So, here it is... in all it's hideous, odoriferous glory.
Ok... the WORST odor I have EVER experienced in my house has, unfortunately, occurred SEVERAL times over the last few years.
The first time the bad odor reared its ugly head, I nearly tore our whole house apart, cleaning madly and seeking out the offending odor. Nothing worked. I bleached, disinfected and scrubbed the bathrooms. Nothing. Just bleach and the horrible smell. I wiped down every surface in the kitchen with Clorox wipes. Still no good. I tore through the fridge and tossed containers left and right, hoping the yuck would make its way to the trash and I could just throw it away and be done with it. Nope. Putrid odor still lingering. I cleaned out every crumb in the fridge and every speck off the floor. I disinfected the oven, the microwave, the dishwasher and the sink. Still there. I even started looking in and around the house for something dead and decaying. But I couldn't find ANYTHING!
The wost part was: I couldn't even tell from where the nasty smell was originating! I'd stop in the kitchen and think, "Oh, it's HERE!" Then I'd walk through the den a minute later and think, "Wait, no.... it's stronger in this room. Ha-HAH!" I wandered around the house for literally hours with my nose up or down, in or out, sniffing around like a crazy dog with too many scent trails to follow.
Finally I discovered where the problem was coming from: a ton of old grass clippings left behind (in our HUGE commercial mower, see photo, below) to rot in our small, humid garage.
The garage was right next to the kitchen. Right down the hall from my bedroom. And it was a 1-level house, so the rank permeated its way easily through the nooks and crannies of every room, closet and cabinet. When I finally got the courage to check out the scene close-up (very CSI like, with gloves, mask and all), I opened the hatch just a teensy bit and big clumps of runny, rancid green grass goop threatened to tumble on top of me. It was HORRIBLE! (Thankfully, I have no photos... nor do computers have a way to recreate that smell for you!)
Of course, since we own a lawn business, this uniquely disgusting smell sneaks back into our lives every now and again (due to a forgetful or tired hubby). But at least I know what it is and what to do to get rid of it. NOT knowing the first time around was enough to lock me in a rubber room with a box of not-pointy crayons! ;)
1 comment:
I would have never thought that Grass could have smelled that bad. Who knew?? But I'll definitely keep it in mind!!
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