kat_ross wrote:
For the last few months I have been experiencing a very bad smell on the third floor of my house. I smell it in the evenings, a couple of times a week, and it lasts for about 4-5 hours. At first I thought my neighbors were cooking something with a very strong/overpowering spice, but now I am not so sure that it is food, because it isn't appetizing at all. It is very hard to describe. And, the couple of times that I have asked my parents to come up to the attic to see of they smell it, they haven't been able to smell anything!
It is so strong to me, that it makes me nauseous and even makes my throat burn sometimes. Is it possible that I just have a more sensitive sense of smell than everyone else in my family?
Also, I have heard that some people are able to smell certain types of mold more easily than others. My only other idea is that perhaps one of the closets up here has mold or something, although I can't see anything that looks like mold anywhere. This has become very annoying, because the attic is my safe haven from all other sensory triggers, and now I can't even breathe through my nose when i'm up there!
Has anyone else here ever been able to smell something that no one else could? Or am i really nuts?
You have a few interesting suggestions here I see.
On a serious note I have had a similar problem. I am very sensitive to many cosmetics and household cleaning chemicals. If the bottle of a particular product is opened in another room 20 feet away I can smell it. The smell to me is very strong, though others don't notice it.
I react to these chemicals with a persistant cough nausea fatigue and itchy eyes. Two of the main culprits for me are. Aluminium Chlorohydrate, found in anti perspirants and Benzalkonium Chloride, found in disinfectants. If I am exposed to these I will cough for several hours afterwards.
Google the MSDS for these and see. So check to see if someone is using cleaning products, or perhaps surface insecticides in or around your third floor. I can't even have bottles containing these in the house, I will smell it.