# It smells awful but only at the top 3 basement steps....



## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

CoconutPete said:


> I have a drain in the floor - one of those that's a big square hole w/ a big one way valve in it where my humidifier drains into, but it looks like it's been dry for weeks.


Maybe a first step would be to cover/block the drain in the floor to see if the smell is coming from there.

BTW, does it smell like sulphur?


----------



## RetiredSoldier (Jan 8, 2010)

Maybe it's a trap that's dried out. The water blocks sewer gases from leaking into the house. That's what caused the smell in my basement until I filled the trap in my drain. You can put a small amount of vegetable oil in to keep the water from evaporating too fast.


----------



## braindead (May 31, 2010)

>>>I have a drain in the floor - one of those that's a big square hole w/ a big one way valve in it where my humidifier drains into, but it looks like it's been dry for weeks.<<<

Thats probably the problem with the sewer smell, if it looks like its been dry, it needs water.


----------



## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Guys I'm sorry... I'm an idiot. Something was going on with one of the reusable shopping bags hanging on a hook at the top of the stairs. Just pitched them all.

My bad!


----------



## bunda3 (Nov 11, 2008)

We have the same thing going on - strange smell at top 3 stairs. We called the nat gas company this morning, but their sniffer machine didn't pick up anything. I just ripped out all the basement ceiling drywall a couple days ago... There are some old fiberglass bats in the band joist bays that are still there, waiting till I buy new rigid foam to pull them out. I'm wondering if they're moldy behind their paper. 

But it's really a strange smell that I can't describe. Not quite faint dead mouse odor... not quite faint old, chronically ill jaundiced person (yes, that's a pretty subjective scent from my childhood, but reminds me of it)... not quite any mold or fungus I've ever smelled... I really wish I knew what it was, but whatever it is, it's new and coincided with (caused by?) a basement demo project that's been cleaned up after. 

Any ideas?


----------



## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

bunda3 said:


> We have the same thing going on - strange smell at top 3 stairs. We called the nat gas company this morning, but their sniffer machine didn't pick up anything. I just ripped out all the basement ceiling drywall a couple days ago... There are some old fiberglass bats in the band joist bays that are still there, waiting till I buy new rigid foam to pull them out. I'm wondering if they're moldy behind their paper.
> 
> But it's really a strange smell that I can't describe. Not quite faint dead mouse odor... not quite faint old, chronically ill jaundiced person (yes, that's a pretty subjective scent from my childhood, but reminds me of it)... not quite any mold or fungus I've ever smelled... I really wish I knew what it was, but whatever it is, it's new and coincided with (caused by?) a basement demo project that's been cleaned up after.
> 
> *Any ideas*?


Any old reusable shopping bags hanging around......:wink::laughing:


----------



## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

Maybe someone dropped a piece of chicken.?


----------



## bunda3 (Nov 11, 2008)

ron45 said:


> Maybe someone dropped a piece of chicken.?


I don't think so, my wife's a clean freak. 

Above that stair well is the attic, and we've heard some skritch scratching up there sometimes late at night, and noticed lots of mouse droppings in the attached garage, which is not finished and the attic trusses are open to it. Perhaps mice or some rodents climb up the walls in the corner (I've seen it happen) and made a nest in the cellulose and died and the odors are seeping through the drywall? 

On the other side of the stairwell ceiling is one of those closets that uses the wedge-shaped space. It kinda has that smell too. 

At this point, I'm wondering if I should call a pest company (sounds expensive). And I really hate the idea of compressing my cellulose, but I suppose it may be compromised already if something's been living in it...

One other thing: we recently in the past few days set a bunch of traps in the garage, and nothing... The droppings have been swept out from around the recycling/garbage area, and they're not accumulating again. Haven't heard the scratching in a week or so... The kids noticed paw marks on the car that parks in the garage, looks at least cat sized (sometimes the wind blows our door open enough for a prowler or possum or something to get in). I'm wondering if a kitty came in and cleaned up some of the rodent issues, but also left some rotting corpses. On the other hand, I would think we'd see some other signs of that - our old house cat wasn't good at being discrete when she made that sort of mess.


----------



## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

bunda3 said:


> Any ideas?



In demo projects one sometimes exposes old mouse nests to the environment. In my mind the smell resembles what you described (and I am familiar with all of them).

Removal or enclosure usually solves the problem. BINs applied to any visible stains will block just about any odor.


----------



## bunda3 (Nov 11, 2008)

Colbyt said:


> In demo projects one sometimes exposes old mouse nests to the environment. In my mind the smell resembles what you described (and I am familiar with all of them).
> 
> Removal or enclosure usually solves the problem. BINs applied to any visible stains will block just about any odor.


I think we figured it out. I sent an email to the wife to get poison. Then I read you're not supposed to do that, so I sent her another one to get traps. She made an executive decision to get poison anyway, and the whole pack got eaten clean. 

I figure something ate it, crawled into the attic and died last week.

The pest experts are right: Don't use poison on mice, you have no idea what little cubby hole they'll crawl into and die.


----------



## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

peanut butter and a few mouse traps work wonders.


----------



## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

bunda3 said:


> I figure something ate it, crawled into the attic and died last week.



BTDT. LOL. Hopefully it is winter there and there were small. Mice dry out reasonably quickly. Squirrel last a while.



> peanut butter and a few mouse traps work wonders.


Amen. The absolute best bait for mice.


----------



## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

Colbyt said:


> BTDT. LOL. Hopefully it is winter there and there were small. Mice dry out reasonably quickly. Squirrel last a while.
> 
> RE: Peanut butter
> Amen. The absolute best bait for mice.


I heard that Tootsie Rolls are the magic bait for mice.


----------



## deebaguru (2 mo ago)

bunda3 said:


> We have the same thing going on - strange smell at top 3 stairs. We called the nat gas company this morning, but their sniffer machine didn't pick up anything. I just ripped out all the basement ceiling drywall a couple days ago... There are some old fiberglass bats in the band joist bays that are still there, waiting till I buy new rigid foam to pull them out. I'm wondering if they're moldy behind their paper. But it's really a strange smell that I can't describe. Not quite faint dead mouse odor... not quite faint old, chronically ill jaundiced person (yes, that's a pretty subjective scent from my childhood, but reminds me of it)... not quite any mold or fungus I've ever smelled... I really wish I knew what it was, but whatever it is, it's new and coincided with (caused by?) a basement demo project that's been cleaned up after. Any ideas?


 Did you find the reason for the smell. We too getting the same


----------



## Matt1963 (5 mo ago)

deebaguru said:


> Did you find the reason for the smell. We too getting the same


7 year old post.....start a new post and state your problems.


----------

