Bad smell

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Simon curling
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Bad smell

Post by Simon curling »

We let our villa out,the family left on Sunday but our cleaner can't get rid of the smell that is lingering. Our cleaner don't know what the smell is but the whole Villa smells stale so she says. She washed all floors, under the beds, in fact she said she cleaned everything !! Our next arrival is in next Sunday so i live in hope someone on here can give me some ideas please. The family who stayed in the villa never complained about the smell but then again the smell was not present when they arrived as our cleaner would have noticed it the morning they arrived. Any advice please. Thank you
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Lofos-Jan
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Lofos-Jan »

Not really a stale smell but tell her to check the extractor hood if you have a filter type. This sometimes causes a lingering smell and the filter should be changed. Washing machine filters should also be checked along with gunk deposited in sink traps. Failing that - some Febreze!

Jeanne
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
Simon curling
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Simon curling »

Lofos-Jan wrote: Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:33 pm Not really a stale smell but tell her to check the extractor hood if you have a filter type. This sometimes causes a lingering smell and the filter should be changed. Washing machine filters should also be checked along with gunk deposited in sink traps. Failing that - some Febreze!

Jeanne
Thanks for that Jan, i will ask the cleaner to check the the filters in cooker hood and washing machine. I know she did do the sink trap as she put bleach down them and left them to soak in so its not that
Jimgym
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Jimgym »

Also check any unused showers etc. If drains dry out they can smell. Run some water down and it's fine. Maybe be where the smell is?
Last edited by Jimgym on Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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cyprusmax47
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Re: Bad smell

Post by cyprusmax47 »

Sometimes bad smell comes out of unused sinks or toilets from the drains. If there is no more water in the U-bend (under the sink) through evaporation then the smell comes back from cesspit via the drains. I am quite sure it is that!
Jimgym
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Jimgym »

That's what I was trying to say Max, autocorrect however had other ideas!
markwoods39
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Re: Bad smell

Post by markwoods39 »

Hi, i don't think its the u bend as you said you had a family staying so they would have used the toilet and sinks so would have flushed through any stale water. I agree with lofos-Jan try cleaning the filters in the cooker hood ! failing that find a cleaning company who has a fogger they can treat the whole house for you.
WHL
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Re: Bad smell

Post by WHL »

Could it be someone has spilled milk, on furniture/rug etc, happened to us ,milk on a sofa, cleaning it only made it worse, we had to dump the sofa in the end.
markwoods39
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Re: Bad smell

Post by markwoods39 »

WHL wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:44 am Could it be someone has spilled milk, on furniture/rug etc, happened to us ,milk on a sofa, cleaning it only made it worse, we had to dump the sofa in the end.
Thats a good point WHL i wonder if this is the case.
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cyprusmax47
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Re: Bad smell

Post by cyprusmax47 »

markwoods39 wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:32 am Hi, i don't think its the u bend as you said you had a family staying so they would have used the toilet and sinks so would have flushed through any stale water. I agree with lofos-Jan try cleaning the filters in the cooker hood ! failing that find a cleaning company who has a fogger they can treat the whole house for you.
Don't know how big the villa is, perhaps they did not use all the facilities. I remember friends with a large villa had a shower/toilet downstairs for Summer to use it only when pool season is....
Max
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Polemi Dave
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Polemi Dave »

It happened in our holiday cottage a few years back, nothing much worked and the smell finally faded away. The following year the built in oven died and we replaced it, only to find a fairly large mummified bird in the space behind the oven. How it got in when we have fly screen is a mystery. The guests at the time must have noticed it arrive, but never said a word.
Simon curling
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Simon curling »

Thank you all some great ideas to look at i will get our cleaner to check the sofas, toilets, and sinks. Our cleaner is going to the villa tomorrow with a steam cleaner to give the whole villa a good clean. I really hope its not spilled milk on the sofas as they are new ! was not cheap to buy. Mark Woods 39 whats a fogger ? . Just hope by steaming it will solve this bad smell as we got new people arriving on Sunday for a 2 week holiday. ,Thanks again for all your advice
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josef k
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Re: Bad smell

Post by josef k »

You might want to check behind the washing machine. Often the outlet pipe is placed loosely into a larger pipe in the wall. There isn't usually a trap and the sealant used to block the gap between the pipes degrades over time, allowing the drain's smell to escape.
markwoods39
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Re: Bad smell

Post by markwoods39 »

Hi Simon, a fogger is where a machine in placed inside your home and it fogs the whole house out with a disinfectant killing all Bactria inside the home. All your sofa,curtains, walls, ceiling, everything inside the house will be germ free. We have dogs and we do get the doggy smell in our house so we get a chap in every 6 mths or so to fog our house and car, it really works wonders no more doggy smell in our house or car. Not sure if i am allowed to put up a company in the uk that sells these machines so if you want me to send you the link via pm please let me know as i did try and look for a company in CY but cant seem to find anyone in CY doing this !! could be a good start up for someone in CY
trevnhil
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Re: Bad smell

Post by trevnhil »

josef k wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:00 pm You might want to check behind the washing machine. Often the outlet pipe is placed loosely into a larger pipe in the wall. There isn't usually a trap and the sealant used to block the gap between the pipes degrades over time, allowing the drain's smell to escape.
I agree that this can easily happen.. I have installed a Ubend on ours, and resealed the pipe into the wall one..

Trev..
Trev..
Simon curling
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Simon curling »

markwoods39 wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:21 pm Hi Simon, a fogger is where a machine in placed inside your home and it fogs the whole house out with a disinfectant killing all Bactria inside the home. All your sofa,curtains, walls, ceiling, everything inside the house will be germ free. We have dogs and we do get the doggy smell in our house so we get a chap in every 6 mths or so to fog our house and car, it really works wonders no more doggy smell in our house or car. Not sure if i am allowed to put up a company in the uk that sells these machines so if you want me to send you the link via pm please let me know as i did try and look for a company in CY but cant seem to find anyone in CY doing this !! could be a good start up for someone in CY
Yes please Mark Woods 39 can you send me the link please. Our cleaner took her husband to our villa today to try and find out where the smell is coming from before she starts to steam clean tomorrow.... her husband thinks its cooking smells so she is going to replace the filter in the cooker hood and steam some of the villa as we have very high ceilings she wont be able to reach with a steamer without big ladders which she don't have. I will keep all updated on what the smell was once we found out what cause this nasty smell. Thanks for all the advice :)
Adamsnews
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Adamsnews »

Also check the soap drawer on the washing machine. These can easily get clogged up with unused soap powder creating quite a pong after a while.
Simon curling
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Simon curling »

Hi all,the source of the smell is either from cooking or some other air borne smell !. Our cleaner have steamed cleaned as much as they could today the Curtains, half way up the Walls all Flooring the Sofa, Blinds, Mattress, Windows, the smell has been reduced by quite a bit. Clair husband has checked all the points made on this forum as they have been looking on this post as i told them about my posting :)

I would like to say a big thank you to all who have tried to help with suggestions on what the cause might be. What a great forum this is.

Mark Woods 39 i have sent you a private message back, thank you
markwoods39
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Re: Bad smell

Post by markwoods39 »

Got it and you got one back :)
Discopants
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Re: Bad smell

Post by Discopants »

markwoods39 wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:00 pm Got it and you got one back :)
You still keep burnt out cars and fridges in your garden ?
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