It all started with an unidentifiable unpleasant smell.
My daughter, and to a lesser extent my son, have an acute sense of smell. At least they can smell things that their dad and I can’t. Now, where I’m concerned, that’s easy to understand. My olfactory nerve hasn’t been functioning properly for years and COVID sure didn’t help matters. So while it does work, I wouldn’t say it’s doing the best job right now.
Anyway a few days ago my daughter started complaining about the smell in our bedroom. Even though it hasn’t been a week since the last time we washed all our bedding, my husband took all the blankets that get the most use and rewashed them. He even took the sheet we’ve been using as a curtain down and washed it. He also opened out the windows to air things out.
I kind of assumed it was the curtain/sheet because I don’t think it’s been washed in years. But we also don’t usually open our windows so airing it out could help too.
I was hopeful. I mean, I still couldn’t smell anything.
No such luck.
The very next day both were in my room, working in tandem to determine where it was coming from. They were walking around my room, sniffing.
I’m thinking they’re going to say it is on or around my bed. And then eliminate Xavier or our bedding. (I’ll admit it. I don’t take a bath every single day. I do, however, bathe regularly and it’s not like I go out and about unwashed.) I figured Xavier was the most likely culprit because he has very smelly farts.
After several minutes of sniffing (literally) around our room they easily eliminated the area around our bed. They then focused on the desk and chair. Then they focused on the dresser, or at least the end of the dresser nearest the desk.
Then my daughter started complaining that the smell was “coming and going”. It was while she was complaining about it that I actually got a very brief whiff of this mystery smell. My son said he’d thought it was coming from our vent but it made so sense since the vent was nearest our bed and it wasn’t on that end of the room.
Anyway, in the end, they were unsuccessful in tracking down what is causing that scent. My son now thinks they are going to have to at least completely empty the dresser and move every last thing in that corner by where it was the strongest and scrub everything.
The only actual furniture there is the dresser and the shelf that sits across the top of it. It is a long eight drawer dresser, and the shelf isn’t small either. The hardest part of the whole thing would be the dresser and shelf are crammed full. Not to mention the pile of stuff packed into the corner by that end of the dresser.
It’d take a couple of days just to clear everything besides the furniture out.
None of us feel like taking on that task so they started trying to figure out other options.
My son’s suggestion was to spray some Febreze in here. He at least asked if he could.
No. Not unless I’m not in here and not apt to be for at least an hour. I prefer breathing, and believe it or not, Febreze does have a scent. One that kicks off my allergies and asthma. Spraying Lysol isn’t possible for the same reasons.
As of writing this, they have not yet found the source of the smell or attempted to spray any scent inhibitors. Meaning the mystery hasn’t been solved yet, though I have no doubt my daughter will renew the investigation the next time she is annoyed by that elusive scent.
Had I not gotten that one brief whiff of it, I might assume they were making it up in order to get us to clean our cluttered room. On one hand, I’d love to declutter our room. On the other hand, cleaning it up won’t help.
Seriously. We’ll clean out the closet or clear his desk, or I’ll try to organize my nightstand better, and it’s back to buried in this mess within a day or two.
Most of the clutter is because I’m married to a pack rat, who inherited his tendencies from his pack rat mother and grandmother. (Not all, because I am trying to cram a lot of stuff into a relatively small area.) So, I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle, and it may be years before we figure that elusive smell out.
Maybe I should just abandon my room for a day and them Febreze and Lysol it to death in hopes it will eradicate that order.
Smile. Make the day a brighter day.
