# What is that god-awful smell under my sink?



## charmander (Dec 30, 2003)

I've cleaned and cleaned the area under the sink, I've sprayed it with Lysol I've even sprayed it down with a bleach and water solution several times, but to no avail.....it smells like something crawled behind the wall and died. It literally makes me nauseous to smell it - I just can't open the cupboard door anymore.

DH has taken apart the pipes under the sink and we've even pulled out the dishwasher and cleaned under there, but the smell keeps coming back.

I'm beginning to think that something did crawl behind the wall and die, because I just can't think of any other reason for this rotting, decaying smell.

Anyone else have a similar experience???


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## SleeplessMommy (Jul 16, 2005)

You can try the "gonzo odor remover" available at Home depot/Lowes... that will help with the smell, it takes a few days to work.

Check for the following:
uncapped and empty trap in the basement (we had one hiding behind the furnace) for example from an unused washing machine hookup

water infiltration from the outside of the house, into the kitchen area

improperly vented plumbing

something horrible in the attic (if you have a rancher)

Probably, its "just" a dead mouse (or something bigger?) undernath or behind the cabinets ... yeech


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## Josette Marie (May 13, 2006)

way back when I was a kid we kept smelling a really bad smell in the house. My mom is a super cleaner and we could not figure it out. By and by we figured out that when the freezer in the washroom went on the smell got worse. We found a dead mouse caught in the coils on the back of the freezer...yuck!


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## charmander (Dec 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SleeplessMommy* 
You can try the "gonzo odor remover" available at Home depot/Lowes... that will help with the smell, it takes a few days to work.

Check for the following:
uncapped and empty trap in the basement (we had one hiding behind the furnace) for example from an unused washing machine hookup

water infiltration from the outside of the house, into the kitchen area

improperly vented plumbing

something horrible in the attic (if you have a rancher)

Probably, its "just" a dead mouse (or something bigger?) undernath or behind the cabinets ... yeech

Thank you for for these ideas. We've already checked underneath sink area, from the basement, and couldn't find anything amiss. No smell down there either.

It didn't occur to me to check the attic, but we'll do that.

I think we may need to do a little rooting around outside to see if anything leaking into the kitchen.


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## charmander (Dec 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Josette Marie* 
way back when I was a kid we kept smelling a really bad smell in the house. My mom is a super cleaner and we could not figure it out. By and by we figured out that when the freezer in the washroom went on the smell got worse. We found a dead mouse caught in the coils on the back of the freezer...yuck!

See, that's what I am afraid of. I know it will be dead, but.....still, it just creeps me out if it is indeed a rodent.


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