The Bad Smell

Yesterday evening, I noticed that the kitchen had a Bad Smell. I thought maybe it was the garbage. I tied up the sack, took it out, and then lit a candle. Problem solved.

This morning when I woke up, I smelled the Bad Smell again. It smelled like raw chicken left to its own devices. The trash was already out, so I knew it couldn't be that. I lit a candle, and then noticed that the sink was full of dishes. I thought, Maybe the dishes stink? Or the garbage disposal?

So, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I poured baking soda into the disposal and ran it after a minute. Then, I poured more in to sit for a couple of hours. I scrubbed the sink with Borax, followed by Windex for a shine.I also replaced the dishtowels just in case. Problem solved again.

My mother-in-law and I went to the store and came back a few hours later. The Bad Smell hit me as soon as I opened the laundry room door, only this time it was packing a punch. What could it be? Was it the towels I had put in the hamper? I rushed to the kitchen and lit all the candles. I brought the stinkiest candle into the laundry room.

My mother-in-law and the kids made a hasty exit outside. I, however, had to endure the Bad Smell while unpacking groceries. While putting away the boxed goods, I noticed that the Bad Smell was stronger near the stove. I opened the oven, but there was nothing in it. I inspected the cooktop. It was clean. What on earth could this olfactory offender be? I sincerely hoped it wasn't a dead mouse behind the stove....

On a whim I opened the microwave above the stove and almost passed out. The Bad Smell was in the microwave!! I bravely stood up and looked inside the appliance. There was a raw piece of chicken on the rotating plate in the microwave surrounded by a yucky colored liquid. I flashed back to Thursday evening when my husband was cutting up meat for Shish-kabobs to be eaten at work and vaguely remembered defrosting chicken for him. A piece and some liquid must have fallen off as the plate was pulled from the microwave.

Bravely, I grabbed the plate. Unfortunately, my middle name is not Grace and I slipped and spilled the offensive juice all over the cooktop and my feet. I almost lost it.

But then I got it together. Who has cleaned up more poop mess than anyone else? ME. Who has been puked on by every member of her family including the dog? ME. Speaking of the dog, who slid through doggie diarrhea a couple weeks ago? ME. This wasn't any worse than that! I could do this!

I threw the plate to the sink. I grabbed the roll of paper towels and tossed a wad in the microwave to sop up the mess. I threw some on the cooktop and the rest on the floor. I dove to the cabinet under the sink and pulled out the antibacterial wipes which went straight to my feet. After a good foot scrub, I threw away the wet and offensive paper towels and scrubbed everything else with the wipes until I felt the bacteria lift away from the surfaces. I washed the plate three times with dish soap and then put a cup of white vinegar in the microwave for 5 minutes to get rid of the smell.

It took a little bit longer to rid the house of the Bad Smell, but I worked on it. Now, the house is smell free (until Story poops again) and the mystery is solved. Who needs Scooby-Doo anyways? =)