Can't find source of bad odor resulting in bad moodlets (solved, sort of)

[Janna]

I have my project family.  Everything was fine, I was moving things from the elder of the family to the fridge to clean out some of her food,  putting gems in grandkids inventory and other items. 
Later, when anyone went into the kitchen they would get the moodlet of bad smell, odor and dirty surroundings.

I can't find the source.  Cleaned out all that was in the fridge (one earned from Chef career) and tossed it, no matter what.  Moved everything out one at a time to see if I could find the cause.  Finally, stripped the kitchen, floors, took out the one wall between the kitchen and nursery, took out part of the floor in the nursery.

Still shows up as bad odor.  It is when they get beside the fridge, but it isn't the fridge because when I take it out they still get the moodlet and have the gagging action.

What frustrates me the most is that this is a house I remodeled and it is set up almost perfect for my families. 

The way it is going now, I will just have to move them out.  I know that I can put down a copy of the house as it is a saved one, but I had made some changes and I don't want to have to go through the hassle of the remodeling.

Any idea of what the cause can be?  No meteorites in my games, no fires, no changes except the heir getting married and cleaning out the elders inventory so there will be less to sort later. 

Can something have gone into the ground itself, that would cause the odor?  I can't see anything, looked under the foundation and I don't see anything but grass so am lost as to what the cause is. 

[Stormi71]

Do you have a fish tank nearby? I found my Sims would get that "dirty surroundings" moodiet, and I couldn't work out why. Often there'd be a dead fish in the tank that needed to be scooped out. Once I'd done that, the moodiet disappeared. Also the garbage bins/recycle bind in the house need to be emptied. I didn't think the food in the fridge from the level 10 chef career went bad, so the fridge shouldn't be a problem. Do you have any Sims with the neat trait, so you can click on the floor and the "clean house" option comes up? Maybe one of the kitchen bench tops/counters is dirty?

[saltpastillen]

If you think it's the fridge you could try cloning it and replacing it with the copy. If by some mysterious way something has gotten stuck in/on the fridge this could sort it out.

[Jamie]

Try taking out the trash! If your sims were putting the spoiled food into a trash bin in the kitchen, that might be where the bad smell is coming from.

[Seabody]

Build a pool or basement, then go down to that level (subterranean) and examine the top of it -- rubbish likes to get stuck in those types of places.

[saltpastillen]

Build a pool or basement, then go down to that level (subterranean) and examine the top of it -- rubbish likes to get stuck in those types of places.

Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you for the tip. Do you need to use MOO to remove it if it's on that level?

[KRae]

Wow, I didn't know that, Seabody. I once had a mystery kitchen odor that turned out to be an old newspaper outside under a bush right next to the kitchen. I hired a maid who found it. Usually if it's something stuck with the fridge you can't even move it as the object is considered in use. It can be moved, so it's probably not the problem.

[Janna]

Your questions help me to realize I didn't give enough info,   

I don't have any fish tanks

The smell is there even when the fridge is moved out.

It is still there after trash was taken out, and the trash compactor is at one end of the counters (near the door) and the fridge is at the other end.

There is a walk around porch for the side to the back and there are no plants near that area. 

They only get the moodlet when they are near the grid square where the fridge sits.

I took out the floor in the whole kitchen and the nursery two rows over on that side of the wall, took out the wall.  Replaced them and when I had them walk in that area, I still get the moodlet. 

House is on a foundation, I will have to learn how to make a pool with a house on foundation. 

I will try hiring a maid; I have a Boney and she ignores it, it seems as if only the family members are affected by it. 

My family has the heir and they are married, so they can move to the next town.

I think I will move them and then go back to the town in a save and tear the house apart, leaving a large section open in that area and see what I can find.  Move a sim there and see if they get the negative moodlet from just walking on the tiles.
Build a pool in that area and see if I can find what the problem is.
Frustrating, I had done some changes to the house that I think improved it.  I wonder if I could move the house and see if the dirty moodlet pops back up in the new location.   


 

[Mappin]

Is your house layout large enough to try walling in the suspicious tiles? The actual source can't be found, but you know the general tiles that give the moodlet, so maybe walling in those tiles would help. You'd lose some square footage in your kitchen, but maybe you'd lose the annoying moodlet, too.
 
Good luck!

[Janna]

I could change the layout of the kitchen and nursery.  I hated to do that as I don't want to shrink the nursery any smaller than what it is, so that will mean giving up some of the porch.

It is I think on a 40 x 40 lot and if I can move it I plan to put it on a 60 by 60 lot, which mean moving out someone and tearing down their house.  I can think of a few I wouldn't mind doing that to in the next town. 
Anyhow, that will give me more room and I will have a bigger yard.  And maybe my sims will use the pool, others I couldn't keep out if it, this family ignores it. 

I think it could be that none of them have the athletic trait.  I swear the parents pass down their traits, no matter how random it is supposed to be.  All of the kids have either virtuoso or artistic trait, sometimes both. 

I am going to experiment today with earlier saves of the house and moving the house to another lot and see what that does.  If it does still have it I will tear down the walls and enlarge the rooms and put in the divider wall.  Or switch to another house, I have a couple of more that I like that has five bedrooms, along with all the other rooms that I want. 

If it doesn't at the copy, I will be tearing town a large section of the (original) house and see if I can find out what the problem is.    dang it, I want to know!

hope that makes sense    of what I plan to do

[KRae]

I had a similar problem around a picnic table in the yard. It wasn't a dynasty, so I had them move house and right back again, and the moodlet was gone.

[Janna]

I haven't gone back to the house yet to tear it apart, but I did move it to another lot and the bad moodlet was gone.  So, it was something to do with under the floor I am guessing. 

Saved them and moved the house to the next town and no problems, no stinky smells, nasty faces, everyone is happy. 

Will go tomorrow to one of my saves and tear the house apart; want to find out what the cause was. 

Thanks for the help in finding out what to do.

[Seabody]

Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you for the tip. Do you need to use MOO to remove it if it's on that level?

I'm not sure to be honest. I have never encountered this bug, but from accounts of people who have seen it -- I don't believe so.

[Janna]

I tore the house apart, figured out how to do a basement with the foundation.  Not sure I could do it again without having to tear the house apart again, though.

All I could see was a plant, one that is supposed to be "alive" landscaping fern, that was stuck under the foundation. 

I don't see how that could be the cause, but that was the only thing I could find that was odd looking.  The rest was just darkness, nothing that stood out, beside the green plant.  As soon as I pulled it out I was able to delete the foundation blocks in that location, so that had to have been the problem, but why the dirty smell moodlet?

One of those weird sim things that the will probably be no answer to.  But at least I found out part of the reason, a plant under the foundation.  And how it got there I have no idea!

EDITED

As for needing the MOO, I had that on as I was moving things around and it made it easier to use it in some area.  Didn't think to turn it off, but I can't imagine needed it for the removing of the plant, same as if a book was under a bookshelf and you move the shelf and grab the book. 

[saltpastillen]

The ways this game can stump us continues to surprise me