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I need some advice regarding a new basement room that I moved in recently (in Washington, DC). I share the house with 7 other residents, and lived on the 2nd floor previously. Never had a problem with the 2nd floor (other than mice, but that's a whole other topic).
The previous resident of this room was a smoker and did not take care of himself very well. The room had a musky, BO-ish odor to it when he lived in. When he moved out, he left his dresser (cleaned) and mattress (cleaned slightly; will clean again) along with his bed frame here. Since I have moved in 3 weeks ago, I have smelled the same odor everyday - musky, smelling of BO, sometimes kind of having a rusty odor, sometimes smelling a bit of pee... a combination of bad smells. I got sick the 1st week I lived here, with a cold and cough. I went to California where I was born and raised in a healthy environment, for a week-stay with my family, and healed. I returned 2 nights ago. I haven't gotten sick YET (and hopefully won't), but the smell still has been bothering me badly.
I have tried strong citrus spray, other air sprays, in addition to cleaning my room. Nothing has worked. I'm thinking it's either:
A) The mattress - the one left over from the previous resident - perhaps his BO, along with his smoker's body, had permeated the mattress and caused the smell? I'll buy a mattress cover and see if that helps, along with perhaps using baking soda to clean the mattress
B) I do notice on the wall under my windows, the wall itself is "loose" (when you push on it, it kind of pushes back, if that makes any sense), and I did feel a few soft spots, which could indicate a leak.
There's a dehumidifier in the main hallway, so no feel of dampness here at all. It's quite mystifying and I haven't been able to pinpoint the source of the smell, other than my suspicions above. I do know, however, that it's bugging the heck out of me, and I'm concerned that it's making me sick. Sometimes my throat feels slightly itchy, but other than that, so far this week, I've been OK. I don't think it's mold, but I could be wrong - the landlord claims he had checked for mold and couldn't find any, and there aren't any soft spots (other than under the window sill like mentioned above). I've emailed the landlord already, but I want your insights.
Why did you keep the mattress? I would bet the smell is in it; plus who knows what else. Did you vac it and spray it with Lysol?
As far as the furniture, you may not be able to clean the smell out. I usually wash the whole thing down with Murphy's - inside & out, then I'll let it sit in the sun outside. I would also wash the whole frame.
Are there carpets? If so, they should be cleaned as well.
I've lived in a basement apartment. Smells tend to stay longer. Ditch the mattress. Take any plastics out of the room and rent an industrial ionizer (from a carpet cleaning company or fire remediation company) for a day. Power it on for the length of time they suggest, and leave. The ions attach to any odors and destroy them. They also turn plastics yellow and brittle, kill surface mold, and essentially have the same effect as a few years of aging in sunlight. Once the job is done, let the place air out for an hour or two and the smells should be gone.
That smushy wall propbably has mold behind it. It's soft from water dripping inside it. Also, paint holds smoke odor so you probably need to repaint with an odor-killing paint; ask at the paint store, they'll know what you need.
I had a friend in high school who lived in a basement room--I spent a lot of time in that room and was always getting sick--colds and sore throats, and I link it to that basement room. I think it's a combination of poor air quality (not much ventilation of fresh air), dampness of the basement (possible mold in the air), and probably smoke/other smells from the previous tenant. If you can't move out of the room, which would be my first suggestion, I would get an air purifier. Austin Air is supposed to be a top air purifier.
Next I would get rid of the mattress and get a new mattress. Craig's List probably has some for cheap.
Has there been a test for radon down there, and if so, what were the results?
Third I would try to get as much fresh air down there as possible. I would also clean really well--vacuum and steam clean if there are carpets.
But my first suggestion would be to move out of the room.
Thanks, guys, I've done a bit more investigating, and found a couple other possible sources - in one side of the room, there's a wall pipe that leads up to the ceiling and goes through it. Upon closer inspection (and the smell is really strong in this area), there's a small hole in the ceiling. I've covered it up with tissues and dryer freshner paper for now... another possible source is from the A/C unit, which I have also covered up with foil (it's from the central A/C system). The smell is still somewhat persisent, though. I'm thinking of investing in an air purifier, although I'm not sure if it would do any good. What do you think?
I'm lucky that I can do a sublease (finding someone else who would want to live here, and have them take over my lease, relieving me of any responsibility for the lease). This lease is obviously new, signed just roughly a month ago. My landlord said he would allow subleasing, so if nothing I do improves my situation, I'll move out.
But do you think the air purifier would help? I'm willing to buy a high quality one up to $200.
I think an air purifier would help, but I think moving out would be the best step. Why have this kind of stress in your living situation, which is possibly impacting your health? It sounds like there are a bunch of issues going on at the same time. I'd say an air purifier would be the next best step.
Thanks, guys, I've done a bit more investigating, and found a couple other possible sources - in one side of the room, there's a wall pipe that leads up to the ceiling and goes through it. Upon closer inspection (and the smell is really strong in this area), there's a small hole in the ceiling. I've covered it up with tissues and dryer freshner paper for now... another possible source is from the A/C unit, which I have also covered up with foil (it's from the central A/C system). The smell is still somewhat persisent, though. I'm thinking of investing in an air purifier, although I'm not sure if it would do any good. What do you think?
I'm lucky that I can do a sublease (finding someone else who would want to live here, and have them take over my lease, relieving me of any responsibility for the lease). This lease is obviously new, signed just roughly a month ago. My landlord said he would allow subleasing, so if nothing I do improves my situation, I'll move out.
But do you think the air purifier would help? I'm willing to buy a high quality one up to $200.
My opinion - it should be the landlords job to get the smell out.
So, you can sub lease? What if the person you sub-lease to moves out because of the smell?
GO to the library and get a good book on local tenants rights. You can probably force the landlord to clean up the moisture and mold, or just move out.
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