strong sweet smell/maple syrup odor/unpleasant

last year

last modified: last year

There is a strong maple syrup/old bad honey, strong sweet smell in my house. I have hardwood floors. It started after heavy rains. It's strongest in the kitchen and living room, but I smell it everywhere. It's so strong that it's making me feel sick and driving me crazy. I smell the same smell in the crawlspace. We had mice last fall, and there are rodent droppings in the crawlspace. Could this be rodent urine? Could it be trichloroethylene (TCE)? Bad groundwater from somewhere? There is no vapor barrier in crawlspace. I cannot stand this smell anymore and am thinking of moving to a hotel. I'm so scared that it's something toxic. What's also odd, is that when I walk by a couple other homes on the street, I smell the same odor from the sidewalk. It's not all the homes, but just a couple. Does anyone have ideas or has anyone experienced this? Thank you for any advice.

Featured Answer

elcieg

last year

last modified: last year

A strong, unpleasant, sweet smell usually is caused by mold, insects of dead rodents. You have a crawl space, so any of the three or all of the three are possibilities. Article to read:

https://www.hunker.com/13420866/how-to-deodorize-a-crawlspace

If not the crawl space, it could be mouse urine in the insulation.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

party_music50
last year
Could it be the sweet smell of formic acid that’s produced by ants?
Isa thanked party_music50
beesneeds
last year
Since you say this started after heavy rains, perhaps get your house checked for leaks and mold growth. While some molds can smell earthy, musty, or rotten some of them are noted to smell sweet.
Isa thanked beesneeds
Related Discussions
Maple Aralias?!
Q
Comments (5)
My ming aralia often smells really mapley. It's not even particularly stressed. Not in great soil and sometimes I let it dry down a little too much (gets a little wilty. It dropped a few lower leaves once) but it's definitely not severely stressed. Now, when I GOT the plant years ago, and didn't know how plants worked, I overwatered it and nearly killed it. THAT made it smell VERY mapley. So I'm thinking maybe a slight maple smell is normal, and if it's stressed it gets a lot more pronounced? Also, as far as I can tell, my delonix regia is also giving off a mapley smell. I'm not sure if that's stressed or not. Apparently, if you grow them as a houseplant, they typically do lose all of their leave sin the winter. It's leafing up again, so who knows.
...See More
Ming Aralia smells like maple syrup?
Q
Comments (1)
Yes, I've noticed that Mings smell faintly of maple syrup when they have decaying foliage or roots. I've never experienced a really strong odor, though. Since your plant was probably overwatered at some point (gnats are a symptom of that) I'd check to make sure there is no root rot.
...See More
Whirlpool fridge smells when running
Q
Comments (7)
Clean the condensate collection tray at bottom of the refrigerator. All brands and models of self-defrosting refrigerators and vertical freezers have them, the melted ice-water must drain away to somewhere. The collected water is evaporated via heat from the compressor. Designs vary. Some are accessible by removing the front toekick grill, others via a removable panel on back. Some trays can be pulled out for cleaning, others are fix-mounted and must be cleaned in-place.
...See More
Smell in attic
Q
Comments (2)
It sounds like some ventilation might help. Maybe when the weather gets a little nicer. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/spray-foam-jobs-lingering-odor-problems
...See More
Isa
Original Author
last year
I hadn't considered an ant issue, that's interesting. There's been no visible ant problem, but I think you're saying maybe there's a nest or something and they're creating that smell.
Isa
Original Author
last year
On the mold idea, I didn't know that mold could smell sweet. It is very odd that I smell it at a few other houses on the block when I'm walking on the sidewalk, which made me think it was somehow groundwater related, but who knows. I know that mold testing can be unreliable, but it's just odd that it's this whole new smell. It's really getting to me.
party_music50
last year
If it’s ants, that would explain the smell after rain - rain makes the ants active here. It would also explain why you smell it near neighboring houses, by the sidewalk, etc.
Isa thanked party_music50
Isa
Original Author
last year
If it is ants in the crawlspace that are making the smell, I am wondering what the best nontoxic way to get rid of the ants/smell? I've rarely seen an ant inside, so it's odd. Wow, I had no idea ants could smell so strong.
party_music50
last year
If it is ants, there are a few different homemade recipes using borax that should work. Do a search — I have successfully used the one made with borax powder, peanut butter, and honey.
Isa thanked party_music50
K R
last year
My friend had this exact smell in an older home they purchased, pulled up all the floor boards/carpet and it was determined to be old pet urine.
Isa thanked K R
Lila S
last year
Does your heater use gas? If so please call your HVAC tomorrow and ask him to check it for you. I think you have either a Freon leak or gas leak. Freon usually causes a sweet smell when it leaks. Let him check if you have an AC coolant leak. Also gas leak from a broken heat exchanger can causes an intense surge smell that masks the rotten egg smell of gas.
Isa thanked Lila S
Isa
Original Author
last year
Thanks, KR. Did your friend smell the odor in their crawlspace as well? I'm curious how/if they got rid of the smell. I'm also curious how they knew it was old pet urine. Sounds like it's the same strong sweet smell, maple syrup and often pungent. We have hardwood floors and I've cleaned them many times. I had thought that maybe it was old rodent urine in the crawlspace and the smell is coming up.
Isa
Original Author
last year
Thanks, Lila. It's definitely not a gas smell and we don't have an AC. We actually don't use the heater at all. Would it still be possible to have the smell from a broken heat exchanger even though we don't use the heater?
Lila S
last year
A furnace left out of use can sometimes acquire condensation. This condensation then accumulates in the heat exchanger, which can cause it to rust and consequently crack.
Do you have a carbon monoxide detector in your house?
Tia
7 months ago
We are having a similar experience. might be the AC, but it also happened after heavy rain. And its been difficult to locate the source.

Did you end up finding out what it was?