Why Does My House Smell? 4 Unusual Sources of Strange Home Odors

Do you smell something? It smells funny in here… if that sounds like you on any hot day or afternoon in your house – we’ve got something to tell you.

The smell is probably coming from the inside of the house. It could be anything from a gas leak to needing to flush the toilet.

Need some more examples? Learn why does my house smell below.

1. Why Does My House Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

If you’re walking around your house one day and all of a sudden you smell rotten eggs, you need to get out, now. Call the fire department or the police non-emergency number and let them know what’s going on.

Not to scare you, but since natural gas is odorless, companies put a sulfur smell in it to help people identify it.

Most of the time it’s something small – like you left a gas burner on in the kitchen, but it could be deadly. Don’t light any candles or lighters before fixing the problem and airing out the house.

That’s the scariest one on our list, promise – but the most important goes first.

2. Why Does it Smell Like Sewage?

There’s no pleasant way to say this. If your house smells like poop (not the expression, like excrement) you have a plumbing issue. Most of the time, on houses that run on sewer (not a septic tank) this is caused by a bad p-trap.

It’s usually dried out or clogged – one is smellier than the other (in that order). The P-trap is what keeps fumes from the sewer line from entering your home – it’s essentially a water filter.

But that water can evaporate if you’re away from home or don’t use that drain often. Try to run all your drains at least once a week, or once a month at least.

This will keep those p-traps full and make things easier on your nose.

3. Something Smells Fishy

Another slightly scary smell is a fishy smell coming from your home. That fishy smell could be something like an outlet or wire coating melting inside (or on the outside) of your walls.

Look around your house at the outlets. Smells travel, so check where the smell is strongest first, but don’t rule the rest of the house out.

Do your outlets look normal? Do any radiate heat? If you find a problem, call an electrician.

4. Why Does it Smell Like Mold and Must?

If you’ve ever been in a cheap hotel room near the water, you know what mold and must smells like. It’s like a room hasn’t been used in forever, but there’s a salty tinge.

It’s hard to explain.

If you don’t live near water and you’re not suspicious of mold, then it might be coming from your air vents. Those vents suck and push air out all around your house, which means they collect whatever is floating in the air.

Dust, pet hair, allergens – it’s all probably caked up in your vents. You’ll need to call a specialist Vent Doctor to come clean them out.

Other Smells

If you didn’t find the root of your weird smell on this list – check your kids’ room. Kids are known for stuffing weird things places – like a whole bowl of mac n cheese or cereal under their beds.

If that doesn’t tell you why does my house smell, we don’t know what else to suggest. Plug your nose, open the windows, and move on.

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