Here's an odd thing: in the past few days I have noticed an odd smell around here, almost subliminally. Like rotting fruit or something.
I've also noticed a much stronger smell in my refrigerator. But I can't find anything having gone off.
And now I talked to Steve, who lives upstairs and on the other side of the stair well. And he tells me exactly the same thing! He's been trying like mad to track down this smell, up to cleaning his fridge.
I mean it's odd enough that this smell is there (I think I've felt it outside too), but why the heck should it be stronger in a refrigerator, and in two different apartments?
15 comments:
What do dead bodies smell like? How much do you know about your neighbours?
Thanks. I think I can tell the difference by now though.
It kind of made me think of these stories you hear of every now and then, where some hermit-like old guy has died and no one finds out until months later. There was this one guy in Germany whose pension went in electronically and whose debts all came out electronically and automatically, who had no family and no friends, and who never left the apartment. He died and wasn't found for months. This has happened other places. They're true, too, and not urban legends. It's kind of sad, really.
Perhaps the dead body of some creature? Maybe in an air duct?
The temperature having been extremely high the last few days may also have something to do with it.
And humidity has been high, too, in your area? Which would contribute to a better perception of smells. Maybe a farmer has been fertilizing his nearby fields with dung, is there a dumb yard usually located downwind, but a reversing wind started to carry the smell to your house?
There's a point to jd's and ttl's reasoning, too.
Considering sending you a flask of fragrance...M Beep.
You have air ducts in Britain? Must be a new thing.
I was thinking of the traditional leaky sewer pipe in the building somewhere.
Mine and Steve's apartments don't share any walls or floors.
I'm pretty sure it's from outside. I'm just very puzzled that for both Steve and me it has made the fridge smell. Really weird, can't be a coincidence.
My guess (as a New Orleanian post-Katrina, and therefore an expert on humidity): mold or mildew has been exacerbated by the recent increase in humidity in the weather outdoors. Your refrigerators are mildly moldy, probably more so than you realize, to the extent that a tipping point is reached once every few years when the weather is sufficiently hot that older fridges fail to keep their interior temperatures perfectly to thermostat specifications; and when the weather is sufficiently humid that certain hibernating mold spores can gain enough moisture to reconstitute themselves and begin propagating again. The smell will likely go away if you (and all your neighbors with similar fridges and air conditioner units) de-mold your fixtures, or if the weather turns dry enough or cool enough that the exacerbating factors are removed. Or, if the weather remains hot and moist enough for long enough, then perhaps the molds will gain a "foot hold" and will NOT go away even if the weather improves, and you'll at least be able to eventually see them and confirm your suspicions.
Molds and mildews are always there; it's just that most of the time we don't notice them.
You're probably right, I should give the fridge a good cleaning.
Funny though. It was very sudden, both for me and my neighbor. And the weather here (west of Manchester hills) is *always* damp.
PS -- how to de-mold-ify your home. (This doesn't remove long-term dry-resistant spores; just currently active ones. But that's usually enough.) Dress in clothing which can stand bleaching, either because it's so grubby it is ruined or because it is utterly water-proof. Mix 1 part bleach (Javex or Chlorox) with 2 parts water in a spray bottle (preferably one that delivers a fine mist). Spritz all surfaces, especially glossy or semi-glossy paints, tiles, appliances, etc., evenly to the point that all surfaces are slightly or just barely damp. Let sit for a minute. Sponge off (such that later contact with clothing would not ruin clothing). Change clothing. Go out for some fresh air. Not to be performed in a 100%-un-ventilated room for longer than about 5 minutes, but it's not so bad that it's literally toxic. We do this to the exteriors of our houses twice each summer, approximately; and to the bathrooms and kitchens about three times a year. It's just a standard maintenance chore for anyone in a humidity-prone climate, not a big deal. Kind of like planning on evacuating next week for the forthcoming hurricane. Wuddever ... :P
I wonder if I should use bleach *inside* the fridge?
Oh yeah, most definitely clean the inside of your appliances, including the inside of the fridge and freezer. Check your specific product to see if bleach would be a problem, though I can't imagine why it would be. Aside from getting on the food ...
FYI all of you: yesterday the smell outside and in the apartment was gone, and in the fridge it was less. Today it's even gone in the fridge! Remarkable.
Yeah, I'm back here in North America again. :)
Cold air improves the sense of smell; quite a lot IIRC. Perhaps it is/was outside but became easier to notice when the fridge was open.
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