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Kitt
Member
09-06-2000
| Sunday, November 07, 2004 - 11:58 pm
Draheid, thank you so much!!! I've just tried it and it worked perfectly! I've spent loads on that foamy drain cleaner and nothing made any difference, then that fixed it in five minutes. Thanks again for taking the time to help Draheid (and Freckled too!).
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 11:55 am
Question -- any idea what a smell that's sorta like a hair perm might be in a house? For the past 2 days dh and I have smelled something chemical-ish in our upstairs hallway and master bedroom. It sorta smells like a perm -- mildly sulfuric. I've checked in all the bathroom cabinets to see if anything like hydrogen peroxide or something else might have spilled, and all seems secure. We have a gas fireplace & stove downstairs, but we've checked them and they all seem OK and it doesn't smell around them or at all downstairs. I'm baffled, and I thought maybe someone might say, "Hey, when you smell that sulfuric perm smell, it might be...____!" I'm hestitant to ask our building manager, because I'm afraid it's something dumb I've done... We're in a townhouse, and there is no one living above us. We do have a neighbor next door who has just moved in ... (dunno? maybe they're doing some sort of weird paint thing or something...?)
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Kitt
Member
09-06-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 12:35 pm
I searched for "sulfur smell" on Google and there are a lot of people saying their hot water smells of sulfur, or that it comes in through their hot air vents - would that be the case for you? If so, most of them seem to suggest either having your water system shock-chlorinated or having the vents cleaned to get rid of any bacteria buildup. http://www.bobvila.com/wwwboard/messages/59975.html It might be worth checking with your new neighbour to see if they're up to something first though!
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 12:44 pm
Thanks, Kitt. We have electrical baseboard heat, so I don't know if it'd be that, but I appreciate you looking that up for me. I think I will check with the neighbor.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 12:56 pm
If it's not the neighbor you may want to ask the manager. Maybe they are doing something to the apartment above you that could be the cause of the smell.
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 1:05 pm
we used to get that smell when we lived in the apartment, and it was the pipes in the shower and toilet leading to the sewer. we had to have them cleaned out by the roto-rooter guy.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 1:12 pm
I guess I'll ask the building manager to check it out. There's no one above us (and a concrete parking garage below us), so it's either something wrong with our pipes, etc., or it's the next door neighbor. Thank you for all who have offered their great suggestions so far, and those who still might have some more good ideas.
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Conejo
Member
08-23-2002
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 2:11 pm
It could also be sewer gases leaking into your apartment. That can be caused by a clogged sewer stack vent pipe or a seal that has been broken on the toilet (among other things.) I just had this problem this past weekend in one of my downstairs bathrooms. I just had this bathroom remodeled recently (go figure!) and my contractor said that the wax ring seal underneath the toilet was bad.
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Lancecrossfire
Moderator
07-13-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 2:12 pm
Yankee--run a cup of mineral oil and a fair amount of hot water down your main drain (shower/bath) and see if that helps. Something about your traps.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 2:23 pm
It doesn't really smell like "sewer sulfur" if you know what I mean. More like a chemical. And it's not smelling in either of the upstairs bathrooms. It's in the hallway and the bedroom.
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 2:28 pm
conejo, that's what i was telling her it was, and yankee, those pipes gotta go somewhere! sounds like they go down the hall and past the bedroom. call the manager!
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 5:25 pm
Question: Today I decided to become annoyed at the carpeting around my desk. In my apartment, I have wall to wall in my bedroom only--and I hate it--and that is also where I have my desk. It seems the carpeting has become raggedy looking from me rolling around in my desk chair and I want to get it fluffy again. Any ideas?
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 5:30 pm
try a pin brush. you find them in the cat or dog section of petco.
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 6:02 pm
OK, sooo.. I discovered the source of the smell, and it's very scary. We have a few big APC power surge protectors in the house/home office (a big box with huge backup battery, not just a small power strip) for all of our equipment (computers, laptops, scanners, camera gear, etc.). The one on the spare bedroom, just off of the hallway, was giving out that odorous smell. I figured it out by getting on my hands and knees and smelling around the walls and baseboards (haha). We unplugged it and the battery for some reason was giving off that smell. Needless to say, we will be disposing of this... Not sure why it did it, but it is scary to know that something that potentially dangerous was emitting that smell... Thanks for all of your help. We discovered this an hour or so ago, and the smell is already gone.
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Hippyt
Member
06-15-2001
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 6:13 pm
I've been reading this today,but I had no ideas at all to help. That is pretty scary. Glad you found it before something bad happened!
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 6:18 pm
Glad you found it Yankee!!
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Kitt
Member
09-06-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 6:44 pm
That could have been bad, I'm glad it didn't explode or anything like that. Lucky it started smelling in a way... Tishala, those rubber pronged brushes are quite good at restoring pile too.
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Max
Member
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 6:49 pm
I see you found the answer. Just for the record, I was a guest in a friend's home and a smell started appearing in the guest room. We noticed it when we came home from dinner. It smelled sort of a like a stale locker. We couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from. About a week after I returned home, she called and said they had found the source. It was a short in an electrical wire in the wall -- where an outlet was. The way they found it was pretty scary. One night, some of the lights upstairs went out and wouldn't come back on. They checked circuit breakers and bulbs to no avail, so they called an electrician. When he started looking, he found the short. It was actually a low-grade burn going on in the wall. All it needed was a spark and a bit more oxygen and there would have been a major fire. Very scary stuff. So, I probably would have suggested doing exactly what you did. Glad your detective skills served you well and that it's an easy thing to get rid of (much better than having to tear through walls as my friend did). 
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Urgrace
Member
08-19-2000
| Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - 7:12 pm
Max! How you doing? That's a cool PT in your profile.
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Jan
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 2:14 pm
I hope this is the right thread. I have a question about indoor plants (not gardening) and pests. I love indoor green, non flowering plants. I have about 20 spread throughout my apartment. Many of them I have had for over 20 years. I do very little to take are of them as I do NOT have a green thumb. I rarely transplant them with fresh soil and I only water once every two weeks. This ignoring really works as they are all really healthy. Here is my problem! I finally felt bad for my plants and thought, gee, I really should give some of them new soil. I toddled off to Zellers (a Canadian version of Kmart)to get soil and spent a day indulging my plants. What a mistake!!! Ever since I did it, I have been bugged by little "fruit fly" tiny gnats. I must kill 2 or 3 every day. I checked the internet and found out the cause is cheap plastic wrapped soil. The eggs are in the soil when you buy it. here is my question How do I get rid of these disgusting, annoying little critters? I have thrown out three of the plants that don't look healthy but gosh, the rest are all thriving and I have had them for 20 years!!!!! Anyone have any answers ?? (bearing in mind I do not have a green thumb)  PS I have tried to see if I can find out which plants have them (ie I move the plant to see if any gnats fly off) but no luck. I can't isolate the problem that way 
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 2:21 pm
Jan, the good news is that you can spray household plant insecticide to take care of those little white flies. The only problem is that you should treat all your plants. I know there are some other less toxic methods, but I don't find that they work very well in the end. Hope you can rescue them all that way. Good luck! Perhaps, if the soil is really infested, you'd want to consider purchasing a better grade of planting mix and repot, yet again. Scott's is always good.
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Jan
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 2:41 pm
Thank you Vee. I will do it. But does it matter that these pesky gnats are black not white?? (they really remind me of fruit flies but they have longer front legs). I may consider the repotting but I don't have a car and so it is difficult to get to a good garden centre to get good stuff. I can walk to zellers Sigh. Do you have any recommendations on what insecticide to buy (that is maybe sold at a Zellers type store? ) PS after 20 years, some of these plants are quite large. Do I have to treat every leaf??
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 2:55 pm
Here is a site that describes common household plant pests. This site tells a little about how to care for plants, and how to treat them for pests, what to look for on labels for insecticides.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 3:20 pm
LOL, Jan, I know what you mean about "every leaf." We have an ancient Christmas cactus that I dread having to spray, but...don't hit me...the answer is yes, and especially the undersides of the leaf. I'm sorry that I didn't pay close attention to what kind of gnat you've got going...hope that Serate's information will help you. But any good insecticide will do the trick. We are currently using a generic one with the same level of ingredients listed as the name brand...just watch your labels. I'll go check what Serate posted and see what's there. You've done very well to mother these plants for the past twenty years...I know that you don't want to lose them now! I don't think the first site has your specific critter, but the second has a good discussion about how to avoid contamination and some home remedy types of things to try...the ones I say don't work so well. I'll keep looking. This is Bob Vila's site...even names the chemical needed to do the job...hope it's helpful.
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Jan
Member
08-01-2000
| Sunday, November 21, 2004 - 4:02 pm
Thanks guys! I never thought of googling for it. I googled "houseplants +fly +gnat +black" and got lots of info. This site seems really good Hey Vee...I appear to be in luck. Look what it says: "Aerosol insecticides containing any of a number of chemicals (pyrethrins, resmethrin, tetramethrin, and d-trans allethrin) can be sprayed into the air. These insecticides must come in contact with the insect before to kill it. Spray the soil, not the foliage, which may be damaged by the insecticide. Since these insects do not feed on the foliage, it is not necessary to spray the leaves the leaves. Since the life cycle of the fungus gnat is short, it is necessary to apply an insecticide every seventh day, for 4 or 5 weeks. If an application is missed, the insect may be able to emerge, breed and lay eggs. "
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