a way to describe stale air

[alpacinou]

Hello.

I'm looking for a metaphor to describe stale air.

I've been thinking but I can't finish this sentence:

He hadn't left his stuffy flat for 3 weeks.The air inside was stale like...

 

[Tarheel]

Pizza that's a week old.

 

[alpacinou]

Pizza that's a week old.

I'm not sure if likening air to pizza would work for me.

 

[Tdol]

What sort of thing would work for you?

 

[alpacinou]

What sort of thing would work for you?

Something a tad dramatic. Like "the air inside a deep cave" or something like that.

Actually, how can I use the cave thing?

He hadn't left his stuffy flat for 3 weeks.The air inside was stale like that of a cave in the Rockies.

 

[Tdol]

Musty?

 

[alpacinou]

Musty?

I actually wanted to find something to liken stale air to. Are you saying I should put it here somewhere?

He hadn't left his stuffy flat for 3 weeks.The air inside was stale like that of a cave in the Rockies.

 

[Tdol]

How about something like this:

The air inside was like that of a dingy cave in the Rockies.

 

[emsr2d2]

Using similes like those requires the reader/listener to have some idea of what the air is like inside a cave in the Rockies.

 

[Tarheel]

Most of us have never been inside a cave in the Rockies. We'd have to use our imagination.