Weird Apartment smell?

Question

Hi,I have a really weird smell in my apartment. I moved in in June, and noticed the smell as soon as i walked into my two story apartment complex (its not just my apartment that smells). Anyways, i would not say that the smell really stinks, but it is noticeable, especially when i am not at home, and at a friends and i can smell this apartment smell in my clothes. I can sometimes come home from work and smell this weird 'home' smell. Anyways, i have no idea how to get rid of it. I have cleaned my apartment , and used carpet deoderizers which did absolutely nothing. Most of the time i dont notice the smell, but its there, and I really don't like this smell. Any help regarding this matter will be appreciated. THANKS!!!

Answer 1

If it is a musty smell, there may be mold and mildew somewhere. It could also be a smell coming from the padding under the carpet. If an animal was there in the past, and had accidents on the carpet and they didn't change it, that may be where it is coming from. Even steam cleaning won't take out the smell. And it could be in the baseboards as well, which will smell forever until they change the baseboards.

Answer 2

It's hard to say without smelling it, but generally, smells tend to originate in carpeting or in the building itself (as in cases where there is moisture that causes mold to form and wood to decay).     If you can afford to get the carpets steam cleaned, that might to the trick.  

If that doesn't help, or if you want to explore further before spending $$ getting carpeting cleaned, you could try sniffing around in places where pipes come through walls, or around electrical outlets, heating vents, etc.   Even outside the building, around any crawl-space vents or utility passages.

If all else fails, maybe try to find someone who's been around smelly buidings, or someone like a chemist or a biologist or just someone who's knowledgeable about a lot of stuff.   If they can get you pointed in the right direction, it will help you get this fixed.

Answer 3

I'd find the source and spray some air freshener and some 20 Mule team borax on your clothes. If the freshener doesn't work, sprinkle some baby powder in the source. Ity should help!