Q&A about finding and getting rid of chemical odors in or near residential buildings.
This article series describes clues, focused on common sources of building chemical smells or chemical-like odors, that any home owner, home inspector, or other investigator can follow in seeking to pinpoint the source of an annoying or obnoxious odor in buildings.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
These questions & answers about finding the source of chemical smells in & around buildings & getting rid of chemical odors were posted originally
at CHEMICAL ODOR SOURCES where you will find a checklist of possible chemical odor sources or causes.
Be sure to check out that list of common "chemical" smell sources.
I currently own and live in a condo and for several months now my wife and I have noticed a very strong smell in one of our bedrooms.
The smell has been strong enough to make it impossible for us to be in that room without the window open and as the smell continued we finally reached out to have the air tested in the bedroom.
We found (having tested 3 times) high level of various VOCs, most prevalently 1,4 dichlorobenzene.
Unfortunately, while we've established something is wrong, none of the air testing companies we used could figure out where it was coming from (not really their specialty).
We'd hoped the building would get involved and spent months dealing with them but things have become more urgent as my wife is pregnant and due in 2 months.
We can't bring a newborn into this environment and so are looking for someone to help us find the source of the contamination (rather than just confirm that it exists). Is this something you can do? If so (or if not, if you don't mind) please get back to me ASAP.
Between waiting too long and the frustration of dealing with various service providers and our own building we are really in a rush to have this resolved. - Anon. 5/31/12
Although there are some (rather pricey) test methods that collect a volume of air or gas to send off for spectrographic analysis, even armed with that lab report we don't necessarily know the odor source without a more careful inspection or perhaps some surface testing of the building.
In these articles on odor cause, source tracking, and remedy, you can start tracking down the cause or source of an odor in one or more of several ways described
at PLASTIC or VINYL DIAGNOSTIC STRATEGIES
I have a heavy, persistent solvent odor in my home from Gel-Gloss (a polish) by TR Industries that has made it uninhabitable. I have tried everything I can find to eliminate it but nothing has helped. Can you advise if you have a solution?
I am requesting your consideration for pro-bono services or assistance.
We have just recently purchased a mobile home, with the intention of selling our now affected home and find ourselves supporting two homes, with the possibility of totally losing our equity in one due to the solvent odor.
We are both senior citizens and my husband is a veteran. Any consideration you can give us would be appreciated.
We are faced with a terrible problem of a heavy and persistent solvent odor in my home.
I used Gel-Gloss brand (by TR Industries) of polish on my tub surround and some laminate counter tops while preparing our house for sale in early May.
It is possible that the chemicals might not have mixed when shaken in the can. The odor is so bad, we can't even go in the house.
I have tried everything I can think of and have cleaned the polished areas countless times to no avail.
I have used ammonia, vinegar, baking soda, industrial grease cutters, Bar-Tenders Friend (like Ajax), Dawn dishwashing liquid, 409, Krud Kutter, good old elbow grease and everything else I could get my hands on. Nothing has helped.
We shampooed the furniture and I put baking soda on the rugs. I have washed the walls, the tub surround and laminate countertops over and over. We have tried opening all the windows, turning on the fans and leaving the air conditioning off for a few days and it was worse.
And with the humidity so high here in Florida, the doors started to warp and we were afraid of mold and mildew developing.
Then we tried the same with the a/c on and it was better because of the cool air but did not fix anything.
I have wood charcoal, charcoal briquettes and activated charcoal in the house, vanilla extract on cotton balls, vinegar in dishes, baking soda on the carpet and furniture, raw onions in dishes, all with and without the windows open.
And the fans are going at all times. I have also tried some commercial odor removers that I found on the internet, such as Smell-eze pouches, and SCOE 10X spray. No luck.
Tomorrow, I am going to try burning a bunch of candles in the house for a few hours and see if that helps. We have run out of options and need to get a professional opinion and some guidance as to what we can do.
I would appreciate your response as soon as possible as the house is uninhabitable at this time.
In addition, I am concerned for our health from exposure to the vapors when we go in there. (We are living elsewhere right now).
I just found your site today and I am hoping you can lead us in the right direction and suggest a remedy or a professional to help us. Thank you so much in advance for your assistance. - P.O.D. 8/9/2013
First you need to remove the prime odor source, the tub or the coating applied to it.
Second you need to air out the home.
After that we may suggest using the smell patch test procedure discussed at InspectAPedia to identify remaining odor reservoirs if necessary.
Watch out: Don't burn candles, scented or otherwise: you are just adding chemicals to the mix.. Adding a scent can sometimes "cover up" an unpleasant odor or can "turn off" your olfactory nerves, but it doesn't remove or correct the problem.
I don't think it is financially feasible for us to remove the tub. We would like to avoid that if at all possible. We have started to air out the house for a few hours at a time when the humidity is at its lowest on the drier days. Someone also suggested to us to put a coating of baking soda and water on the surfaces and let it dry to absorb the solvent.
I tried doing that but used vinegar and baking soda on Saturday when we aired out the house. Is water better?
That didn't seem to work but he said it may take a few times to absorb the chemicals. Do you think that will have any effect? I have not burned any candles and will not per your recommendation
One problem that has me concerned, is that I have developed a cough & some congestion in the past 2 weeks after doing this for 3 months and I am afraid to spend any time in the house now. I'm concerned that I might be doing damage to myself. I have not been using a mask but have been airing it out before going in each time.
I will purchase a vapor mask to go forward if you think that will provide enough protection. If I have inhaled too much already, is there anything I can do to counteract that now? Should I go to a doctor now to be checked?
I see you recommend against ozone treatments.
We do have fans going at all times, but I have looked into large blower fans to air it out. What is the best way to use one. Do we need to seal the house before use or can we just use one fan in and one fan out with two windows open? I would like to use the best approach.
This is a nightmare for me and I am really frightened. I might add that my husband has COPD and he is not able to assist much either.
Thank you so much, it is comforting to know I have someone who is knowledgeable to talk to about this.
Since your earlier message posed that you risked losing the home and your equity in it, by comparison, removing the tub sounded inexpensive.
Alternatively to prove what's needed you could try to isolate that offending bathroom from the rest of the home;
"Absorbing chemicals" is nonsense. It does not work any more than you can vacuum dust from the living room by standing in the kitchen and waving a vacuum cleaner wand in the air. As long as there is an effectively-infinite source of odor molecules, ony by removing or sealing over the source will you stop the odor.
All of the magic bullets, ozone machines, deodorants, cat litter, etc. are just that - magic bullets that will not be effective. And in some cases, chemical interactions between a supposed deodorant and the chemcial source can make matters worse.
For some paints and coatings, an obnoxious outgassing occurs primarily from highly volatile solvents that complete their outgassing after some hours or days; in that case ventilating the home (adding fans to improve air movement is fine) may be all that's needed.
But if a coating was improperly formulated, mixed, or applied, or if it reacted with the surface on which it was applied, that can form a much longer-lived odor source.
For that case, one needs to remove the odor source, or in some cases one can find success by applying another layer of sealant, provided that the next layer itself does not produce a new odor problem and provided that it is chemically compatible with the underlying coating that is the original odor problem.
If you have the product name or container and from it can find the manufacturer's contact information (I'd like this information as well) then it would make perfect sense to contact them to ask for advice. Be sure to avoid pushing the manufacturer into defensive mode by sounding threatening or litigious or they are likely to shift from trying to be helpful to simply stonewalling.
(Sorry this is such a long message, but I wanted to give you the details. I will send you some pictures if you still want them, but it's late, and I will send them separately) Yes, you are correct about removing the tub being less expensive than the alternative and I might consider it if I knew for a fact that was the problem.
But I am pretty sure now it's not the tub surround. I cannot smell it at all when I press my nose against it.
Also, when the bathroom door is closed, the odor is heaviest in the rest of the house than the bathroom. Unfortunately, I had used it on my Formica countertops in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
So I am leaning towards the countertops being the problem. Perhaps they are more porous than the tub surround. This is, by the way, a single-wide mobile home in an RV park, about 400 sq ft.
We continue to air it out when we can but the odor is still very heavy.
I am thinking now that I should get a new can of the Gel-Gloss per your suggestion and re-polish the countertops one room at a time(doing the bathroom first, which has the smallest countertop), making sure that they have enough time to cure before closing up the house again.
Maybe that will soften and remove the old polish, and polish and reseal them, possibly sealing in any remaining odor. Do you think that's worth a try?
I have included some links below for Gel-Gloss specs on TR industries site as you requested and on Amazon with many rave reviews.
TR Industries website: https://store.gel-gloss.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=35
Amazon site with consumer reviews: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LNQ83O/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=#productDetails
I emailed TR Industries on June 8, and Tom Dolson called me to see if he could help. He was courteous and concerned but had no idea how to solve the problem. He suggested using Fantastik to wash everything down (which I did), and keep the fans going.
He said he would talk to the president of TRI to see if he had any suggestions and asked me to keep in touch and let him know how things were going.
I updated him on July 7 to let him know that the situation had gotten no better. I have not heard back from him. His email is tdolson@trindustries.com. The phone number for TR industries is 800-243-3272.
Below are my emails to TRIndustries and Tom Dolson: To: info@trindustries.com Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 10:27 PM Subject: Urgent! Need Your Help, Please!
HELP!!!! I am faced with a terrible problem of a heavy solvent odor in my home. I used your Gel-Gloss polish on my tub surround and some laminate counter tops when cleaning my house about 3 weeks ago. It is possible that the chemicals had separated because it was old and may not have been shaken hard enough.
The odor is so bad, we still can't even go in the house. I have tried everything I can think of to remove it and have cleaned the polished areas countless times to no avail. I have used ammonia, vinegar, baking soda, industrial grease cutters, Bar-Tenders Friend (like Ajax), Dawn dishwashing liquid, 409, Krud Kutter, good old elbow grease and everything else I could get my hands on. Nothing has helped.
I am thinking it could be in the walls, furniture and carpet. We have tried opening all the windows, turning on the fans and leaving the air conditioning off for a few days and it was worse. Then we tried the same with the a/c on and it was better because of the cool air but did not fix anything.
I have tried leaving wood charcoal in the house, vanilla extract on cotton balls, vinegar in dishes, baking soda on the carpet and furniture, all with and without the windows open. As of this moment, we now have all of the above remedies in the house (and I have added activated charcoal in dishes and added standing buckets of water) and have left two windows open.
One to draw in fresh air and a fan in front of the other to blow out the odor, and left the a/c running.
We are running out of options and need to get a professional opinion and some guidance as to what we can do. I would appreciate your response as soon as possible as the house is uninhabitable at this time. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
I wanted to update you on the status of the solvent odor in my home.
It has been over 2 months now, and I still have not gotten any closer to solving this dilemma.
I did try the Fantastic spray and it did nothing. I have since ordered a product that made no promises but did say that their product could get rid of fuel odors, but it did nothing. I still have fans going in the house, the windows are closed, and the exhaust fans are on in the living room ceiling and the bathroom with the a/c set at 72.
Still nothing is working. I have read some opinions on the internet and they say that the only thing that will help is fresh air exchange, which would be great if this was October-March in Florida. But the summer heat and humidity makes this an impossible option.
The doors will swell and the humidity will doom my house to mildew and mold and the odor will destroy my house. It has already eaten into the lacquer on my metal floor vents. I have also read that if the house is closed up for a period of time the odor could stay for months to years, which scares me to no end. I don't know what to do next. I am at a total loss for a solution to this problem.
This is a hazardous situation and I need some professional guidance. Have you talked to your company president yet? Does he have any suggestions for me? I am in serious need of some professional assistance. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Here is an update on what I have done in the past few days...
On Wednesday, I bought a new can of Gel-Gloss and repolished the formica tops in the bedroom only, with the windows open and fans going for about an hour or so. Unfortunately, I have to close the house up before I leave and I was worried about the lack of fresh air.
Today I went back to check on the results and I'm not sure if it was worse, but it certainly was no better. So, we are no further into solving this. I did however put down some patches in each room and we will go back on Tuesday to check on them.
I would have attached some photos of the house with the smell patches in place but I just realized I left my phone at the house so will send them as soon as I retrieve it...
I am afraid that the odor might have permeated the furnishings in the house. I had a comforter that I left on the bed for about a week and today I took it outside and smelled it and it is has a pretty heavy odor. We also took a cushion from one of the chairs and left it in the truck cab to see if the smell is in the truck tomorrow morning. I'll let you know.
Two new developments:
1. I was at the supermarket parking lot on Wednesday, and happened to spot a man from a remediation company for fire and water damage. I talked with him and asked him if he had any suggestions. He was the one who told me to put the cushion in the truck and check for the smell. He said if there was no smell then he would let me use one of their ozonators (air scrubber) for a few days free of charge to see if it helped. Also turns out he does work with my insurance agent, who is a friend of mine. I know you said that ozonators can cause more trouble, but I wonder if it might be worth a try at some point. His website is DryUNow.com,
2. Even more hopeful, I think... I had sent an email to a firm called Bio-World on Aug 9th, and got a response from a [...] who said they have a product called, BioWorld Odor Neutralizer, that has proven effective against fuel oils, etc.
They use the neutralizer in a fogger to contact the molecules of the offending odor. They rent or sell the foggers.
I am going to contact him and check this out further. I do have some concern about using a wet solution in the house, especially through the a/c system and vents. Would that do damage to the system?
Below is [...] email to me with links to his product, and contact information. They have some impressive examples of their work on their website. It sounds more promising than the ozonator and if it works might be fairly quick. If you could give me your opinion, I would really appreciate it. - P. 8/24/13
[Note to Reader from D.D., vendor of a deodorant product]
Sorry to hear about your lingering solvent odor issue. For this type of situation, we recommend using BioWorld Odor Neutralizer (BON), a unique concentrated liquid formulation that eliminates offensive odors at the source. BON has eliminated numerous odor problems for our customers including urine, skunk, fish, asphalt, chemical and paint odors.
To apply BON, we recommend using a handheld fogger such as the F8026 Triple Nozzle Fogger. This fogger has variable flow rate and droplet size options and emits a 20 foot fog of micron sized droplets. The small droplets are able to get into every nook and cranny where odors may still exist.
The fogger can be operated as needed in any area where odors are still a problem.
A dilute solution of BON (5 - 10%) would be used in the drum supply for the fogger to eliminate the odors. Here is a link to BON and fogger information: http://www.bioworldusa.com/industrial/odor-control http://www.bioworldusa.com/industrial/odor-control/foggers-and-equipment#F8026
We suggest that you purchase the following: F8026 Triple Nozzle Fogger = $355.00 O41326 1 liter Odor Neutralizer = $25.95 Subtotal = $380.95 plus shipping
This would give you enough product for several applications.
We also have a 30 day rental option available for the Triple Nozzle Fogger (charge $250 and credit back $150 upon return – net cost of $100). This may be a better option for you.
At your request, we can obtain a shipping quote (need a physical address) and overall cost. We would provide you with the products along with simple instructions. Either fogger option (buy or rent) and BON are currently in stock and can be sent as soon as we receive payment confirmation.
Attached is a credit card order form for your convenience. BioWorld Products Inc 559.651.2042 800.882.0225 www.bioworldusa.com
I agree absolutely that you are on the right track to first isolate the odor source.
Watch out: Spraying or fogging a home with an odor neutralizer, it seems to me, is likely to be effective only for certain classes of problems and probably not the best approach for odor complaints that include a persistent odor source, much less one that has not been identified and encapsulated or removed.
Generally we want to find the source of the chemical, solvent, or other odor, and correct it at the source.
Perhaps I misunderstood your original email that I took to indicate that the re-coated bath tub the odor source issue.
In other cases we've tracked down the odor source by isolating rooms or areas from the rest of the building.
Also you might want to confirm your suspected source by using an odor patch test procedure - it's very easy.
See SMELL PATCH TEST to FIND ODOR SOURCE
Photos of the tub, kitchen counters, product labels would be helpful. And I'm so disappointed that apparently you've not had response that you found more helpful after your queries to the manufacturer. 8/19/13
Finally, a little glimmer of hope.On August 23, I put some smell patch tests in the house on the Formica countertops, the tub surround and the bedroom carpet. Yesterday, we went back, removed the patches, took them outside and smelled them. The only one that I could detect a smell from was the bedroom carpet.
I will recheck the countertops and tub surround just to make sure it was accurate. We did find that the odor had permeated the mattress and box spring, the bed linens, the bathroom linens, and the curtains... and probably all the upholstered furniture.
We put the mattress and box spring outside in the lanai with the lanai windows open and a fan blowing on them. We'll see if the odor has left the mattresses when we go back in. The good news is the odor was erased from the linens after I put them through the washer and dryer.
I have put new patches on the walls, the cabinet door, the wall paper and the sofa.
We will check them in a day or two. We plan to shampoo the carpet and sofas. If you have any suggestions as to the best type of cleaner to use, it would be appreciated. Perhaps we are making some headway. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
As an update, we were finally able to begin leaving a few windows open in the house this week, with the cooler, less humid air. I still believe it is the carpet in the bedroom and my husband would prefer to try to air it out throughly before we commit to replacing it.
So, air it we will. The next step will be to pull it up and put it outside to air out so we can see if that eliminates the odor.
We can put it back down if it works, but we're hoping not to have to do any of that. The odor actually is not as heavy as it used to be but it is definitely there, especially when the house is closed up... at least for me.
But it dissipates much quicker when we open it up than it used to. I have had three other people come into the house and they all said that it just smells extra clean, like a brand new house smell. I don't see it that way, but I'm probably overly sensitive to it by now.
I always get a red flush and irritation on my face from being in the house, that has simmered down, but it still happens.
Question for you: Is it possible that it has permeated the a/c itself, or the material used in the duct work?
Strangely enough, one time when I sealed off the bedroom and closed the vents, there was no odor in the living area the next time I went in.
Another time, I did the same thing and the whole house was invovled again. Doesn't make sense. Our HVAC guy checked out the a/c unit and said he couldn't smell it there or in the house. He was one of the ones that said it just smelled ultra clean.
But as long as it keeps building up when the house is closed up, I can't in good conscience sell it to anyone. So, nearly 6 months down the road, we are still dealing with this. I hope the cooler weather will prove to be advantageous for us. I will keep you informed. - P.O. 10/9/2013
re: I still believe it is the carpet in the bedroom and my husband would prefer to try to air it out throughly before we commit to replacing it IF wall-to-wall carpeting has been soiled by flooding, or if carpet backing or padding were oxidized by ozone treatment, or if carpeting was moldy, the only effective fix is to remove it completely, clean the floor, and install new product.
If the carpet were an area rug, I've had success having such rugs professionally cleaned and dried. re: Is it possible that it has permeated the a/c itself, or the material used in the duct work?
Yes odors and gases can penetrate HVAC ductwork if the ducts are made of fiberglass board or were fiberglass lined; I speculate that also very dirty ductwork is often a harbor or odors in the soil material itself.
About who smells what, while it is very useful to bring in neutral parties as sniffers, perhaps eliminating stress or even individual illness from the equation, individuals' sense of and sensitivity to various odors varies significantly; for this reason I don't ignore an odor complaint by one person living in a building just because another doesn't detect it.
About your own reaction, that's something about which to also check with your doctor.
My inexpert OPINION is that individuals can also become sensitized to particular contaminants, gases or particles, or chemicals such that they then react to very low levels. Sometimes that sensitivity diminishes or stops completely after a period of avoidance.
I currently own and live in a condo and for several months now my wife and I have noticed a very strong smell in one of our bedrooms.
The smell has been strong enough to make it impossible for us to be in that room without the window open and as the smell continued we finally reached out to have the air tested in the bedroom.
We found (having tested 3 times) high level of various VOCs, most prevalently 1,4 dichlorobenzene.
Unfortunately, while we've established something is wrong, none of the air testing companies we used could figure out where it was coming from (not really their specialty).
We'd hoped the building would get involved and spent months dealing with them but things have become more urgent as my wife is pregnant and due in 2 months.
We can't bring a newborn into this environment and so are looking for someone to help us find the source of the contamination (rather than just confirm that it exists). Is this something you can do?
If so (or if not, if you don't mind) please get back to me ASAP. Between waiting too long and the frustration of dealing with various service providers and our own building we are really in a rush to have this resolved. - Anon. 5/31/12
You may have already read that dichlorobenzene is often used in pesticides, mothballs
disinfectants, and deodorants. If you are confident that your tests identifying this chemical were accurate AND that it is most likely the chief or only contaminant present, those uses may help suggest how to track down the actual odor source.
The fact that the odor is traced particularly to one bedroom will be helpful, but depending on what we think has happened in your home, I'd suggest being cautious in concluding that the risks are only in that area. For example, if the odor is due to use of a pesticide, it would more commonly have been applied in multiple areas.
I am desperate for your help. On your web page there is mention of neighbors cooking drugs in a section titled "question:chemical odors,air fresheners, ozone,secondary air pollutant hazards; i can't pin down the source of a chemical odor in my house." this is a big problem in the apartments where i live too.
However my sister who is disabled with m.S. Has severe reactions to these smells.
She moved from here to a house in a "nice" place. To make it short - her neighbors are probably cooking a drug called spice and the odors are making her extremely ill. (racing heart, nausea, burning eyes etc). The big problem is few people are there in the middle of the night when it happens.
Her aide called me and said she can smell it.
The fire dept and police want her to prove it before they will do anything.
Her landlord thinks she is nuts.
I know her to be on target with all of the terrible drug smells from this place and we tried to get her out of it. If you have any advice or devices please contact me. I am afraid she will end up in the hospital and no one will help her at all. My e-mail is [redacted] i am home in the am and work in the aft. & evening. Thank you for putting this info online. I look forward to talking to someone soon.
Oh i also bought her detectors recommended by the fire dept(riddick- i think) and they go off at 22 which is high and still nothing can be done until we prove something. - M.B.
Dear M.B.
I'd like to assist you as much as possible but unfortunately, other than giving well-organized advice on odor tracking procedures, I'm not confident that an email or telephone consult is the best approach to tracking down an odor source in a remote building.
I find that in just about 100% of the cases I've investigated, an expert, on-site, will always find important evidence that a less experience person doesn't notice and thus doesn't think to report to a remote consultant by phone or email.
I'm doubtful that the "detectors" you purchase are suitable for detecting chemical odors or odor sources.
Typically the detectors recommended by a fire department will be smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors. Both of those are devices that you and family members should have properly installed and working wherever you live, for fire and carbon monoxide hazard safety, but these devoces are not intended for nor useful for tracking down chemical contaminants.
If your wish is to try tracking down the odor problem yourselves these two articles should be helpful
Your other options include
- ask your local health department for help
- hire an expert - if so make sure (by asking) it's someone who actually has expertise and experience in odor diagnosis and cure, not a general-practitioner hygienist or home inspector who may lack that expertise.
Something I'd avoid is paying someone to just stop by to perform a specific chemical, gas, or air test - it's too much like shooting in the dark and is at too much risk of giving a false negative result.
...
Continue reading at CHEMICAL ODOR SOURCES - a checklist of common sources of chemical-related odors in buildings, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see CHEMICAL ODOR SOURCE CHECKLIST FAQs-2 - more-recent Q&A about tracking down & curing chemical smells
Or see these
CHEMICAL ODOR SOURCE CHECKLIST FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.
Search the InspectApedia website
Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.
Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.