Is it mildew?

Question

For the last few days my hall by the bathroom has been smelling like a mixture of iron and the outdoors and it very strong during the morning and less strong as the day goes on. I can see some slight water mark on the other side of the wall in the kitchen (no smell or softness found there) but I cannot figure out if the smell is coming from outside and somehow getting into my house (no windows there) or if it's mildew. How can I tell? Is there a specific type of mildew that smells like I described? PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!! The smell is sickningly strong and I don't know how long I can take it.

Answer 1

There is a bacteria that feeds off of iron and releases a foul-smelling gas that meets the conditions you described. This bacteria is found at the site of stagnant water. I suspect you have a long-term plumbing leak inside the wall.

http://www.ngwa.org/pdf/ironbacteriaclipcopy.pdf#search='gallionella%20iron%20bacteria'

I would open up a section of the drywall or plaster in the suspect area to have a look. It may be that you have to call a plumber in for a leak repair, or it may turn out to be a foundation leak. In any event, you'll have to take a look to determine the problem prior to
arriving at any solutions. Make sure that a respirator is worn when the wall is opened up. Better safe than sorry!
Good luck and God bless you.

Answer 2

Bleach in a spray bottle. Ventilate. If that works it was mildew.

Frankly I think you have a dead animal somewhere. At night there isn't much circulation. That's why the smell is so heavy in the morning. You need to find where it is coming from.

Answer 3

sounds like you have water damage somewhere....it could be inside the walls,maybe around your tub ,toilet ,or sink and it could also be worse like your roof. i would check the water stain your talking about and see where its coming from that might be the problem