Tina writes from Tupelo, Mississippi: "The insulation in my garage is emitting a very smelly dead odor!! What could this be? We live in MS where the humidity is very high, but should it smell like this?? The ceiling in the garage is open; unfinished. I can actually touch the insulation if I wanted to. My bedroom is above the garage, the flooring is wood. What can I do about this dead smell coming from the insulation?"

Answer: One question I have for you is how long ago was the insulation installed? If the insulation has been installed for years, the odor could be caused by many things that are not associated with the insulation or the manufacturing process, such as mold, rodents, etc.

There are basically two types of odors that can come from new fiberglass insulation. The first is associated only with Kraft-faced building products and is more of a petroleum odor produced by the asphalt that coats the back of the paper. It is more pronounced in products that are fresh off the production line. This particular odor will generally dissipate within a few days. It is not harmful and once gone it shouldn't return. Ventilating the area where the odor is will help to speed the dissipation process. The second odor is rare and typically referred to as a fishy or urine-like smell. Excess binder in the product that was not baked off or cured during the manufacturing process causes this odor. It will also dissipate over time. Depending on the amount of uncured binder, it may take some time to go away. Once again, ventilating the area where the odor is will help to speed the dissipation process.

Again, keep in mind that this answer is for new insulation only. If the insulation has been in place for a while and the odor is new, you need to consider and check for other sources.