Forum: Odor
August 13, 2008
Chemical odor around the Gowanus Canal?
Around lunchtime today, there was a heavy chemical smell in the air around Union and Nevins street. I could smell it as far up as 4th Avenue. It was a sweet small, but nauseating. This is the second time this summer I've smelled the odor in that area. Does anyone know what it is?
May 14, 2008
Park Slope stinks...
at least it will after May 19th, when alternate side is suspended for a few months. Now I'm gonna have slope envy.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/31/19/31_19_long_hot_smelly_summer.html
May 3, 2008
cat smell
2 weeks ago I found a cat (probably stray) sitting in the step well in the entrance under the stoop between the step & the gate. When I approached it ran away but I noticed that the step had a wet spot. Since then I smell a faint urine smell there. How do I get rid of the smell? Is this a problem that may repeat (do cats like these spots)? If so, anything I should do?
April 25, 2008
Exhaust smell on Sackett St
We live on the south side of Sackett Street between Smith and Hoyt (closer to Hoyt)and I was wondering if anyone nearby has noticed a strange exhaust smell coming in through your open windows.
We first noticed the fumes last spring and we just can’t seem to pinpoint the origin. When I mentioned it to a neighbor last night, she said that she has also noticed a fumy smell and had even called someone in to check their gas stove connection.
It seems to come in from the back of the house (through our south-facing windows) and our living room quickly fills up with the very noticeable smell of exhaust. It doesn’t seem to happen every day and the only thing that I can sure of is that it started last spring and we didn’t notice it all winter with the windows closed.
Does anyone have any theories for me?
I briefly wondered if it had anything to do with all of the construction on Bond St but that feels too far away.
February 24, 2008
Smelly New Radiators
We bought two new radiators (Governale - gov-free) back in October but have kept the valves closed because they smell so bad when on. It's a sort of a chemical smell, hard to describe. We've tried to "burn it off" with no luck. We plan to call the manufacturer but are wondering if anyone's had a similar experience or knows what the smell is and how to correct. The radiators have not been painted if that's relevant. Thanks.
February 23, 2008
Strange Odors
I posted about this before, but I'm still stumped. Does anyone have any advice about getting rid of something that smells like rancid cooking odors coming from our closet? We live in a pre-war building in prospect park south.
August 21, 2007
What's that smell?
I live in a brownstone that was duplexed into the basement back in 2000. There is a door to the boiler room at the front end of our renovated hallway that leads to the back rooms off of the garden. When I can home yesterday I experienced a faint smell of urine coming from the front area in the boiler room (gross!). Does anyone out there know what could possibly cause this odor? We have had sewer issues in the past but this is a completely different smell.
I have of course called our maintenance professional to check it out and see if we need professional plumbing assistance, but I thought I would ask all of you out there in brownstone land if you ever encountered this before. Many thank!
*MK
June 21, 2007
Backyard Odor/Large Slates
I am renting a "somewhat" converted store front that has a backyard with a 21 x 20 ft "garden." The dirt was covered in two layers of black plastic, and topped with about a foot or so of gravel. I dug it all up (not. fun.) and then deciede to make a small path of gravel and circle of gravel for my lawn furniture, so that i could eventually plant all around it. The dirt SMELLS a lot. I'm a little freaked out about digging in it since I heard Italina mafioso guys used to use this place as a men's lounge. And then I started to hit slabs of stone, about a foot or so wide and 2 or 3 inches thick. they are pretty much lined up, and point towards this old drainage that I found, that was also built out of the slabs of stone. Any idea if the smell is from the possibility that the slabs are covering a pipe? Any suggestions whatsoever about the smell and why I'd find slabs down there???
May 30, 2007
mildew/basement odor
A few months after we completed a renovation of our townhouse, a mildew-basement type odor has arisen in the back garden floor bathroom and pantry (each are newly built) and a similar, but maybe more sewer-smelling odor outside in the front area on the garden floor, next to the stoop. These odors were not present prior to or during renovation. Cannot find anything in the basement that is uncapped or open, although sometimes has the same smells.
Does anyone have any suggestions about cause and remediation?
May 19, 2007
Spring Awakening- The Smell of Cat Pee
I have some wonderful tenants that I inherited in my wood frame three family. (Closed this winter) However, now that spring has sprung the cat pee odor emanating from their apt. is pretty bad. (They have three cats in a 620sq ft apt.) I'm not too concerned for myself in the short term, but their lease is up soon and if they leave I'm wondering how hard it is to get rid of this smell if they decide to vacate.
Okay, this is a rambling way of asking "how do I get rid of the smell of cat pee and cat essence?