Family Plagued by Their Neighbors' 'Pungent Smell' Sparks Debate Online

A disgusted neighbor has taken to Mumsnet to complain about the bad smell constantly coming out of their neighbors' house, and the internet is coming up with theories as to what it could be.

In a post shared on the social media platform last Monday, Sjxoxo explained that their neighbors' house is filled with a "horrendous stench" they can smell every time their door is open, but they can't understand what it is due to.

The poster said: "I have racked my brains as to the source but I just can't think what it could be—it is quite a specific type of smell, kind of musty but sweet. It's constant, so not occasionally there—I can smell it any time their doors are open."

The post continued: "I don't think it's a 'rotting' smell but it does make me feel a bit queasy; it's thick, heavy and smells very very stale. Sort of sweet but not in a nice way. I wondered if they could be cooking with a certain type of oil or a fryer. I've never had one so can't compare."

The poster added that they've been inside their neighbors' house and it is quite dirty, with an oven that smells as if it's full of grease and has never been cleaned.

The neighbors are a couple in their 30s with a small baby, "like us," according to the poster. They also have a dog and a couple of cats, as well as chickens that they keep far away from the house.

The poster described the smell as sweet, stale, and "maybe ratty," comparing it to cheap greasy food and "the back of a motorway service that's not been ventilated in 1000 years!!!"

The poster even said they worry they might be called in 20 years for an eerie documentary.

According to the household services website Home Tech, some houses have a distinct odor called "occupant odor," which can be due to house features like cookers, laundry products or even air conditioning if mold has grown around the condenser coil.

To get rid of lingering smells, Home Tech suggests changing the air-conditioning filter often, using lemon when cooking and cooking with a fan on, which helps ventilation. Also, use white vinegar to neutralize odors from your garbage disposal.

Among the 195 comments in the thread, most thought the answer to this was quite easy. One user, sunsetsandsandybeaches, said: "That's weed OP."

And F***MyActual wrote: "Sounds like weed. Not a body. Dead body will make you gag, weed is one of those smells that hardly anyone likes. Sweet, sort of earthy - a lot of people have sweat that smells like weed."

JunkIsland said: "I thought weed too from some of what you're saying, but the greasy oven thing sounds like something else. We have had two distinct awful smells emanating from next door - weed and an intensely meaty fug. One makes my house feel unclean and gives me mental images of a filthy student house, the other is just plain disgusting. You have my sympathies."

Badger1970 commented: "They're smoking weed OP. It's a disgusting and distinctive smell.... somewhere between sweat, musk, and blocked drain."

And littlepeas indeed wrote: "I always find it interesting that people who smoke weed seem to think that no one can smell it! It's so flipping distinctive - you can't smoke it stealthily. I do think maybe younger people don't realize that older people know what it smells like, but of course, most do. Or possibly they just don't care, but I see young lads hiding their joints in the street - I want to tell them that everyone can smell it but never do."

Workyticket asked: "Patchouli? Not sure of spelling. It's got a sweet / weedy smell. My husband HATES it!" And TooHotToTangoToo joked: "Previous tenants in the basement?"

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.