Need Advice on a Stinky Apartment

V.,

I would call the health department as you don't know what exactly the girls are inhaling... not healthy and can cause them some health problems down the line.

Specially if management refuses to take care of the problem.

C.

Don't mask it. Have the manager/owner come and smell it and ask what they will will do about it since the maintenance man thinks it may be sewer problem. Perhaps the whole complete has the problem. You may have to ask for a plumber to come and see if there is a back up that is making sewer gas come back into the apartment.
Good luck.
H.

What the other lady suggested about contacting other tenants and then the landlord is good idea. Having a group effort will likely help persuade the landlord to fix whatever is wrong. There is the possibility that it is just in your daughter's apartment. Could this have been a sewage spill that contaminated the carpeting or floors? Another possibility is the pipes. Best case scenario would be that they just need to be snaked out by a competent plumber, worst case that the pipes are truly compromised and need to be completely replaced. Have your daughter check with the other tenants right away to find out if they have the problem too. Whatever she finds out she should then contact the landlord. Breathing this may not be healthy. Once the source is located and she is sure the land lord is going to fix it she could use fabreeze or similar product rather than a regular air freshener. It neutralizes odors rather than masks them.

Try and casually ask the other tenants if they 'smell' the same problem or have the same problem too.

If it is a problem with the building and/or a sewage problem... it HAS to be fixed, by the building owner.
Then, you have to, in writing, (and document things for your own) tell the building owner of what is going on. You have "tenant rights." And, you should not have to pay for it yourself.

I don't think air fresheners will help, in the long run...because the 'problem' will still be there.

YOu also want to make sure it is not some kind of 'mold' problem, which can also cause a smell, and mold problems are toxic and hazardous. Some buildings have this problem too.

The thing is... you need to get the building owner(s) to find out what the problem is... and then to FIX it, too. Whether or not it is just their apartment or others, the building owner is responsible for fixing it.

Again, document everything... for backing up your side of the issue.

Good luck,
Susan

Is the smell concentrated in one area? If it is, it could be that an animal died in the walls of the apartment, in which case, unless you open up the wall, there isn't anything you can do about it until the animal is done rotting. However, it shouldn't take too long for the smell to go away if this is the case.

Is the smell stronger in one room more than another? Maybe try sprinkleing baking soda down your drains. You should also get ahold of your landlord. Until you can find the soarce of the problem, and even after Scentsy wickless candles smell great, they are wickless so you can leave them on all the time with no fire danger. You can get them at www.scentsy.com/danacarey

If the smell is coming from the drains, I would suggest pouring bleach and hot water down the drain. Also, if possible, boil some water and pour it down the drain first, then the bleach. This will also prevent any build up. I love the charm of an older building and have been doing this for many years. I would also suggest using a water/bleach solution when cleaning up or mopping. If you are uncomfortable using bleach, use lemons instead. Lemons are sometimes are expensive.

I have a friend who owns apartments, once a tenant moves out & leaves a stinky mess, he puts new open large coffee cans in each room. But if this apartment building has a sewage problem, your girls really will not be able to get rid of the order until the initial problem is taken care of.

R. S.
Mother of 3 boys

we have the same problem in our temporary apt that we are at. It is over 30 yrs old and there have been several plumbing repairs made under ground. The sewage smell in our place comes from the drains in the sinks and showers ( sometimes) when this happens, I pour straight bleach down the drain and let it sit for 1/2 hour before running water. It helps, but I have to do it about once a week. If the smell is coming from the outside, then management needs to do some serious plumbing repairs. Good luck!

This is a good time to get to know your neighbors.... Get to the root of the problem.

Is there Mold or mildew? How many units does this sewage problem affect?? Talk to your landlord about continuing problem...

Coffee and Vinegar seem like a great idea from other readers... give landlord the bill for that!!

Good Luck,
M.

It's important to know your rights where rental laws are concerned. I highly recommend that all renters get a copy of their renter rights. In California, there is a rental ombudsman. It helped me when I was a renter. Good luck. A sewage problem (even just a smell) should not be ignored.

I always believe in being up-front and honest with people. Your landlord or building management firm should be the ones to help you. Politely tell them that there seems to be an odor problem that is not temporary and ask for someone to come out and address it. You might also tell them that you talked with building maintenance and share their response. I am sure that they will be helpful and try to resolve the problem for you. If you do not get a satisfactory response, then I would contact other tenants (as a previous poster suggested) and see if this is a whole building problem or a single unit issue. You can then decide if you want to stay and work to get it resolved or find a new place. Good luck.

Hello V.. The problem definitely needs to be addressed, but in the meantime, a bowl of vinegar strategically placed in each room does wonders :) It leaves a somewhat "dusty" smell, for lack of a better word, but eats the immediate odor, which is usually worse than the dusty smell, so it's easier to put up with the vinegar. Good luck to you and your daughter.

Hope it isnt mold in the walls

If the maintaince man said that there was a sewage problem, then your daughter should definitely get in touch with the manager. Your daughter should also take a few notes, such as is there a time of day when the smell is stronger? Is it stronger in one room or another? Is it outside, leaking in? Is there any wetness in any area? Is there any mold or mildew growing? These are all things to discuss with the manager.
We used to live in a place like that - as we found out, there was black mold growing from a leak that had been repaired, but never dried out. The owner had to have people come in, tear out part of the floor, dry it out, and then repair it. Once he did that the smell went away.

I agree with the other advice given too, but an air purifier may be helpful as well. My daughter has pets in her room along with an air purifier. I can tell a (huge)noticible difference if she doensn't keep it on. Perhaps setting it closest to where the smell originates-if you can pinpoint it would cut down on the stinkiness! ;)
Best of luck!

Sounds like the sewer line is leaky or broken. the owners will have to scope it out and repair.
good luck, D.

I had a similar problem. I moved into a not so well maintained building ( i knew this at the time, but its right downtown Toronto, which is difficult to afford usually so I jumped at the opportunity) for years I thought I could smell garbage from the garbage chute which is two doors down. Eventually I was convinced that I was just smelling mold in the walls. I cant say I ever really figured out what the source of smell was, but either way, with the simple purchase of an Air Purifier, problem solved. Wow. I cant say enough about how much this improved my apartment. It smells like clean air, I breathe easier, its less dry. It even gets neutralizes the Glad Plug-ins I had been using before. Which isnt necessarily a great thing because it smells nice, but its a testimate to how well an air purifier takes in and eliminates all odors, not to mention mold, spores, dust. I even have more energy than I had before. I spent $170 dollars on a unit that claims to purify 170 sq feet. My apartment is actually more like 350 square feet, but it worked its magic on every last square foot despite that. Trust me!

Get a couple of Large coffee cans (new with cofee) open them and leave them in a few rooms for a few days. They absorb ordor and then throw them a way. Industrial buildings use them to get rid of smells like from carpetglue or or all kinds of things. It really works.

V., are you aware of air purifiers? I have been using them for over 10 years. Happy to let you know more.
www.healthy-communciations.com

My husband is a contractor and he often works in homes where there are no functioning traps under the sinks (prevents sewer gas from coming back in through waste pipes) or laundry, toilets ect are not vented properly. This means that sewer gases are leaking back into your home. I would call a plumber to check it out and not rely on the super or owner as they may not think it is dangerous-however it is extremely dangerous to live in those gases. It may have also been previous owner's pets urinating into the subfloors which requires removal to get the smell out even tho new flooring has been installed. Gross, eh! Hope that helps!