Returning to a Home That Sat Empty: An Odor Checklist

A home closed up through a Coachella Valley summer can greet you with a smell. Most of the time the cause is simple. Sometimes it isn’t. This checklist helps seasonal residents, owners, and property managers sort one from the other.

Before you go in

• Notice what you smell: musty, sour, sewage, sweet or rotten, or chemical.
• Look for flies, stains on ceilings or walls, or droppings near doors and vents.
• If the smell is strong and sweet, or you see a lot of flies, stop and call a professional before searching. It may be decomposition.

Common causes, and what to try

• Stale or musty air. Open windows and doors, run fans, and restart the AC. Give it a day or two.
• Sewage smell from drains. Dry drain traps let sewer gas into a home. Run water in every sink, tub, and shower, and flush every toilet for a minute. If the smell persists, call a plumber.
• Refrigerator or freezer. A power interruption can spoil food. Empty it, clean it, and don’t keep the spoiled contents in the house. If the smell has soaked into the unit, it may need professional treatment.
• Mildew. Check around AC drain pans, under sinks, and near any plumbing leak. Fix the moisture first; odor treatment doesn’t last if the leak continues.
• Rodents or pests. Look for droppings and nesting material. Don’t sweep or vacuum dry droppings; wet them first and wear gloves and a mask.

When to call a professional

• The smell is still there after a day or two of ventilation and cleaning
• You can’t find the source, or it seems to come from inside a wall, the attic, or the ductwork
• You see flies, stains, or signs of an animal that has died
• The home is going on the market, or a tenant is moving in, and you need it documented

We find the source and treat it. See our Odor Removal service, or read our guide on a dead animal smell in an attic or wall.

Before you leave next time

• Empty and clean the refrigerator and freezer, and leave the doors propped open
• Take out all trash and perishable food
• Run water in every drain just before you go, and consider a small amount of mineral oil in rarely used drains to slow evaporation
• Seal food in the pantry and check for entry points pests could use
• Ask a neighbor or property manager to look in periodically