I moved into my first apartment in August. The apartment is a 3rd floor 2 bedroom apartment and it’s great except one persistent issue that has gotten worse over the last few months.
The master bedroom’s bathroom hasn’t been used in weeks because of a strong smell whose origin seems to be very difficult to locate. The best I can describe it is as a urine smell but slightly different maybe like urine and mildew or something like that. It’s kind of a bitter smell, if that makes sense.
The smell is also present around the air conditioner closet and from outside the apartment on the wall that faces the bathroom. I also noticed a black grime on the vinyl panel on that wall. (Hence my mold fears)
I called maintenance but they essentially said: "This room doesn’t really smell any different than any other room in the house."
I’ve cleaned the bathroom and found the smell to go away for a brief couple of hours and then return harsher.
I’m posting here because the only thing I can think to do other than keep calling maintenance (which I plan to do) is to ask others if they’ve had a similar experience. I want my apartment to be complete.
My only guess as to what it is would be mildew or mold, but I cannot find anything in the bathroom itself. Could it be mold in the walls? How do I go about solving this issue?
Best Answer
There may be several possible sources of the smell. First let's address the mold issue. Generally mold thrives in moist environments. What is the climate where you are at. You may need to run a fan to air out that bathroom for a bit.
Second, sewer and toilet area issues can contribute odors as well. For example, a shower which isn't used may have a trap which has become dry. Sometimes one will hear water running, having higher frequency splashing noise than water in pipes. That may happen with a trap, usually a kind of S curve which blocks gasses from entering the house, from the sewer. That could be a shower or tub, but it could also be a sink. Run some water down every drain, and see if the odor diminishes.
Third, there can be secondary effects. For example, the bottom of the toilet usually has a wax ring. If someone poured hot water down the toilet, it could soften that ring and cause a leak just large enough for sewer gasses. Also, if the toilet were loose in it's setting, that could also permit the development of a crack in the wax ring.
Like toilets, sink drains can also get small leaks, which will permit gas to flow but may not leak visible water.
For a path forward, I would first dry out the bathroom. I would get rid of any visible mold, whether black or light tan. Consider a bathroom cleaning product with a mildewcide in it. The major brands have products like this and you can always call their consumer help line for recommendations. Run the fan to get the room dry, and to reduce the odor. Opening windows may help.
Then run some water into every trap (drain). And then wait and sniff. See if you can identify where and when the odors appear.
Also, is there an apartment above you? If the wall which is on the outside has outlets, do you smell the odor near the outlets?
Lastly, there could be a defect in the plumbing in the wall, or even leaking from another apartment adjacent or above you.