Chemical Smell In New Home

Hello

My wife and I recently purchased another home ----- 1950’s single story with 1/2 on a slab and older section containing a crawl space.

During the inspection period we encountered a rodent issue in the attic. The owners had the rat feces cleaned up and then a contractor sprayed the attic with a chemical named Sporicidin. Sporicidin is approved by the FDA (used in hospitals and dentists office as a disinfectant). We have since had all the insulation in the attic replaced.

The day we closed on the home we noticed a pretty strong bleach like smell in the house — so much so you could feel it lightly burning your eyes and throat.
The smell is similar to a bleach or chlorine smell and we cannot pinpoint were it is coming from.

On some days you can actually smell it outside the house (pretty strong outside the front door and even out on the street if the wind is blowing the right way.
We’ve had several experts (including a certified IAQ licensed pro) take a look and all are struggling to figure out where the smell could be coming from.

We’ve had the air ducts cleaned, installed carbon air filters in the HVAC, cleaned the house with a light vinegar solution, aired the house out with large commercial fans and yet the smell continues. The smell actually “attaches” to your clothes if you’re in the house for more than a few minutes.

Out of ideas and really frustrated…any ideas what this could be or thoughts on next steps?

You may have rodent urine soaked drywall. If the spraying was done with the insulation in place it would not have reached the drywall. Bring back the “certified IAQ licensed pro”
have them pull back the new insulation and look for stains.

Call the manufacture of Sporicidin and ask for their advice.

You can also try to spray the inside of the attic with spray foam to encapsulate the smell.

Stuart Kelvin
ecoinsulation.org