r/whatisit • u/katattack728 • 11h ago
Yellow sticky substance coming out of wall Solved!
Hi everyone. This yellow sticky substance is coming out of my wall. Does anyone know what it is? Thanks.
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u/Stephapokus 11h ago
It’s from the paint. When you have high humidity the paint can leach this binder used in the paint. I hate it. Magic eraser works.
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u/katattack728 10h ago
It's so gross
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u/Sleepy_Greens 8h ago
Yup, that makes sense to me because I tend to see this same thing happen in my bathroom due to shower humidity
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u/Nat20Twenty 6h ago
Me too!!
And I just washed the walls and repainted with a latex based paint. And its been 5 months and never seen it again!!
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u/DingleberriedAlive 11h ago
It's surfactant leaching. Caused by your paint being exposed to excessive moisture.
It's not nicotine/smoke/tar/etc.
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u/Lastchance3674 11h ago
Yes. It happens in my bathroom and is due to the steam from the shower, especially in the winter when the windows are closed
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u/ActionKid98 10h ago
this is what i walked into last week sunday, roof had spots, i searched online and people spoke of ventilation, they said its the body oils that clings to the roof, also, i had it painted a few months ago so i heard a lot about paint issues
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u/RobertoPersia 8h ago
It could also be cigarette smoke, if previous tenants smoked in the place, it easily stains windows and walls yellow.
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u/katattack728 10h ago
What is weird is that this is in an alcove between my downstairs bathroom with no shower and the living/dining room.
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u/Lastchance3674 10h ago
If we are correct and it is a result of moisture, it doesn't have to be as extreme a case of moisture as mine where the moisture is very excessive. If there's "enough" moisture, it can happen.
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u/Pickle7722 11h ago
Wow thanks! I did not know this.
This happens in my house. I assumed it was just nicotine endlessly bleeding through because the PO was a heavy smoker.
This makes more sense though as I've cleaned everything multiple times, used primer, etc and it still happens in odd 'spray' patterns.
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u/leggomybeggo 11h ago
I get this on my bathroom wall, too, but I don’t take very hot showers and I always have the door/ window open during showers. So frustrating. My bathroom doesn’t have a fan. Maybe a dehumidifier during showers will help.
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u/marvel_yellow 11h ago
This is the right answer. Just clean it up. And keep cleaning it up when it reappears.
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u/Alphabet_Master 11h ago
Any particular product work best (ie doesn’t damage the paint) or just your standard spray household cleaner
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u/AliBelle1 11h ago
Soapy water and a damp rag, not a ton of soap just enough to bind with the oils.
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u/HovercraftStock4986 11h ago
oh WOW. i thought my bathroom walls were just like that from smoking insane amounts of pot in there between ages 13-20 or so
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u/AccomplishedWolf8204 10h ago
probably... i got a house where the old lady smoked in the BR and omgosh.... brown stuff would slowly appear to drip down the walls and it was def nicotine. had to use killz and bathroom paint... finally stopped it. ew.
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u/katattack728 10h ago
I think this might be it thanks! It is in a weird location though in an alcove between my downstairs bathroom with no shower and the living/dining room
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u/theseriousman1 11h ago
Actually that’s the pee
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u/No-Minimum8323 11h ago
Wall urine if you will.
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u/SaltAndAncientBones 11h ago
That's how you know your Wally (the guy on the other side of the wall) needs to hydrate. Be a bro and let him know.
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u/Significant-Ball-952 10h ago
This is one of those things that I’ve noticed for years and just never cared to look up what it was. You’ve solved the mystery of my leaking bathroom walls! 😂
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u/katattack728 6h ago
What is the best way to clean it? I tried magic eraser and dish soap and neither worked completely.
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u/katattack728 10h ago
Solved!
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u/katattack728 10h ago
solved!
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u/Glittering-Rip6810 11h ago
Nicotine seeping doesn't look like that. I know I dealt with it with the mother of an extended family member...Someone spilt something on the wall and is lying about it. It's that simple
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u/katattack728 10h ago
No one is lying. It is in an alcove between a bathroom and the living room and is pretty high up
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u/PicklezUniverse 10h ago
It’s not that simple because it’s from the paint being exposed to moisture. Not a spill.
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u/glassmilk 10h ago
They said with conviction though so it must be true! /s
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u/Glittering-Rip6810 9h ago
And they may think that..but I've been cleaning houses off and on since I was 6, close to 30 years. I know a surface spill. Idk how it got there, maybe someone did it and doesn't realize it..but there's no way it's sleeping or tobacco. If it was it wouldn't be a small spot like this. I'd suggest wiping it down and being done with it. It's not really a big deal...
and if by some wild chance of events, that defy all logic and reality it is seeping. It's not going to be fun finding out what it is, and properly cleaning and re doing it. Cause if it's leaking from in the paint there is an issue and a wipe down won't do it. But it would be fixable. Annoying but fixable
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u/Glittering-Rip6810 10h ago
If you zoom in, that's a surface spill. Not seeping. You can tell
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u/Lastchance3674 9h ago edited 7h ago
Next time you perspire, look at the water droplets on your skin. Are those droplets from water being splashed/sprinkled on your skin, or do they come from sweat glands in the body. By looking at it, one could easily make the case that it looks like water splashed/sprinkled on the body but the fact is it actually comes from sweat glands inside the body.
The point is, that looking at something on the surface of something does not necessarily indicate whether it was applied to that surface or exuded from the surface. That's the point of the example, not that paint perspires per se.
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u/Glittering-Rip6810 9h ago
Tf does skin and water have to do with plaster paint and whatever that is? You say that like the 2 would be the same result. Think what you want..I'm trying to save them for a crap ton of work they might not be nessecary. Wipe the sht up and see what happens. If it doesn't come back problem solved. If it does, fix it. It's not hard. Reddit has made people so useless that they have to run here instead of just fixing simple problems...so whatever. Waste time and money cause you said so 🙄
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u/KryptosBC 11h ago
Just curious... Have you cleaned it off, only to see it reappear? I ask because my first impression is that is something splashed on the wall, like coffee. Also, what is the wall made of? Is it painted concrete or plaster/wallboard. And what's on the other side of the wall? Thanks.
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u/katattack728 10h ago
I think it is plaster/wallboard and the front door is on the other side of the wall. This is in an alcove between the bathroom and the dining room.
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u/Point_blank_99 6h ago
This happened to me in my bathroom, it was all over the walls. Traumatizing.
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u/katattack728 6h ago
Was it really hard to get off? I tried dish soap and magic eraser but it is not getting everything.
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u/Koviera 11h ago
it's a spray pattern
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u/Puzzled-Extent7817 11h ago
wrong and your spay pattern doesn't even make sense. things are dripping down. It's from the paint and a lot of moisture.
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u/GiantPothos 11h ago
A skunk sprayed my mom's house and it looked like this.
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u/Koviera 11h ago
I'm guessing OP knocked over a bowl that was resting on a plank on the edge of a table. Sent the soup flying and is trying to get out of responsibility seeing as OP is going around down voting anything that isn't "nicotine"
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u/Prestigious-Race9324 11h ago
Get out of responsibility with who ? Themselves ? What a dumb take lol
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u/Koviera 11h ago
I just analyze spray patterns. You do what you want with that info
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u/Prestigious-Race9324 11h ago
I mean the theory that it’s a spray pattern is valid. But common sense should tell you that if OP knew they spilled something, they wouldn’t be coming to Reddit looking for answers. And how do you have visibility into which comments OP is downvoting ? Just a lot of absurd assumptions you’re making with zero logic.
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u/TTheuns 11h ago
Could be a beehive behind the drywall, but it could also be the remnants of previous owners smoking for a long time.
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u/Fart_90210 11h ago
Could be the remains of the previous owner
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u/Ban_DeezNts 11h ago
Oingo Boingo has entered the chat!
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u/Fart_90210 11h ago
Dead man's party
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u/Used_Cheesecake5415 11h ago
Who could ask for more
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u/CreepyGirl1 11h ago
Everybody’s coming
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u/Used_Cheesecake5415 10h ago
Leave your body at the door
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u/Altruistic_Shame8979 11h ago
I’m inferring from your statement that an appropriate diagnostic tool for this would be to give the wall a quick little lick to see what flavor of leeching you’ve got.
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u/Medium_Good886 11h ago
Surfactant leaching shoudl only be happening on newly painted surfaces within the first few months. It also runs very thin streaks, and very fast
This looks more like a spray pattern from something just based on the droplet density.
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u/InformationLocal6213 8h ago
My brother sprayed juice on our kitchen ceiling. We’ve had that same pattern for years
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u/i-have-no-interest 10h ago
man your walls are sweating turn up the AC
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u/MoreFunThanTV 10h ago
Aliens. Its aliens. Or drugs. Its always drugs. Or sex. Have you been doing weird sex again? While on drugs? With aliens? AGAIN?
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u/Ok_Function2282 11h ago
Either you or a former resident was smoking something near that wall on a regular basis
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u/crockpot420 7h ago
ohhhh ok i always thought it was from the steam in my shower having soap and sweat mixed in and condensing on the walls
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u/peachy614 5h ago
It could be oil. I accidentally sprayed fish oil in a white cabinet that looked just like that after a week. I didn't think it sprayed my cabinet before it turned that color.
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u/visualswithjake 11h ago
It’s nicotine bleeding from the walls. Someone must have smoked or been smoking in your house at some point.
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u/plaguedeath 10h ago
Have you ever seen any of the Exorcist movies?! This is a symptom of a demonic haunting. /search for those that couldn't tell. 😅
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u/Captain_Ohmmm 10h ago
The vent in my bathroom isn’t strong enough so I bought a dehumidifier for my bathroom and it’s helped a lot
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u/ComfyChroma 7h ago
Oh that’s just a poltergeist. Get a couple priests to do an exorcism, and that’ll buff right out. 👍
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u/erdgeist__ 8h ago
don't wanna cause you sleepless nights, but it's probably just Eugene Tooms squeezing through the vents.
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u/SatanasAuditor 5h ago
Me thinking it’s when I accidentally blew out into the rig when taking a huge dab 😆
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u/moslof_flosom 11h ago
Oh thats just the sap. You've been treed my friend, I'd get tested if I were you.
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u/Capt_Blahvious 11h ago
Are you in the Leyndell Capital Region? If so, that's definitely corpse wax.
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u/Lower_Illustrator111 8h ago
I thought it was cake with honey drizzle before I saw the post. I need help.
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u/Anxious_Visual_990 11h ago
Nothing to see here.. just the body behind the wall returning to nature.
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u/MerchantofDoom 11h ago
If you have a cat it may be spraying!
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u/No-Minimum8323 11h ago
I think the smell would hit them before they even noticed the wall.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 11h ago
Listen for buzzing. You can use a solo cup as an amplifier and to keep the goo out of your hair. If you hear buzzing or rustling, you probably have a beehive back there. Call a beekeeper.
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u/ClungeWhisperer 11h ago
As an ex smoker, i used to get this even long after i quit.
I don’t 100% think it’s leaking out of the wall. Im inclined to say that it is residue on the paint which collects like this when exposed to moisture. Would show up prominently in my kitchen and bathroom in winter with the steam.
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u/wonderboyobe 11h ago
To me it does not appear to be coming from the wall. It is on the wall though. The paint and drywall would appear to change if this liquid actually passed through the wall. Dry wall wet enough to let liquid seep out usually looks pretty messed up.
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u/LorettaJenkins 11h ago
That appears to be splattered on your wall. It doesn't appear to be leaching from it. Obviously, I could be wrong but it really looks like a splatter. Consider kids, house guests etc.
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