Why does my travertine tile smell bad?

by kathline collins
(gainesville, ga)

Is it the dog in the house? it looks clean, but when I come into the room it smells funky.

Does the tile absorb odors? What can i do?

Thanks so much!

kathline

Hi Kathline,

If it smells like urine, then I would assume your travertine tile and grout has absorbed the urine.

Remember all natural stone is porous and the grout is even more porous.

You can try using a mixture of baking soda and water and letting it sit for a few hours before cleaning it up.

You can also try a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and see if that'll work for you.

I hope these recipes work for you.

Thank you.

Pedro

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Apr 28, 2018
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by: Pedro

Hello,

I'm not sure what it could be, but you mentioned two things that stick out to me, that it's a raw travertine and that you had them cleaned and sealed.

First, if you mean that the travertine is raw, I'm assuming the travertine is not filled and you see open holes in the tiles everywhere. If this is the case, then there could be something trapped in the holes where the smells are coming from.

Secondly, if you have had the travertine tile cleaned and sealed, then I would assume the company who did the work would have used a procedure that should have helped with the smell.

I can't say if the smells are coming from the travertine tiles themselves or something else, but certainly if they have holes, then there could be something trapped in them giving off the smell and hopefully they were cleaned and sealed properly.

I don't have any advice for the situation, but these are my thoughts from the information you provided.

Than you,

Pedro

Apr 26, 2018
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unglazed or polished travertine.
by: Anonymous

We just purchased a home with raw travertine. There has been a dry chalky smell in the house and we thought it was all just must and dirt from the prior owner. We have had the whole interior repainted and the floor cleaned and sealed but the smell is still strong and I have to open the house up to stand it. We are due to move in next week and I don't know that I can. The smell seems to come from the floor. We have been told recently by Serve Pro that they have never seen this type of Travertine indoors. We are new to all this and don't know what to do next. Have you a suggestion? It is through out the living area and bathrooms but not the bedrooms.

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