The Big Stink
The first chilly night of fall is here. At 8:00, every heater in Comfort City clicks on, and a stinky villain is waiting in a damp AC coil to ride the warm air into every home.
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The end… for now!
Pure saved a scan file from this mission. Read it to learn the real science behind the story.
Read the story as text
Page 1
All summer, the ACs in Comfort City kept homes cool, and their coils stayed damp.
Tonight is the first chilly night of fall.
7:00 PM
At 8:00, every home switches to HEAT.
Talon: “Something stinks at Soggy Bottoms!”
Pure: “Beep! Scanning… It's the DIRTY SOCK SMELL!”
Goldstrike: “The Spore. He's been hiding in a damp coil all summer.”
Goldstrike: “When the heat hits him, his stink rides every vent!”
Manny: “Then we beat him before 8:00.”
Wing Force: “Wing Force, wings up! Let's clear the air!”
VWOOOM!
The Spore: “You can't see me…”
Page 2
The Green Hollow. Lair of THE SPORE.
It's a giant COIL, like the one hiding inside every AC.
The Spore: “…but you can SMELL me!”
GLOOORP!
Talon: “Ugh! Like a wet dog wearing gym socks!”
The Spore: “Dust is my dinner. Damp is my bath!”
The Spore: “When the heat warms me up… my stink floats into EVERY vent!”
Talon: “Bop! Sorry, little stinkers!”
Stinklet: “Phew!”
Stinklet: “Phew!”
BOINK! BOINK!
Manny: “I'll blow his stink away!”
The Spore: “MORE dust? YUM!”
WHIRRRRR!
Page 3
The Spore: “Take THAT! A big Sock Wave!”
Pure: “Beep! Fog cannon on stink only!”
FWOOOSH!
Manny: “My bad. Wind was the wrong tool.”
Goldstrike: “Now we know what doesn't work. That helps!”
7:30 PM
Thirty minutes until the heat clicks on.
Talon: “Talon's got a question! Why doesn't his moat ever drain?”
Pure: “Beep! The DRAIN is plugged!”
Pure: “And the FILTER gate is empty. Dust walks right in!”
Goldstrike: “Take away his food and his home!”
Goldstrike: “WASH it. DRAIN it. FILTER it!”
The Spore: “Wait… WASH?”
Page 4
Manny: “Let's see how it's built… Foam, then RINSE!”
The Spore: “Not BUBBLES! I hate being CLEAN!”
SPLOOOSH!
Talon: “Pulling the plug!”
GLUG GLUG GLUG!
Goldstrike: “Filter Shield, LOCK IN!”
SHHHHING!
Stinklet: “Phew… no way in!”
The Spore: “No dust… no damp… NO FAIR!”
Talon: “Does this go in the wash?”
The Spore: “NOT THE SPIN CYCLE!”
Goldstrike: “Clean coils make terrible sock drawers.”
Page 5
8:00 PM
Talon: “We made it!”
8:00. Every heater in Comfort City clicks on…
…and the air smells FRESH.
The Spore: “Enjoy your fresh air, heroes…”
The Spore: “Dust and damp ALWAYS come back!”
The Invisible Swarm: “You can't punch dust…”
NEXT: THE INVISIBLE SWARM
Pure’s Scan File
- What
- The "dirty sock smell". Grown-ups call it dirty sock syndrome.
- Where
- On the indoor coil, the cold metal part inside your AC.
- Why Now
- All summer the coil stays damp, and dust sticks to it. When the heat first comes on in fall, the warm air carries the smell out the vents.
- The Fix
- A pro cleans the coil and clears the drain. A good filter helps keep the dust out.
- Your Hero Job
- Smell dirty socks from the vents? Tell a grown-up!
