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My Mom had a strange odor in her house that was intermittent and seemingly unidentifiable. Although different that a natural gas odor, she eventually called to gas company to come and check it out. What they found that a critter (also know as a rat) and decided to expire in the vent from the dryer leading to outside of house. In my own house a gecko became trapped in an unused air-conditioner. the odor was only apparent when it became warm in the house or a breeze was blowing in from a window nearby. I also lived in a house once where a mouse died behind the dishwasher. Perhaps any these might be sources. If so, hope you can source and identify as very unhealthy as well as unpleasant to live with.
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This is probably too late for JessieBelle's holiday plans, but part of the problem might be a chemical called nonenal that is found in higher concentrations on old people's skin, even people who are very clean and have clean laundry. Conventional soaps don't work well on it. I've noticed the smell at times in my Mom's apartment. It is sometimes very strong and has amazing staying power in fabric. I'm attaching a link to an article about it. https://www.agingcare.com/articles/old-person-smell-174839.htm
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Aging Care ran an article about this "The Truth About Old People Smell". It was interesting. In part it said "Nonenal production is a natural by-product of the aging process. Caused by the deterioration of the skin's antioxidant defenses, Nonenal production usually begins around age 40 in both men and women, and may be exacerbated by hormonal changes such as menopause.
As the skin grows weaker, its natural oils become oxidized more quickly; this is caused by fatty acids, which are secreted by the sebaceous glands and react to the oxygen in the air to form Nonenal. Because it isn't water soluble, Nonenal can remain on the skin despite washing, even remaining after intense scrubbing. Therefore, the smell caused by Nonenal persists, even in extremely clean environments." For the full article just put the title in the search bar.
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