Weird Smell

need to check ALL electricals in the house...hire an electrician if need be.

my wi-fi modem has a tendency to "smell" like an electrical burn...as did my old Razr phone. 2 weeks ago, I had a strong electrical burn smell with my computer.....scary, scary! My computer went ballistic & did a system recovery all on its own! HP had never seen anything like it, nor had our local repair shop. In the end, tho', what was gone/missing in the a.m......returned by mid-afternoon. & I mean everything was gone....my files, my photos, no internet explorer.....all I had was a prompt to load explorer.

Moving on, the 1st winter we were in our home, I lost power on 1/2 of our great room. When my DH went up in the attic, he was horrified! The lines were twisted together, not wire-nutted. Fire hazard beyond belief! & what upset us the most was that the house had been inspected. Thank goodness, my DH has full electrical skills....he ended up going thru the entire attic!

Oh, & in the last month or so, there was a poster who complained of an odor with her new jeans. I do have a new pair which smell "burned". Maybe it's your clothes....or your clothes dryer. Check it all out, please!!

Time to check out as many burning things as possible:

- Gas Lines
- Heaters
- Heat Vents
- Ducts
- Oven (not just crumbs, but a blackened piece of silverware)
- Toaster
- Fuses
- Wires
- Xmas tree

If you're smelling smoke, there's usually fire (or in this case burning = melting or electricity or smoldering). TRACK down that smell. Rule out EVERYTHING... and then go for your walls.

OMG, I'm not the only one!!! I also get a smoke smell in my head that won't go away. It gets especially bad if I'm around a fireplace or someone smoking. No one else in my house ever smells it. It isn't constant but when it occurs, it will last for a few hours to a day.

This is the 3rd year its happened and its always this time of year. I went to the Dr. and he seemed perplexed but said it was probably part of my seasonal allergies. Our conclusion is possibly that (gross and graphic time) the smell gets into all the gunk in your sinuses and stays there. Taking a steamy shower usually clears it out.

I agree with the others who recommend seeing your Doctor to rule out other causes. I would love to hear what he says.

Please check your electrical sockets, appliance cords and extension cords. It's possible that you have an electrical short that is slowly smoldering, which burns the insulation to the cord and could eventually start a fire. Good luck and happy holidays.

The twisted flourescent bulbs have a smell for awhile when they are in the process of burning out. Used to freak me out 'til I figured out what it was. Check those too if you haven any.

It happened to me once too. Turned out I was pregnant. It subsided and never returned.

Does anyone else smell it? That would be the first question. A while back both my husband and I could smell a burning smell and it turned out to be our lamp. Sometimes I was the only one noticing it but he did too and it took us a long time to find the source! I do agree with Riley's advice for sure. If not, well it seems unlikely that it would be a stroke, but it could be something medical. I have also heard that a lot of people smell oranges right before they pass out, so strange things have happened! Most likely it's nothing and probably started out as a real smell but now you're so obsessed about it you can't stop smelling it, even though it might not be there. If you are truly concerned then go ahead and call your doctor.

This may sound weird, but do you use a flat iron or very hot curling iron? I've noticed a burning smell in my hair occasionally after I've used mine!

I have a reoccuring smell that I smell that seems like garlic to me. I clean the house from top to bottom, don't cook with garlic very often at all, and it makes no sense. But I'm fine. I don't know. Sometimes I think it's over-active imagination. If I see smoking on tv or see someone else do it from a long ways away. I smell it instantly, even when I'm nowhere near smoking.

Hi there- I don't like to be an alarmist, but I think you should talk to your doctor. At age 27, my very healthy twin sister had similar episodes of smelling something burning. She was convinced that something was on fire, but I could never smell it. Subsequently, she began to develop headaches and nausea so we went to the doctor. She was diagnosed that same day with a brain tumor, and had emergency surgery the next day. I don't want to freak you out, and I am sure you are fine, but to be on the safe side please talk to your doctor, as we discovered the smell of something burning is a symptom (albeit a rare symptom) of a brain tumor. My sister is doing fine now but it can't hurt to mention to a doc. Good luck and best wishes.