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Old 06-11-2008, 06:05 PM
 
9,294 posts, read 16,576,057 times
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We moved into our house a couple of months ago and there were cardboard boxes in the basement. Even though they didn't smell, we were getting a musty odor which traveled through the vents. We unpacked all the boxes and moved the items into plastic containers; no more odor.
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Old 06-11-2008, 06:17 PM
 
2,222 posts, read 10,617,550 times
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BED BUGS!!!

"A heavily infested room may have a characteristic musty or sweet odor like the scent of fresh red raspberries or coriander; however, the odor may not be obvious.


Bed bugs feed every 3 to 5 days and must feed at least once to develop to the next stage and to reproduce. They often void while feeding, leaving telltale rusty or tarry spots on sheets and in hiding places. Bed bugs can survive for 1 to 7 months without a blood meal and have been known to live in an abandoned house for as long as a year. They give off a distinctive musty, sweet odor often likened to ripe red raspberries or coriander.

Bed bugs will readily travel 10 to 15 feet to feed but have been observed traveling more than 100 feet from their established harborage to feed on a host. Once established, infestations can spread rapidly to adjoining rooms or units through crawl spaces, wall voids and electrical and plumbing conduits. Adept hitchhikers, bed bugs can easily enter your home on clothing, bedding, luggage, used furniture, cardboard boxes, etc. They can be brought home from a hotel stay or by sitting in a car, cab, bus, train or plane recently inhabited by an infested person."


READ THIS:
Buyer Beware: Bed Bugs Can Squash Real Estate Deals
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Old 06-11-2008, 09:51 PM
 
Location: South Dakota
733 posts, read 4,642,448 times
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How about you just open the windows and air the place out? If you just moved in there's a distinct possibility it's been closed up long enough to get "stale." IMHO a good airing could solve a lot of the "interior pollution" problems we hear about. Just my own thoughts...for what they're worth.
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Old 06-11-2008, 10:29 PM
 
11,944 posts, read 14,724,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monkeygorilla View Post
Does anyone have any idea what might be causing a strange musty sweet smell in our house? My husband barely notices it, but its driving me crazy!!!! Thanks.
I think you might have some hippies with too much patchouli on hiding out in your basement.
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Old 06-11-2008, 10:57 PM
 
23,509 posts, read 69,890,838 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth56 View Post
BED BUGS!!!

"A heavily infested room may have a characteristic musty or sweet odor like the scent of fresh red raspberries or coriander; however, the odor may not be obvious.


Bed bugs feed every 3 to 5 days and must feed at least once to develop to the next stage and to reproduce. They often void while feeding, leaving telltale rusty or tarry spots on sheets and in hiding places. Bed bugs can survive for 1 to 7 months without a blood meal and have been known to live in an abandoned house for as long as a year. They give off a distinctive musty, sweet odor often likened to ripe red raspberries or coriander.

Bed bugs will readily travel 10 to 15 feet to feed but have been observed traveling more than 100 feet from their established harborage to feed on a host. Once established, infestations can spread rapidly to adjoining rooms or units through crawl spaces, wall voids and electrical and plumbing conduits. Adept hitchhikers, bed bugs can easily enter your home on clothing, bedding, luggage, used furniture, cardboard boxes, etc. They can be brought home from a hotel stay or by sitting in a car, cab, bus, train or plane recently inhabited by an infested person."


READ THIS:
Buyer Beware: Bed Bugs Can Squash Real Estate Deals
Oh yeah! Nice catch. I had forgotten about those. If they are around, you likely will have little red welts, have a hard time sleeping at night but be able to sleep in the day, and be itching. Strange creatures. Had a battle with them in the 1970s, don't care to repeat it. I'm not sure they are even killable anymore, what with the reduction in the availability of strong insecticides.
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Old 06-12-2008, 12:37 AM
 
Location: northeast US
739 posts, read 2,175,694 times
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I would go with the dead mouse concept up to about a month or 6 weeks. After that, it's something else.
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Old 06-12-2008, 03:10 AM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,673 posts, read 14,140,526 times
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How old is the house? We had that in our 100+ year old house, mostly in the attic. We just had our cedar shake roof taken off, down to nothing, got new underlayment, and new roofing shingles.....now, no more strange odor.
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Old 06-12-2008, 06:05 AM
 
Location: Pocono Mts.
9,480 posts, read 12,071,921 times
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It sounds to me as though you may have a mold/mildew problem. sometimes mold can't be seen, but can be smelled. It has a musty odor that you describe. Google mold specialist with the name of your town, and get your home tested. Some molds are toxic, most cause allergies in humans and animals.
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:31 AM
 
29,939 posts, read 39,319,301 times
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Check relative humidity in the basement above 55% will require something like a dehumidifier.

Do you have a heat pump? They are notorious for dirty sock syndrome.
Clean Up Your Customers' Dirty Socks
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Old 08-27-2008, 04:37 PM
 
1 posts, read 65,413 times
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Did you ever figure out what your musty/sweet odor was? I am having a similar issue.. it's almost a yeasty smell. I've gone so far as to try putting bleach in the rinse water when I clean the carpets and it doesn't work.

The odd thing for me is that it's only really noticeable in the summer/hot months. During the winter, it's gone. I live in Richmond, VA if that helps.

AARGH!!!
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