Help! Suddenly Getting This Mucky Fishy Smell In My House!

[DoubleJ 0]

Help!! Think i got about that much close to getting a breakdown everytime i try to source out where the smell come from. i pratically smell everything. even took ladder to smell my cove lightings etc.

Our place is pretty bare now as we havent moved in, not connected to gas even. only have a sofa & lcd in the living room. but recently i noticed this strong pungent mucky fishy smell that comes & goes around the living room. the closest thing to it was the sofa.

My wife concluded her findings to be the sofa, she is saying the non-leather part is smelly. but i dont smell it. so i shifted the sofa into the bedroom. and the smell is still in the living room. and shocking thing is....it moves around!!! sometimes it can be in the living room but you can get smell it sometimes in the kitchen,bedrooms. before i move the sofa it usually concentrated itself in the living room. gosh. i am trying to remain sane in hope anyone can help me with any logical possibilty.

will try to list out some things which i suspect might cause the smell.

1) Paint - not sure if possible,i am using odurless paint even for the ceilings. my place was done painting 2 mths ago & didnt notice any form of smell till now,so not sure if related

2) electrical - smell seems to be stronger at places near any light. but doesnt seems to be coming from any installed lighting when i smell every single one of them. and yes, i smell all the walls & ceiling beside it too. step down the ladder and caught the smell right near it again but just can't pin anything smelling like that at all around the house. arghhh.

3) Sofa - my wife insisted, so i was wondering anyone had a smelly fishy half leather sofa before? can the non-leather or leather part smell so much at all? my sofa was from univonna. felt kinda crazy calling them up stating their sofa smell too so quite reluctant to do it unless someone can tell me leather or PU can smell to such a bad extent.

4) Paranomal - Yes, last explanation when all logic doesnt applies. unit was left vacant by hdb for about 4yrs before we purchased it. it was a matured estate with that one single new unit for sale. and my monitor fickered a few times while i was typing this paragraph.... no la,just pulling your leg. i do belive in paranormal activities thou, but i belive there will always be a logical explanation for everything which i am hoping for here first before i resort to religious methods.

[rolexboy 0]

Maybe it’s the sofa...

Did the smell come when the sofa was delivered?

Could be the leather, foam or other material from the sofa soaked up some water/liqueur?

Any spilled milk, drink food on the sofa b4?

Jus thinking, if the smell is stronger where there’s strong sun light/shine probably it’s the area where some stuffs was left there to dry or something?

It’s strange to have foul air that “moves” around the home…

My hairs are standin as I type this… jus kidding…

[alan26 2]

Help!! Think i got about that much close to getting a breakdown everytime i try to source out where the smell come from. i pratically smell everything. even took ladder to smell my cove lightings etc.

Our place is pretty bare now as we havent moved in, not connected to gas even. only have a sofa & lcd in the living room. but recently i noticed this strong pungent mucky fishy smell that comes & goes around the living room. the closest thing to it was the sofa.

My wife concluded her findings to be the sofa, she is saying the non-leather part is smelly. but i dont smell it. so i shifted the sofa into the bedroom. and the smell is still in the living room. and shocking thing is....it moves around!!! sometimes it can be in the living room but you can get smell it sometimes in the kitchen,bedrooms. before i move the sofa it usually concentrated itself in the living room. gosh. i am trying to remain sane in hope anyone can help me with any logical possibilty.

will try to list out some things which i suspect might cause the smell.

1) Paint - not sure if possible,i am using odurless paint even for the ceilings. my place was done painting 2 mths ago & didnt notice any form of smell till now,so not sure if related

2) electrical - smell seems to be stronger at places near any light. but doesnt seems to be coming from any installed lighting when i smell every single one of them. and yes, i smell all the walls & ceiling beside it too. step down the ladder and caught the smell right near it again but just can't pin anything smelling like that at all around the house. arghhh.

3) Sofa - my wife insisted, so i was wondering anyone had a smelly fishy half leather sofa before? can the non-leather or leather part smell so much at all? my sofa was from univonna. felt kinda crazy calling them up stating their sofa smell too so quite reluctant to do it unless someone can tell me leather or PU can smell to such a bad extent.

4) Paranomal - Yes, last explanation when all logic doesnt applies. unit was left vacant by hdb for about 4yrs before we purchased it. it was a matured estate with that one single new unit for sale. and my monitor fickered a few times while i was typing this paragraph.... no la,just pulling your leg. i do belive in paranormal activities thou, but i belive there will always be a logical explanation for everything which i am hoping for here first before i resort to religious methods.

I would suspect (3) or (4).

For (3) sofa, it would be good if you could thoroughly check if there is any dead rat or cockroaches in it. Sometimes during storage or delivery. Roaches or rat would hide in it after that they can't escape and due to no food and no drink, they died in it. As their body decompose the smell would goes up in the air.

For (4) Paranormal, as u mentioned that your unit is vacant for 4 yrs, it would be surprised if any soul would take over it. But if you got pray the 4 corner before you move in to your house everything should be OK.

If you didn't maybe you could try buy some "KAM BOON HIONG" and smoke your house (every corner of your house even in the toilet)

Please Do that before going out unless you wanna suffocate in it (Close all the window)

It would not only get rid of any pest, some said even spirit. But the bad point is the smell of KAM BOON HIONG would stick to your furniture, clothing instead.

Maybe you should try it. You could buy it from any incense shop.

CHEERS!!!

[DoubleJ 0]

Thanks for the inputs. maybe my wife was right. the PU area tends to be more expose to sunlight,its directly below the downlights too and usually i only leather-care the leather area. maybe some sweat of the workers got stained on the sides while they are working or pushing the sofa around with thier sweaty hands/leg. over time the sweat become mucky yucky smell like unwashed jersy. also after we on the lights the smell slowly become more obvious. hmmm...the only thing is strange is...it move around randomly. but again, carrying the logic over, the sweaty workers might had touched the walls while working on the ceiling/lightings/switches etc. i'll try cleaning the PU area with the leather care too first before calling in religious methods.

*to the ppl whom did religious stuffs like door opening,dong tu,etc for customary or peer pressure's sake, just treat the next few paragraphs like a russell lee book we read during our sec school life.

We preformed a rather religious entry as we knew a vacant unit usually tends to attract 'good friends', no detail was spared and i got help from my aunty whom had help with renowed thai masters as their assistant many times.so if option (4) i not so worry as i am sure i'll have enough help to invite it away.

actually while preforming my opening rites, my aunty did do something that scared us,and yes my hair is standing while i type this.hehe. she suddenly snatch the bowl containing those beans&rice which i was holding to throw around all corners and throw it at one particular corner,outside the window!! i knew she saw good frd liao. wah, we just stood there watch her throwing and shouting at me to throw too. wah,her face really fierce that time,very different from her usual calming smile she carries.

they also clever right. we throw house, they temporary step onto our recess area to avoid the line of fire.haha. later my wife went back to her house to nap and said she keep hearing someone screaming in her dream. scary hor. but as i had my fair share of encounters with them throughout my life, thus its easier for me to accept their possible existence in my place casually. the contractors/suppliers with their Lv~999 taichi power is even scarier for now. but hopefully they can move out peacefully once they find a new place la.

will try KAM BOON HIONG if cleaning up the PU & walls doesnt work. now still ok,dont think the smell can stick to much things ba. whole place only have sofa & carpentery. Beds,curtain etc not in yet.. will hide the sofa in the rooms and block the doors with towels etc.

[alan26 2]

Hi DoubleJ,

After smoke out using KAM BOON HIONG. Maybe u could get some reed diffuser and put it in your living room and other rooms.

Comes in lavender, sandalwood... I'm using it at home too the smell is very pleasant, as good as air freshener. Yesterday saw it selling at suntec, near to carrefour. Maybe you should try it too(one bottle can last 3-4 month). I think they selling at $18.

[DoubleJ 0]

Hi DoubleJ,

After smoke out using KAM BOON HIONG. Maybe u could get some reed diffuser and put it in your living room and other rooms.

Comes in lavender, sandalwood... I'm using it at home too the smell is very pleasant, as good as air freshener. Yesterday saw it selling at suntec, near to carrefour. Maybe you should try it too(one bottle can last 3-4 month). I think they selling at $18.

alritey,thank you. will check that out this coming weekend. kiv how the smell is after applying the leather-care to the PU area. not even sure if it can be applied on PU or not too.keke.

[Topspin 1]

Have you tried Febreeze to remove the odor? It usually works on any odor, even on new musty leather smell unless the leather has been attacked by mold from the inside.

Could the fish smell you described be mistaken for mold smell? Look closely at all your wooden/laminate surfaces. Do you see white mold spots on them? If yes, then they would give out a distinctive and disgusting smell. The smell grows stronger when the air is damp like after a rain.

The smell "moving" could be because the mold smell is strongest in a room with poor ventilation. Open the window, the smell goes away for a while until it accumulates again a few days later.

Another source of "fishy" smell is the laundry basket

Edited May 16, 2009 by Topspin

[apricotbrandy 0]

Thanks for the inputs. maybe my wife was right. the PU area tends to be more expose to sunlight,its directly below the downlights too and usually i only leather-care the leather area. maybe some sweat of the workers got stained on the sides while they are working or pushing the sofa around with thier sweaty hands/leg. over time the sweat become mucky yucky smell like unwashed jersy. also after we on the lights the smell slowly become more obvious. hmmm...the only thing is strange is...it move around randomly. but again, carrying the logic over, the sweaty workers might had touched the walls while working on the ceiling/lightings/switches etc. i'll try cleaning the PU area with the leather care too first before calling in religious methods.

*to the ppl whom did religious stuffs like door opening,dong tu,etc for customary or peer pressure's sake, just treat the next few paragraphs like a russell lee book we read during our sec school life.

We preformed a rather religious entry as we knew a vacant unit usually tends to attract 'good friends', no detail was spared and i got help from my aunty whom had help with renowed thai masters as their assistant many times.so if option (4) i not so worry as i am sure i'll have enough help to invite it away.

actually while preforming my opening rites, my aunty did do something that scared us,and yes my hair is standing while i type this.hehe. she suddenly snatch the bowl containing those beans&rice which i was holding to throw around all corners and throw it at one particular corner,outside the window!! i knew she saw good frd liao. wah, we just stood there watch her throwing and shouting at me to throw too. wah,her face really fierce that time,very different from her usual calming smile she carries.

they also clever right. we throw house, they temporary step onto our recess area to avoid the line of fire.haha. later my wife went back to her house to nap and said she keep hearing someone screaming in her dream. scary hor. but as i had my fair share of encounters with them throughout my life, thus its easier for me to accept their possible existence in my place casually. the contractors/suppliers with their Lv~999 taichi power is even scarier for now. but hopefully they can move out peacefully once they find a new place la.

will try KAM BOON HIONG if cleaning up the PU & walls doesnt work. now still ok,dont think the smell can stick to much things ba. whole place only have sofa & carpentery. Beds,curtain etc not in yet.. will hide the sofa in the rooms and block the doors with towels etc.

Eh.. hello sir! I told you 16238729123 times it's the PU leather right? Seee..... so many ppl support me!

Anyway, I agree with alan26. Please buy me the diffuser.. i like! hehe

[edyna 0]

Thanks for the inputs. maybe my wife was right. the PU area tends to be more expose to sunlight,its directly below the downlights too and usually i only leather-care the leather area. maybe some sweat of the workers got stained on the sides while they are working or pushing the sofa around with thier sweaty hands/leg. over time the sweat become mucky yucky smell like unwashed jersy. also after we on the lights the smell slowly become more obvious. hmmm...the only thing is strange is...it move around randomly. but again, carrying the logic over, the sweaty workers might had touched the walls while working on the ceiling/lightings/switches etc. i'll try cleaning the PU area with the leather care too first before calling in religious methods.

*to the ppl whom did religious stuffs like door opening,dong tu,etc for customary or peer pressure's sake, just treat the next few paragraphs like a russell lee book we read during our sec school life.

We preformed a rather religious entry as we knew a vacant unit usually tends to attract 'good friends', no detail was spared and i got help from my aunty whom had help with renowed thai masters as their assistant many times.so if option (4) i not so worry as i am sure i'll have enough help to invite it away.

actually while preforming my opening rites, my aunty did do something that scared us,and yes my hair is standing while i type this.hehe. she suddenly snatch the bowl containing those beans&rice which i was holding to throw around all corners and throw it at one particular corner,outside the window!! i knew she saw good frd liao. wah, we just stood there watch her throwing and shouting at me to throw too. wah,her face really fierce that time,very different from her usual calming smile she carries.

they also clever right. we throw house, they temporary step onto our recess area to avoid the line of fire.haha. later my wife went back to her house to nap and said she keep hearing someone screaming in her dream. scary hor. but as i had my fair share of encounters with them throughout my life, thus its easier for me to accept their possible existence in my place casually. the contractors/suppliers with their Lv~999 taichi power is even scarier for now. but hopefully they can move out peacefully once they find a new place la.

will try KAM BOON HIONG if cleaning up the PU & walls doesnt work. now still ok,dont think the smell can stick to much things ba. whole place only have sofa & carpentery. Beds,curtain etc not in yet.. will hide the sofa in the rooms and block the doors with towels etc.

omg la..if is becuz of ehem*..hope is not..

anyway..if this smell still stays in your house, u can contact me. I am currently at Pure Science International supplying Optipura Air Purifer. We do servicing to get rid of odours. U can check out the website http://www.optipura.com/ for product information. =D

hope this can help if u still cant get rid of the smell =D

[dean 5]

how to get rid the smell from that the smell from the common room (tenants) spread to living room when u open main door.

[wolflet 1]

how to get rid the smell from that the smell from the common room (tenants) spread to living room when u open main door.

exhaust fan on common room windows to create negative pressure in room so the smells doesnt come into the living room?

[dean 5]

exhaust fan on common room windows to create negative pressure in room so the smells doesnt come into the living room?

what exhaust fan? the smell is the essential oil..

[myqutey 0]

Curtains and carpets can harbour fishy smell too.

By the way, can someone post full ingredients labelled on this Febreeze (have not gone shopping for awhile)! Need to know if it's made from some mutated bacteria or or chemicals. Thanks!

[forgotten 1]

For (4) Paranormal, as u mentioned that your unit is vacant for 4 yrs, it would be surprised if any soul would take over it. CHEERS!!!

Many units in the Sale of Balance Flats Exercises of HDB are either repossessed units (divorcees, people who can't pay housing loan) or old units left vacant for years.

Since these units are priced much cheaper than resale markets, there're always people fighting for them!

Edited September 2, 2010 by forgotten