u/ENTPinNYC

Hey, I don't know if this is the right sub, but feels like the most likely place for someone to perhaps have knowledge/experience of this. I'm staying in an AirBnb, and the host is this lovely old lady who's been super accommodating during a stressful situation, and she clearly takes her guests' comfort very seriously and personally. The room I'm in comes with its own bathroom and kitchenette, and because she loves antiques, the bathtub is enamel (I believe - it's old, and I think she said enamel). Over time, it's gotten stripes, and looks dirty when it's clean, so the last guest made a complaint, and she decided to get it redone, lending me use of another bathroom while it's being redone, saying we can't use mine for a day or two after the job is done.

Today, I woke up to the sound of what I now know was an exhaust fan running over and over again, several times. However, when I opened the door and walked past the bathroom, the smell was overwhelming, and only seconds of my door being opened meant also couldn't get rid of the smell in my room. I am neurodivergent and hypersensitive to these things, and I have asthma, so I might be paranoid, but this stuck in the air and I felt myself getting a bit of a headache and like my upper airways and mouth was drying out a bit (as if coated with something). I felt my chest get kinda heavy, too. I kinda opened the window and ran away to spend the day elsewhere, and on my way out, I asked the guy doing this (who was not wearing a mask) if it would be safe sleeping in the room next to it. He said it would, cause the fumes had been pushed out with a big fan, and this was just the smell. However, standing right next to the bathroom talking to him made it feel like my throat was closing up and the smell was so overwhelming, I just kinda had to run out of the house and it took a sec to feel like myself. I still have that "something's coating my mouth" feeling, and my asthma does not feel great, and it took until now to not feel a bit dazed (I still don't feel great). I feel the smell still sticks that area between my nose and mouth and I can't get rid of it.

if the smell is still there, is it safe to sleep in the room next to it when exhaust fans have been used? like, actually? I guess it could be anxiety, so please lmk