Why is there a mystery wet dog or sour smell in the house?
An unexplained, lingering odor resembling wet dog, sourness, or sweetcorn transfers unpredictably onto household fabrics in rooms like the bedroom, leaving people unable to trace its source. Because the smell appears in random places despite no obvious cause, it prevents occupants from successfully eliminating it.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1washing couch covers and throws
- 2airing out furniture
- 3spraying with vinegar
- 4changing filters regularly
- 5checking outside by the main unit
- 6using a dehumidifier
- 7scrubbing floors with bleach and odor eliminators
- 8patching exterior foundation cracks
- 9testing for radon
- 10planning to remove old ceiling insulation
- 11Giving the cat a little wash
- 12Getting a vet checkup and running bloodwork
- 13Addressing litter box odors
- 14Opening all the windows while cooking
- 15Leaving windows open
- 16Running an air purifier
- 17Using scent absorber products
- 18Planning to steam mop and burn candles
- 19Recleaning to remove leftover cleaning products
- 20Checking behind or under the refrigerator
- 21Waiting for the smell to dissipate over time
- 22Checking for potential dead animals or decaying landscaping and mulch
- 23Refraining from driving the vehicle until the issue is diagnosed
- 24Inspecting components like the fuel rail and injectors for potential seeping or leaks
- 25emptying and vacuuming the car
- 26cleaning carpets and fabric with a carpet scrubber and upholstery solution
- 27scrubbing floor mats with Dawn and a deck brush
- 28spraying hard surfaces with disinfectant
- 29checking the engine bay and cabin air filter for dead rodents and replacing filters
- 30checking the spare-tire well
- 31spraying Febreze and leaving the windows down
- 32cleaning and then wiping down or rinsing with water
- 33waiting for the cleaner to dry and the smell to fade on its own
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Noticed a really strong urine smell coming from my sixteen year old baby’s head today. Gave her a little wash and it still persisted. Any advice?”source ↗
“Recently, I’ve noticed this really disgusting wet dog/egg-like smell on most of the dishes.”source ↗
“I’ve even tried being extra thorough, but the smell still seems to be there after it dries down a bit.”source ↗
“It’s honestly driving me insane 😭 Has anyone experienced something similar or have any idea what could be causing it? And what can I do to get rid of it?”source ↗
“I just bought a home a month ago and have been noticing a trash-like smell immediately when walking into my house and upon passing the front door landing.”source ↗
“It is not constant and seems to correspond to days with higher humidity.”source ↗
“Will that fresh minty smell go away after it dries?? I can’t use it if it doesn’t.”source ↗
“Google tells me once it dries and finishes the enzymatic process it should be odorless, but I don’t exactly trust that haha”source ↗
“Today we tried to cook some food, and once again the smell was back. It was working, blue fire, sometimes orange here and there, but the smell is horrible.”source ↗
“I could also describe it as maybe like stinky feet, maybe kind of sour.”source ↗
“I've started smelling it in the bedroom somewhere.”source ↗
“I'm just completely at a loss to understand even if it is dog smell why is it happening in seemingly random places.”source ↗
“New Apartment Smells like Pickles?”source ↗
“We’ve tried leaving the windows open, running an air purifier, and using those scent absorber things.”source ↗
“We have one specific section of our basement that smells terrible, and I cannot figure it out.”source ↗
“Thought it was cats peeing, so I walled them out of that area, scrubbed the floors with a bleach mixture, sprayed an odor eliminator all over, and it just smells like it always did a couple weeks later.”source ↗
“Earlier tonight, I started to smell lighter fluid coming from my car.”source ↗
“I don’t use zippos so I definitely know it isn’t from actual lighter fluid.”source ↗
“Currently not driving my car until I figure out the issue.”source ↗
“The pipes under my sink and in the boiler room stink, it’s a horrible smell. It’s very sweet but almost like sweetcorn.”source ↗
“the wet smell is way stronger than the dried smell imo.”source ↗
“So the smell still lingers even after its dried?”source ↗
“At least a month! It’s very on and off. Some days there’s nothing and some days I smell it”source ↗
“Over the past couple of months, only at night about 11.00 pm, we get a smell coming from the vents, sometimes it’s has a slight skunk smell, over times it’s just pongy type smell.”source ↗
“I need help getting rid of an unknow odor in my car.”source ↗
“When I opened the door the smell of something rotting slapped me in the face.”source ↗
“I have searched my car high and low looking for the source of the odor and haven't found anything.”source ↗
“My car still smells.”source ↗
“WHAT SHOULD I DO OR USE next‽ 😫”source ↗