If you have a mysterious smell in your house, there could be a number of culprits. Some of these you can tackle yourself; the solution could be as simple as taking out the garbage. For other issues, you will need to call in the expert backup; that mildew smell could be coming from a leak. If there is a pesky odor that you just can’t identify, here are a couple of possible causes to investigate.
Smelly Food
If some forgotten food is hiding out in your closet, lying in the far recesses of your pantry, or clogging up your garbage disposal, then this can quickly permeate your house with a foul smell. You may need to look everywhere, anywhere that a hand can reach.
You can start with all your kitchen cabinets and pantry shelves, but you may have to start looking under beds and in drawers (especially in a child’s room). If the smell is coming from your garbage disposal, do NOT put your hand down to remove the offending food items. Instead, follow these instructions for cleaning your garbage disposal. If the smell of rotten food is coming from your fridge, you may need to clean it out and/or place an open backing soda box inside.
Musty Odors
If your house smells stale, moldy, or dank, then, unfortunately, you may need to start looking for water damage. Look in the cabinet under your kitchen sink to see if the lining is wet or is crinkly. If you see moisture down there, you can turn off the water supply to your sink by turning the knob on the pipes in front of you. Twist to the right. Then you should call a plumber right away. An expert technician can find the source of the leak and fix it. In the meantime, you should not use the sink or dishwasher. The dishwasher uses the same water supply line as your sink.
If the sink cabinet is clear, the next place to search is around the dishwasher. Look into the neighboring cabinets, at the surrounding floor, etc. If you see signs of a leak, turn off the water supply to your dishwasher and sink (as described above) before you call a plumber. If you can tell that the smell is coming from the dishwasher, but that there is no leak, then you can clean out your dishwasher. You can put a cup filled with white vinegar on the top rack, or put two cups of vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher, and then run it. The vinegar smell should only last for around an hour.
If you still cannot find the smell, you should check your fridge if it is one that dispenses ice or water. You can pull out the fridge and look for any signs along the wall or floor that there is a leak. If you do see water damage, then again, you will need to shut off the water supply and call for a plumber. The next place to look would be behind the washing machine. This may not necessarily be coming from a leak. Instead, mold can build up inside of the machine. If this is the case in your situation, then all you need to do is run the washing machine after you’ve poured in two cups of bleach and hot water. When done, keep the door open so fresh air gets in.
Call in the Professionals
If you still cannot find the source of a musty smell, then you should probably call a plumber. Water damage is expensive, and the sooner you catch a leak, the better. Call a Kansas City plumber from A-1 Sewer & Septic Service, Inc. today! No problem is too small or too big for our team to handle. Contact us for your quote.
