What Causes Attic Odors And Strange Smells
If you've ever opened up your attic access hole, only to
find one of the worst odors you have ever smelled in your whole life,
I've been there too. What causes these horrible smells and what can you
do about them?
Let's start with the cause of these smells, moisture, dirt, mold,
mildew, dead animals, animals that make their home in your attic and the
biggest problem of all is normally poor ventilation.
Poor ventilation is the biggest problem with musty smells in the attic.
These smells are often caused from moisture accumulating in the building
materials over time. If there is enough moisture in the attic, the wood
will start to rot but this wouldn't be a normal situation, unless there
was a roof or water leak.
Roof leaks can cause a constant supply of water to one part of the
attic. This constant supply of water will eventually rot the wood and
damage the ceiling. Water leaks from pipes can provide a steady supply
of water and the situation can attracts termites and mold. Not a good
thing.
One of the worst possible smells or odors in your attic would be a dead
animal. Don't under estimate the size of some of these animals, they
have found dead raccoons, cats, snakes, large birds, squirrels, rats and
mice in some attics. These animals usually enter through damaged access
holes or vent blocks, roof vents, large gaps, holes and even fireplace
chimneys.
Once these animals die, their bodies start to decompose and produce one
horrible odor. Once the body is completely decomposed, the smell usually
goes away if the attic is ventilated properly. These smells can seep
into the homes living area, often creating a room that no one wants to
enter.
Animals that make their home in your attics, often create smells from
urinating and defecating in the areas around their nest. Large birds
like owls can become a problem over time.
Now that we've figured out some of the causes for attic odors and
strange smells, what can we do to prevent this from happening and if
it's already happened, how can we get rid of the smell.
Getting Rid of Horrible Attic Smells