Suggestions on what could be causing an odd smell?

Question

Here is the situation my son as a really odd adesive type smell in his room, I don't know if it is actually a glue type smell that is what I am reminded of. His bedroom is on the 2nd floor, and underneath his room is just a living room, which doesn't smell at all. We have had the fire department come out and they determined the smell was nothing lethal, and the levels of oxygen in the room are completely normal. We have lived in the house for 13 months and the smell didn't exist this time last year. The odd thing is the smell almost completely goes away when his bedroom window is closed, when the window is open the smell gets really bad. I have went outside his room and I don't smell anything. The only other think I can possible think of is me and my wife did put up a wall paper border, has anyone ever experienced an issue with bad smell from a border?

Just to add, we have completely went through everything in the room. We thought maybe batteries leaking, or my son spilled something, but we could find nothing. I even used a black light to go around the room to check for a spill. I even put my head up in the attic and couldn't smell anything, attic access is in my son's room, so I thought that could be the issue.

Answer 1

Since the smell is worse when the window is open, check the roof vent for your plumbing system. The wind could be bringing in the smell, depending on the direction. If your neighbors are close, look where their vents are also. Good luck.

Answer 2

I don't know the age of your son --so will with hold some of the areas that could be explained. Yes the smell of the glue -paste could cause the smell in the room--strange that it comes in with the window open. I once was ready to throw my daughter out for a bad smell in her room --We checked out item by item and finally found that the smell was from a (new) pr. of shoes. We had to set the shoes on the back deck to rid the room of the bad oder. I think some co. made shoes from leather that was not cured out completely, You can also get a glue like smell from tennis shoes. Sometimes the carpet pad may be glued down with some offensive smelling glue. Like I said --Don't know if your son is a teen-ager or baby--- Some kids are sniffing glue to get a high--Very careful here-- Its can be lethal.

Answer 3

I think everyone else has already listed all of my suggestions.

This is just a couple of quick stories on my son when he was little ( He is 30 now).

One year there was this ghastly smell in his room, I search and searched, after a week or 10 days I finally discovered a Hard boiled Easter egg hidden in his little suitcase with clothes over it. YUCK YUCK AND YUCK. A rotten egg is a nasty thing.

The next nasty one was a petrified hot dog and bun in his toy box, it actually did not smell too bad, just petrified.

The joys of children, aren't they fun?

Answer 4

Seems you need to keep your windows shut to keep smell away