/ water been pushed out through the walls over the insulation next door

DGOBS

it smells strongly of cats, or very strong coffee, or running shoes...none of which are in the room

Was going to offer and come take a look, but would be worried about drinking your coffee...!

Sleeper12

Possibly a dead mouse in the walls or floor? If it is, then the smell will go in a few days

Chet T16

Payton wrote: »

Possibly the light pendent, if they are still the original chances are it's made of bakolight (not sure of the spelling)...when the bulb heats up it makes the pendent smell.

This happened in my bedroom at the parents place a few years back. I think it was brought on by a new lamp shade which was thicker than the last. We could not find the source for ages and even had carpet fitted over the wooden floor as we were sure something was dead under it. Absolutely horrible smell.

Lucyspell

DGOBS wrote: »

Was going to offer and come take a look, but would be worried about drinking your coffee...!

I worry about drinking my coffee too )

Lucyspell

Thanks to all who have replied.
I am desperate to find the cause of this smell....the thought of pulling my house apart makes me feel sick too!
Lucy

Lucyspell

Well, we have had a good builder out, and the smell seems to be coming from the cavity wall under the window. It is hard to tell, though, as it is so bad all over the room.
We contacted the company who pumped in the insulation next door (same shared wall) and apparently some insulation would have migrated naturally to our house. They did not put in a barrier. This was done early April, so it's strange no problem occurred till now, if that is the culprit.
Could a mold have grown through the beads and be giving off a gas?
Everything is out of the room, floor boards have been lifted in two places, and no problems found.
I did call to the next door neighbours. They said they do not notice a cat smell in their house. I noticed they dry clothes on a clothed horse in the next door bedroom, but it could hardly cause this...
I am very very upset, as this room is totally unusable, and I have to keep the door closed.
Is anyone familiar with moulds or other problems in cavity wall. Occurring suddenly.
The weather at the time was dry and temperatures were slightly warmer.

Sleeper12

I did suggest last week that it could be a dead rodent but the smell would be gone by now if it was.

I'm a plumber & not a builder but I have never heard of what you are describing. I've been in lots of houses with that type of insulation (the least effective insulation job you can get) and never heard any stories like this.

From a plumbing point of view it is possibly a cracked sewer pipe. ( Very remote possiblity but something to think about)

I wouldn,t expect mould at this time of year unless the wall was damaged & rain was soaking into the wall. If this was the case I'd expect to smell damp, stagnent water smell.

Lucyspell

It smells very strongly of cats. It is an upstairs front bedroom in a semi detached house, and all bathrooms and sewer pipes are to the back and not near this room.
I am really concerned now for our health in breathing this in.

They company who installed the insulation next door are coming out to check things early this coming week.
The builder said he would come back and take off our window boards, and open the wall to see what is going on.
It happened so suddenly, I cannot understand it.
We are in this house for 25 years. We have had no dampness. Our house is well ventilated and heated.

Lucyspell

Also I was wondering if I can post this query on more than one board, as I think I may be posting my question in the wrong area here, as plumbing and heating may not be the problem. Sorry!

Dtp1979

Lucyspell wrote: »

It smells very strongly of cats. It is an upstairs front bedroom in a semi detached house, and all bathrooms and sewer pipes are to the back and not near this room.
I am really concerned now for our health in breathing this in.

They company who installed the insulation next door are coming out to check things early this coming week.
The builder said he would come back and take off our window boards, and open the wall to see what is going on.
It happened so suddenly, I cannot understand it.
We are in this house for 25 years. We have had no dampness. Our house is well ventilated and heated.

Cats? As in cat wee wee??

corner of hells

Hi , is it possible you are heating water with an immersion now after using central heating through colder months .Sometimes when the insulation on cables is pinched in switches the smell they give off can be quite nasty.
I worked as an electrician , I'd describe the smell as being like rotting fish , others have described it like cats pee ...

Lucyspell

Yes, it is Tom cat pee smell.
Today it is worse than yesterday. I first called a registered electrician, and his first reaction was it's not an electrical smell. He is an experienced electrician. He checked the sockets, no problems. We changed the whole central ceiling light fitting, no visible problem with the old one.
The smell is coming from the wall cavity. We have old varnished floor boards, with lots of gaps, so airflow is good everywhere.
We are thinking we will have to move out, until it is fixed.
I am devastated. At wits end now.

Dtp1979

Lucyspell wrote: »

Yes, it is Tom cat pee smell.
Today it is worse than yesterday. I first called a registered electrician, and his first reaction was it's not an electrical smell. He is an experienced electrician. He checked the sockets, no problems. We changed the whole central ceiling light fitting, no visible problem with the old one.
The smell is coming from the wall cavity. We have old varnished floor boards, with lots of gaps, so airflow is good everywhere.
We are thinking we will have to move out, until it is fixed.
I am devastated. At wits end now.

At the risk of sounding like a smartass, but is there any tom cats in your area. Rat wee also has a similar smell

Lucyspell

No cats in our house or any neighbouring houses that we know off. No cats seen around either. We have a Jack Russell cross, she is old but still barks a lot, and wouldn't tolerate cats at all.
The people who rented the house next door previous to these tenants, collected and stored a lot of rubbish, and when they were there I feared they would attract rats.
Does rat wee really smell the same as cats? Are you sure?
I am freaked out by this!

freesia1

I had a similar problem in my downstairs bathroom in november gone by .I kept getting a bad smell , I bleached every where but after a week it was worse . In the end i had to follow my nose and discovered the smell was coming from the plughole of my bath , but it was spotlessly clean . The smell was travelling from the outside shore (that had blocked with falling leaves) through the waste pipe for the bath. I cleaned and bleached the shore out and the end of my problems . so it is possible that the smell in your bed room may be travelling from outside through the cavity wall and no problem inside at all .

Lisha

Hi op

Last summer when I was toilet testing my daughter she peed on carpet in sitting room. I washed carpet but the snell after a week was horrendous. I then discovered that my elderly jack Russell was peeing where she had peed in an attempt to remark his territory.

Is there any chance your dog did the same?

I had to scrub carpet a few times with 2%hydrogen peroxide followed by biological washing liquid solution

This may not be your issue but the smell was truly horrendous.

I hope you get it sorted op

Lucyspell

Thanks for replies.
There is no smell outside, and no plumbing in the room. It is next door to the hot press though.. But the hot press seems fine,no smell in there.

We did replace a section of the double glazed window a few weeks back, and last evening someone suggested maybe there is gas leaking from between the panes.
I am going to check this out today.
From what I have been reading though, the gas used in double glazing is odourless.

The two year old was not being toilet trained, and no leaks occurred onto sheets or mattress while he was here. I checked the cot, it is perfect and brand new. And all furniture is now removed to another room, and no problem there.
We have old varnished floor boards for flooring, I did mop these, but the smell is definitely coming from around the window...

And the dog was sent away on 'holidays' while the family were visiting. The problem occurred before she returned. I brought her up to the room, but she didn't show much interest in any area in particular, which makes me think it wasn't a cat, or mice or rats..

worded

Did the tenants next door leave on bad terms and leave a fish in the walls?

Aimeee

Hello
We had a similar problem a few years ago in this house. Foul smell suddenly coming from my sons room. He was three at the time. Ruled out any toilet accidents etc, still stank!
It was truly awful but we couldn't figure it out.
Eventually we found a (by then) rotten egg in one of the bedside drawers! My God the stench from it! I'd never had the rotten egg smell experience before!

Turns out my three year old had taken the egg from the kitchen with a plan to decorate, hid it in a drawer and forgot about it.

Any chance your little guest could have hidden some food or something that would leave a smell over time in the room?

MurphyLaw

Hi there, many years ago when I lived at home with my family this happened. After tearing the place asunder and trying to figure out what it was, it was discovered that a cat had come through the window and crawled under a bed. The bed's position was pushed into a corner and the cat had done a wee right in the corner. We had to tear up the carpet and the smell subsided after a week or so!!

Lucyspell

Hi
Smell is still there... I am convinced now that it must be a rodent of some type, that has died in the cavity under the window sill.
I cannot imagine how a cat could get into this room as it is a front upstairs bedroom , and we have no porch roof or anything under it.
The builder took off the window board yesterday, but this didn't really reveal anything as there is concrete filled in underneath. Short of taking blocks out we couldn't see much.
I am now awaiting Rentokil to call me. I think the bad neighbours we had next door attracted rats, then when they left and the owner insulated, the rats moved into our cavity...
It is a really bad smell, it is getting me down as it is present for about ten days now!
We have lived here for over 20 years and never had this problem .

Sleeper12

Lucyspell wrote: »

Hi
Smell is still there... I am convinced now that it must be a rodent of some type, that has died in the cavity under the window sill.
I cannot imagine how a cat could get into this room as it is a front upstairs bedroom , and we have no porch roof or anything under it.
The builder took off the window board yesterday, but this didn't really reveal anything as there is concrete filled in underneath. Short of taking blocks out we couldn't see much.
I am now awaiting Rentokil to call me. I think the bad neighbours we had next door attracted rats, then when they left and the owner insulated, the rats moved into our cavity...
It is a really bad smell, it is getting me down as it is present for about ten days now!
We have lived here for over 20 years and never had this problem .

With luck it is a rodent. The smell go & all will be well again. Temperature to hit 20° at the weekend so you can expect the smell to get worse before it gets better.
😓

freesia1

It also may be a bird or fledgling after dying in the nest just after hatching if its up that high. And the right time of year for such to happen.

shane 007

I was in a house last week with a similar unbearable stench under the stairs & in the kitchen.
Pulled out the dish washer & rat poo everywhere along with the head of a dead rat sticking down from below an adjacent cupboard.
Customer getting Rentokil out.

Wearb

shane 007 wrote: »

I was in a house last week with a similar unbearable stench under the stairs & in the kitchen.
Pulled out the dish washer & rat poo everywhere along with the head of a dead rat sticking down from below an adjacent cupboard.
Customer getting Rentokil out.

That story will be reassuring for the op
))))

shane 007

Wearb wrote: »

That story will be reassuring for the op
))))

The smell was very like the OP's description, pungent stink smell that you can nearly taste.

The woman ran out the door screaming when I showed her & asked to grab the rat by the tail....

Wearb

shane 007 wrote: »

The smell was very like the OP's description, pungent stink smell that you can nearly taste.

The woman ran out the door screaming when I showed her & asked to grab the rat by the tail....

I would have been hot on her heels. I would rather face a snake than a rat. Even when I see people on TV with pet rats, it gives me the heebe jeebees.

jimf

Wearb wrote: »

I would have been hot on her heels. I would rather face a snake than a rat. Even when I see people on TV with pet rats, it gives me the heebe jeebees.

ever have the pleasure of 1 scampering over your boot when you take the door off a heatpac gets your mind back on the job very fast

Dtp1979

jimf wrote: »

ever have the pleasure of 1 scampering over your boot when you take the door off a heatpac gets your mind back on the job very fast

I know if I was a rat I'd sleep in there too

jimf

Dtp1979 wrote: »

I know if I was a rat I'd sleep in there too

im sure we have all slept in worse places :eek:

Dtp1979

jimf wrote: »

im sure we have all slept in worse places :eek:

Yes. Yes I have

Lucyspell

Just a quick update for all who replied - the smell seems to be going away!
The builder took off the window board, and we aired the room very well overnight. Now, although still in the corner of the window, the smell doesn't knock you down when you open the door...
I think this points to the reason of the smell being something that died in the cavity.
Having the Rentokil agent call today, as it is better to check everything in case it happens again!
Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy!
Thanks
Lucy

Lucyspell

Yes, the Rentokil agent says it was a rat that died in the cavity..
Does anyone know of a way to block rodents from coming through from the house next door.
I am told it is impossible, as anything put in the cavity will bridge the damp proof course.
But I was wondering if there was a product similar to barbed wire, that could be dropped down from roof to ground, that would deter rodents travelling through?
Surely it could be done!
Any ideas?
Lucy

Sleeper12

I'm sorry but I've no more advice for you on this subject but I'm delighted you have gotten to the bottom of it.
☺

kitchenkid

Delighted you got sorted out - what a trauma for you all. thanks for sharing your story.

freesia1

Thats great news. Good luck with the cavity wall.

DGOBS

Not sure about next door, but an old farmer I know swore if you get used ferrets bedding (from someone who keep ferrets!) and put it in a grain sack or pillow case, and leave it around the infested area, the rats will pack their bags and run (as a ferret is a natural predator) unless there is an abundance of food

Lucyspell

The problem has not gone away unfortunately..
It was a lot better when the window board was off. After two weeks the builder put back the window board and plastered. Two days later we are back to square one, almost! Horrible smell is back!
We still have all furniture out of the bedroom. And the door closed and window opened a little most of the time.
The smell is worse some days than others, I have tried it relate it to when it is raining, or to high temperatures, but so far I can see no definite pattern. I am continuing to track it according to weather..
If a rat had died in last week Of May, or early June, in the wall cavity, would it continue to smell?
Can anyone recommend anything. I am thinking of looking for a structural engineer or similar person, who would have cameras to put in the cavities. We have to solve this and get the house back to normal

Thanks to all who have already taken the trouble to reply.
Lucy

Aimeee

Have you tried bringing a dog (terrier or some good rat catching type) into the room? I don't know if there's any point but maybe they would go straight to source, or pinpoint the location? I'm not sure how good they are with dead rodents. I know my own dog didn't let up one time when we had a live mouse visiting.

Sleeper12

Lucyspell wrote: »

The problem has not gone away unfortunately..
It was a lot better when the window board was off. After two weeks the builder put back the window board and plastered. Two days later we are back to square one, almost! Horrible smell is back!
We still have all furniture out of the bedroom. And the door closed and window opened a little most of the time.
The smell is worse some days than others, I have tried it relate it to when it is raining, or to high temperatures, but so far I can see no definite pattern. I am continuing to track it according to weather..
If a rat had died in last week Of May, or early June, in the wall cavity, would it continue to smell?
Can anyone recommend anything. I am thinking of looking for a structural engineer or similar person, who would have cameras to put in the cavities. We have to solve this and get the house back to normal

Thanks to all who have already taken the trouble to reply.
Lucy

I'm not an expert but I'd have thought that a rat smell would go after 2 weeks tops