Sev'l months ago I installed some pressed-wood shelving in my bedroom closet. I purchased these shelves at Home Depot. Within the last month, however, the shelves developed an extremely bitter, pungent odor -- unlike anything I've ever encountered -- which then spread to my clothing. All my clothes now stink! I put two coats of oil-based "Kilz" paint on all sides of the shelves but the stink persisted, so the shelves are no longer in my house and I plan to install plywood (not pressed-wood) shelves instead. In the meantime, however, my clothes still stink so bad that after wearing them for a few hours, I am sick to my stomach from the odor. I'm a tall guy (6'6") and cannot just go out and buy new clothes; I have to order all my clothes online and must pay about 50% more for my clothing than average-sized men. I found Nok-Out while doing an online search. I ordered a gallon of this product from a distributor in Louisiana but have not yet received it, so I have no idea if it will eliminate these terrible odors. In the meantime, I tried every other odor-fighting product that I could find at retail stores. I also took about ten items to a dry cleaners. They came back nice and pressed and pretty, but the stink was un-changed. I'm posting this message not just to warn people about buying pressed wood products, but also with the hope that someone can recommend an alternative to Nok-Out in case it doesn't work. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

We started using our new Bosch dishwasher in July and had the same issue. I was dismayed at the smell esp since I've had several friends who highly recommended this product and never had this issue. AND it was brand new. I called Bosch (their customer call center's the worst), aside from being dismissive/rude, they were pretty useless. Then I called Yale, the appliance store where we bought our dishwasher (still had a warranty). Very knowledgeable service person came - he's worked with dishwashers old and new. He said the smell can be a result of several minor factors. And he was right, after these adjustments, we now are odor free. Thought I'd share if this will help others who find this post: 1) Ensure the drain hose is properly installed (ours was ok per service person but this is a common cause) 2) Ensure your H20 is hot when you run the dishwasher. In our case, it takes a while for the water to heat up so he advised us to run the tap till the H20 gets hot. He said that the dishwasher will heat up the H20 but still better to run the tap since the Bosch does not use much water. 3) Do not use too much dishwashing liquid - he recommends just a 3rd of the capacity. The Bosch (SHX45Po5UC)'self computes' load. He said putting too much dishwashing liquid vs not enough hot water messes it up. 4) Do not rinse dishes. He says the high efficiency dishwashers works better with just the right amt of hot water, not too much dishwashing liquid and "dirt" to work with. Just scrape off big pieces of food that wont dissolve (i.e., big seeds, etc) - leave grease, oil, sauces, small bits of food on. 5) We dont run the dishwasher everyday (unlike our friends who have the same product). He recommends just leaving the door ajar (do not click it closed)so there's circulation. The high efficiency dishwasher seals tight so with all other factors exacerbates smell issues. 6) To remove the smell, he popped in an Affresh tablet. He thinks vinegar works just as well and run the tap to hot before running the dishwasher on its highest setting. After doing all these small adjustments above, the Bosch now works as advertised. I think we learned the hard way that we cant assume that we can use this dishwasher the same way we used our Frigidaire dishwasher (in our previous home) or our Kitchenaid dishwasher (7 yr old model prior to our renovation) Without this issue, it is a great high efficiency dishwasher which cleans extremely well. I have always pre-rinsed my dishes before (and was very doubtful of the service person's advice esp in tandem with the advice to reduce detergent use) but the Bosch has been a virtuoso with really oily or heavily soiled dishes. Hope this helps others.

Well, some basics from my understanding and experience... not a professional. One purpose of a trap is to prevent normal gas from the sewer from wafting up into the house; if there is nothing blocking the gas, it will... the trap should be filled with water, thus fulfilling the job. If a drain is not used, it will dry up eventually and thus allow gas to flow freely- smells bad, not safe or healthy. We had (I don't know all the technical words) a house trap that was at the point of exit from the house that allowed access to the drain line, and the cap popped off (was not set back correctly by a plumber) and a terrible odor was wafting (I like that work) throughout the house, was difficult to locate where it was coming from. I had the whole fire dept (told them it smelled like gas;-) there investigating... lots of cute rescue-type men in cute fire gear ;->... they determined it was sewer gas and firmly tapped the cap back on, and voila, smell gone. bodica has a good point, although I would think there would be some moisture leaking as well as gas if the seal is not intact. Again, the wax seal is after the toilet trap, thus gas could flow freely. Check all drains in that room- any sinks, shower/tubs, etc for either "dry" or break in the line. As far as the septic is concerned (had to learn all about them when we bought our current home with a failed septic), it should not be an issue if this is occurring in only one area- a failed septic will show itself either in the clogged leach field, backing up, slow drains, etc. The type of system you describe- pump-up- just means that the tank is likely on higher ground than the drain, and needs to be actively pumped into the tank. If that were not functioning, the problem would be similar to a failing system, with back-up on the lower floors first. Not likely what she seems to be experiencing. If the smell is detectable in ANY other part of the house, perhaps it is just collecting in that bathroom? Could it be coming up through the walls? Is the drain line located below that bathroom? that it may just be drifting to that high space? Hope this gives you some things to investigate. Try posting on the plumbing forum, they have been most helpful.

Premature posting. I wanted to add more to the above post before I submitted it. The "U" part of the trap is what holds water. If you look down the drain you might be able to see a portion of the pool of water that is held in the trap. The odor could also be hair and oil conglomeration that has been brewing in the waste pipe for a while. Hair from your head, oils from shampoos, conditioners, and soaps. I've snaked some waste pipes and had slugs of "stuff" several feet long come sliding out of the waste pipe. Ugh. On occasion I have seen vent pipes on the roof plugged up. Anything from bird nests to frost build up during cold weather. If the house is on a slab, an area about 18" square around the proposed drain location is normally boxed out. No concrete is poured in the boxed out area when the slab is poured. The drain pipe is piped into that box. Later the plumber can come in and set the trap in the boxed out area, then fill the boxed area as the shower pan is built. So...it could be a dry trap caused from lack of use/evaporation. That's the most common in a seldom used bath. It could be a blocked vent pipe. If your vent pipe is blocked, sometimes water sent down a drain in one part of the house can cause that same trap or a trap in another part of the house to siphon dry. An indication of that problem might show itself when you flush a toilet upstairs and see the water in a downstairs toilet bowl shimmer or bubble. Upstairs laundry can cause that as well. Siphoning can also be from the horizontal pipe extending off your shower's drain being too far from the vertical pipe that vents the shower. It could be a hair ball that's been smoldering on the pipes for a while. Do you get a good pull from your exhaust fan? When it's running, is there enough suction to hold a paper towel or a section of toilet paper up against the grill? Mongo