Persistant Smell in Baby's Bedroom

If it is just a "stale" smell, I would try using a fan in the room (if you don't have any plugs left, you can use a small battery-operated fan). We close the door to my daughter's room too and when we don't use a fan, it always smells a little stale in the morning. But if it's a stronger smell, you may have a dead rodent in the attic or somewhere just outside her room (if she's on the first floor) like another poster suggested...

try painting the walls and ceiling with killz primer then a regular latex paint... try a new sealant on the hardwood floors. Seal in whatever the problem is!

First you need to determine what kind of smell it is to pinpoint the problem area. A quick solution until you find the problem are gel scents. They're made by Renuzit. They are adjustable and most don't smell strong at all. Plus they're cheap, at just under $1.

It could be anything, if you didn't paint the room it could be smells stuck in the walls, did the previous owner smoke, is the room off or even over the kitchen? Did you put up new curtians or blinds? Odors stick to everything. I know how frustrated you must be, we had the same problem in our Master Bedroom we ended up tossing all the window treatments and steam cleaning the carpet whatever it was it took care of it!! Good Luck! We also noticed that all smells from the kitchen end upstairs in our sons room. We have to keep the door closed while we're cooking or his whole room smells like our dinner.

I haven't read the rest of the responsed, however, try washing everything with vinager and water. The smell of vinager will disappear after it dries. If it still smells after that, then you have an internal problem. Good luck!

What kind of smell? you can use a dehumidifier for a musty smell, other wise try Gaiam on line they used to carry a product that was for 'Monster smells' It was like an absorbant package.

I was also thinking cat urine... if you can locate the smell and it is urine there is a product called natures remedy that WILL work it is a miracle... but without knowing whatthe smell is you could try baking soda even a mixed together baking soda/bleach solution sprayed on the walls and or floor.

Good Morning S.!

How frustrating to have to spend your time tracking down a "mysterious smell"!! I hope that maybe you can find the source, because that would really help you know how to get rid of it once and for all!!

In the meantime.. how about trying some baking soda to help nutralize the smell and keep the room fresh? If you don't want a scent just get the plain old baking soda and leave the box open somewhere in the room (maybe behind a dresser or under the crib?) or if you would like a little scent Arm&Hammer makes a scented baking soda carpet freshner you can find in the cleaner aisle. (Because you have wood floors, just leave a box open somewhere in the room!)

Hope this helps!!
Peace,
B.

this may be a stupid question but do you keep a diper genie or something like that in the room. we had to get rid of our babies diaper genie because the smell was so bad.

Hi S., I was thinking of the previous owner had a pet that urinated on the hard wood floor, like another mama posted. The previous owners of our house had two cats, and we didn't know it until we bought the house and tore out carpeting!! We had the wood floors sanded and resealed.

Also one other thing, if your daughter takes a milk bottle to bed at night - perhaps some milk leaked out. I had to clean my sons crib with vinegar water. I took the mattress right out and scrubbed the bed inside and out. The floors were cleaned too. Smell her mattress and any other thing she has in her bed too.

Not knowing what it smells like, it is hard to say. But I do know that in my case, the bottles that leaked really made the room stink (and I thought I kept a clean house!!) :)

Good luck. Lisa

what does the smell smell like????

can you get a black light and turn it on at night to see if the previous owner had a pet that urinated on the hardwood floor? can you pinpoint the location? ie wall or floor? first find the area of the smell if it is on the floor you may end up having to remove the wood....you can try vinegar it is a natural clean all....that's all i can think of...

I don't really have any advice on the smell, but I just wanted to let you know that it's not true that oil air fresheners cause fires. You can check it out at www.snopes.com

Hi S. my name is M. and I live in a house that was built in the 1900's w/ add on. I get musty smells in the floors upstairs. My kids are 4 and 7 so what I do is when their not around I use aprox. 2 tbsp. bleach, 4 tbsp. vinegar and some dishsoap water to mop with. Plus we have a 9 mth old puppy that we've had since she was 8 wks, she likes to sneak upstairs and do her thing, trust us when we say vinegar, it takes the mildewy smell out of clothes, rugs etc... Works great on urin smells. When we clean our carpets we put a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the water container and use the allergen reducer carpet cleaning soap from Walmart, I believe that the brand is Great Value, it's cheap but works. Once in a while I'll mist around the rooms with a 1/2 and 1/2 of vinegar water it's cheaper than febreze....

Good Luck to you!!

S.,

After trying the other ideas, hopefully you will find the source of the smell, you can set out a deodorizer.

Baking soda works fairly well, but activated charcoal is even better. Because of the unusual shape there are lots of little nooks and crannies that odors can stick to on the charcoal. You can purchase a small container at a pet store in the fish aisle. Just put the little black crystals into a large pan and set it somewhere in the room.

The new show on HGTV, Food Investigators (or something like that) found that charcoal worked better than baking soda.

Even better, after the charcoal has done it's job, set the pan outside in direct sunlight for a full day and it is ready for another go at the smell. I don't know why the sunlight works, but it does.

We are using this in our house right now because our dogs had an encounter with a skunk over the weekend and brought the smell inside. ICK!

Good luck!

S.,

I am a little concerned about the smell as do you know what is causing it or where it is coming from? Does it smell musty or moldy? My husband and I live in an old house that use to smell every fall and spring when the furnace or air conditioner were not on. We also have had leaks off and on and had some mold issues. Last fall we bought an air-purifier that covers up to 3,000 sq. feet from ECO-Quest Int'l. and it took care of all of the mold and the smells and our family's health improved tremendously in just a few short months after purchase. We all have allergies and/or sinus issues. We liked it so much that we bought a dealership from them and now sell them as part of our home-based business. We have whole house sizes and room sizes and everything in between. One of the best investments that we have ever purchased for this crazy old house that we live in! You can check out our web-site as we are listed in the business section of mamasource. You can also call our 800 number to leave a message and either Rick (my husband) or I (M.) will get back with you. Our purifiers use the same technology that NASA uses and it is space certified, not all companies can claim that honestly. It is pretty amazing if you think about how much those astrounauts breath on each other every minute in the tiny spacecraft. Hope you will at least check us out. Good luck to you and have fun with your little one. I am a mother of three and my baby is now starting 2nd grade this week!!! I miss those "mommy times" as now I am just mom, ha.

M. M.

Hi, S.. You didn't mention what the odor smells like which would help a lot. Before you figure it out leave the door open. All air freshners do is mask the oder and not eliminate it. Denise

S.,
Please avoid using air fresheners and plug-in type scent releasing devices. The University of Washington put out a warning abut 3 or 4 weeks ago about air fresheners and fragrances in laundry products. These are loaded with chemicals that can harm you and your infant. The plug-ins atomize oils and chemicals into fine particles that can get deep into your lungs. Check out Dr. Oz's RealAge.com for tips on how to have a healthier home. It would be much better to get a good quality air purifier, like the Shaklee Air Source to clean the air, not just cover over a smell. Children are getting more and more asthma, and it can often be traced to poor air quality in the home and day care center, where children spend most of their time. To see a really great 18 minute Canadian investigative report on chemicals in household cleaning products, go to www.theglobalsuccessteam.net and click on "Toxic Brew"- this will shock you. Also a good 5 minute clip is at www.therealdirtonclean.com. If you need help finding healthier products to use in your home, check out my Mamasource business "M. Goes Green". You sound like a really wonderful mom who loves being with her kids- good for you!

I saw at Bed, Bath and Beyond by the customer service counter an odor eliminator, its a carton (about the size of a cool whip container), and you just set it out. You could put it up high since this is your baby's room.

Hi S.,

If the other solutions don't work, and I have used most of them at one time or another, you could try having the ducts cleaned. We have had that done a couple of times and it's really surprising what comes out, but it helps a lot. I recommend Steve at Amistee, Inc., ###-###-####.

Good luck.

S.