Basement Smells Like Skunk
- Skunk in Basement. A skunk can enter your home through a weak point and stay in your basement. ...
- Sewer Gas. Sewer gas can explain why your basement smells like skunk. ...
- Skunk Cabbage. Skunk cabbage is a plant that produces a foul odor similar to its namesake animal. ...
- Clogged Sewer Vents. ...
- Poorly Assembled Plumbing And Venting. ...
- Mold. ...
Why does my house smell like skunk?
Removing Skunk Smell from House
- Wipe down surfaces. You can disinfect and deodorize hard surfaces using one part household bleach to nine parts water. ...
- Place bowls of vinegar or baking soda in each room. Vinegar and baking soda are natural deodorizers. ...
- Change out your filters.
What causes skunk smell?
- If a skunk is in your home, call animal control first. Technically, this is a public health issue first. You don’t know if it’s rabid or not.
- If it’s a gas leak, call 911. Once again, take all living beings out of the house with you.
- If you have a sewer break underneath your basement floor, you might need to call a public works company. ...
How do you get rid of skunk smell in house?
Method 1 Method 1 of 5: Freshening the Air in Your Home Download Article
- Open the windows in your home to ventilate it. Let natural sunlight and fresh air into your home to help neutralize the skunk odor.
- Run fans to get air moving. Turn on electric ceiling fans, floor fans, and desk fans to keep the air circulating in your home.
- Change out your furnace filters. ...
- Spray air deodorizers. ...
- Place bowls of vinegar around the house. ...
What else can smell like a skunk?
When your digestive system breaks down mercaptan, by-products are released that cause the strange smell. The process is so quick that your urine can develop ... pee smell like a skunk, they ...
What causes a skunk smell in the basement?
A skunk smell in the basement at night is likely caused by the heater working more on a cold night which is causing a small natural gas leak in the basement to become larger.
Can a gas leak smell like skunk?
A natural gas leak smells like rotten eggs or skunk like odor. If you smell an odor like rotten eggs or a skunk-like smell, get out of the house right away and find an adult. Natural gas is lighter than air, so it will rise and spread out across available spaces if not contained.
What do you do if your house smells like skunk?
Place bowls of vinegar in each room of the house and leave them in place for 24 to 48 hours, or until the scent is gone. Make sure the bowls are out of reach of pets and children. Once the smell is gone, change the filters on your air conditioners, heaters, and furnace to avoid reintroducing it into your home.
What smells like skunk but isn't skunk?
More likely, a skunk-like odor coming through your vents means you have a gas leak in your HVAC system. Specifically, methyl mercaptan, a gas that smells a whole lot like a skunk's spray, could be entering your ductwork and the house. This is a hazardous gas that can place you and your family in danger.
Why does the inside of my house smell like skunk?
So, if you smell something like a skunk in your home, you must call the local natural gas company immediately and evacuate the building if the odor is strong—a natural gas leak can lead to a violent explosion. What is Sewer Gas? Sewer gas is an odor that can come from your household's septic or sanitary sewer system.
Why do I smell skunk at night?
If you're smelling a skunk at night, it likely means that there is one closeby who has recently sprayed in defense. If there is a downwind draft, humans can smell a skunk from up to 3.5 miles away. What is this? The stronger the smell, the closer the skunk is.
Can a skunk get in your walls?
Once a skunk is in a crawlspace or basement, it will be searching for a secure, tucked away spot to call home. Skunks do have the ability under a home to go up into wall cavities, subfloors, floor cavities around pipes, and even between brick and block of the foundation.
How do you know if you have a skunk under your house?
Skunks have strong front legs that are tipped with sharp and sturdy claws, and one of the things that you will see if the skunks are beneath the house is signs of digging around the bottom of the walls of the property.
How do you know if your house has sewer gas?
If sewer gas is present in your home, the first sign you may notice is the smell of rotten eggs....What are the symptoms of exposure to sewer gas?fatigue.headaches.nausea or vomiting.dizziness or lightheadedness.poor memory and concentration.
Why do I randomly smell skunk?
An olfactory hallucination (phantosmia) makes you detect smells that aren't really there in your environment. The odors you notice in phantosmia are different from person to person and may be foul or pleasant. You may notice the smells in one or both nostrils.
Do electrical fires smell like skunk?
Once they do, their first reaction is often to call the local gas company or the fire department because the odor is like a natural gas leak, a burning tire or an electrical fire. This type of Skunk Spray is clearly the worst experience a homeowner can have. Some have had to abandon their homes for weeks and months.
What does gas leak smell like?
Mercaptan smells like sulphur, or rotten eggs, to help you identify gas leaks. But you may not smell anything if the leak is very small. Evacuate the area immediately if you experience the following: smell sulphur or something like rotten eggs.
Skunk or Rotten Eggs Smell
The first thing to do is identify if the smell is a skunk smell or a rotten egg or sewer gas smell. Both gasses smell similar so it can be difficult to identify if you only catch a quick smell. This step is important because the different smells represent different types of basement gas leaks.
How to Fix
If you smell a skunk smell coming from your basement the first thing to do is shut off the natural gas. Next, take a natural gas detector into the basement and check the lines to try and find an obvious source of the leak – if you can’t find one and are not familiar with home repairs we recommend calling a handyman.
Skunks in the Basement
Sometimes there might be an actual skunk in your basement. Skunk spray is smelly and can be hard to miss if sprayed in your basement.
Frequently Asked Question
Skunk smells can be removed from the basement by stopping the natural gas leak and venting the basement with a fan for a few days.
Why does my house smell like a skunk?
Here are a few of the most common reasons your home may smell like a skunk, but you don’t have a skunk in your home. 1. Sewer Gas. The top reason people say they notice a skunk odor in their house is a sewer gas leak. A sewer gas leak is a problem that needs to be dealt with right away as it is not safe to be in the home if sewer gas is coming ...
Why does a skunk cabbage plant smell?
The Skunk Cabbage Plant is a terrible smelling plant that gets its name because of the odor that it gives off. The plant does not smell unless it is blooming, and it is not a poisonous plant. The scientific reason the plant smells is that it will attract more pollinators because it smells.
What to do if you smell a skunk?
In fact, if you smell the skunk-like odor, it is best to leave the house and have it looked into before deciding whether or not it is a skunk. If you happen to find a skunk in your yard as you are leaving, that is excellent news. However, you will not want to spend much time investigating in case the issue is truly a gas leak.
Do skunks smell?
The entire body of the skunk tends to hold on to the odor, and if it simply walks past your home, you are very likely to catch a whiff of it. The bad smell is enough to permeate through the home even if the skunk has simply walked past the house.
Do dead animals smell like skunks?
The dead animal in the wall does not have to be a skunk to smell like a skunk. Sometimes the animal dying just happens to take on a skunk like odor, and you will have no choice but remove it from the wall.
Can skunks stand apple cider vinegar?
Believe it or not, there are odors that a skunk cannot stand. One of those odors is apple cider vinegar. If you can place a rag with apple cider vinegar on it and then put it under the deck or the porch, chances are your skunks will go and find a new home.
Skunky Basement Odor
My family and I moved into a house in October 2017 and since then we occasionally smell a skunky odor in the basement. It was incredibly strong when we first toured the house and we joked that the owners smoked a certain illegal substance, but didn't think much more of it.
Comments (9)
Basement drain somewhere that has dried out emitting sewer gas other than the one with the sump pump?
Galileo
My "new" WFH office is in the basement of our house. I keep getting a faint scent of skunk wafting through the air. Trying to investigate further, I walked into the back room where I have my furnace, hot water tank and a dehumidifier operating. My electrical box is in the same area.
DaVinci
1. If you have a floor drain in the area, try pouring a couple glasses of water down it. If the water level in the p-trap drops too far from evaporation it could be letting sewer gases in.
Galileo
1. If you have a floor drain in the area, try pouring a couple glasses of water down it. If the water level in the p-trap drops too far from evaporation it could be letting sewer gases in.
Tom Servo
1. If you have a floor drain in the area, try pouring a couple glasses of water down it. If the water level in the p-trap drops too far from evaporation it could be letting sewer gases in.
Soulfly3
it is legitimately probably the scent of skunk that is just wafting in and out with the breeze.
Galileo
Walking around outside a little, and I can smell the odor right in the area of the hot water tank furnace exhaust.... hmmm
Galileo
Walking around outside a little, and I can smell the odor right in the area of the hot water tank furnace exhaust.... hmmm
What is the smell in my basement?
Cat Urine. Cat urine is another odor that homeowners have noticed coming out of the basement. Cat urine has a very distinctive, pungent smell to it. As the urine begins to decompose, it begins to let off an aroma similar to ammonia.
Why does my basement smell so bad?
Some of these smells could be caused by something as serious as mold or sewer gas that could have some ill effects on your health if left too long. Some of the most common unpleasant odors in the basement are caused by mold, mildew, sewer gases, or a dead decaying animal such as a mouse.
How to remove mold from furniture?
Remove mold from furniture by using a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Pull up and remove damaged carpet and underlay. Use a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air. Use a deodorizing method to remove musty stagnant smells from the air.
What does mold smell like?
Mold and mildew have a very unique, strong, musty odor to them. Some people might also describe the smell as earthy, or compare it the smell of a pair of wet used socks. Sometimes your mold problem might not be visible for you to see because it is behind a wall, wooden panel, or in the bottom of a cupboard.
How do you know if you have a missing cleanout plug?
You’ll know if you have a missing cleanout plug because you’ll be able to see down into a hole that goes on an angle. Problem: Sometimes, the wax ring seal, which is found between the toilet flange and the base of the toilet, can become broken and begin to leak.
Why is mold growing in my water pipe?
Problem: Another common cause of mold growth is from a leaking pipe or drain hose. Over time corrosion on the inside of the pipe will begin to build up and create a clog which will restrict water from moving smoothly through the pipe. Clogs are one of the main reasons for a leaking water pipe.
How long does a mouse smell?
Small animals like a mouse could end up smelling only for a few days as they decompose, while other larger animals like a squirrel or raccoon could smell for a few weeks. The only way to get rid of this smell is to find the dead animal and remove it from your home.
PSA to those of you with new mortgages.
Consider looking into refinancing if you have put less than 20% down and have PMI. I bought my first home last September using a conventional mortgage and 5% down.
What are some awesome things that a previous owner of your house did?
It's easy to complain about dumb/terrible stuff they did but what are some great things the previous owner did to your house? Maybe we can all get some inspiration to make our houses better for the future.
Bought a condo and I absolutely regret it. I am feeling depressed and experiencing immense buyers remorse. My gut instinct told me to back out of the contract before closing and I am kicking myself for not doing that. Now it's too late and I feel so stuck
I am a 25 year old woman and just moved into a condo over the weekend. I have been saving my money for years and built a great savings by living at home with my mom. I have lived at home with my family up until now, knowing that I was saving for my future.
New neighbors with 15 cars around house..
Hello everyone! I moved into my first home all alone last September. (F, 54) It's been a lot of fun for the most part. (Tn.)
Different PSA for those of you with new Mortgages
Check the Escrow at some point after about 6-8 months. Figure out what your property tax bills will cost or what is likely (by looking at current/past years) and what your insurance costs are.
What's a diy job you did with no experience that makes you proud?
I bought a home that needed work and I've been doing it all myself andi am a city slicker. Not too handy. I'm on to my bath room and I am replacing the floor and I've gotten most of the tough stuff out of the way and I'm already so proud of my hard work and using YouTube skills! Can't wait til its done
Dumbass GC... gravel everywhere
Woke up this morning to an early morning visit from the GC who is working on my neighbor's house. There was a gravel delivery this morning, a rather careless one IMO... apparently, in order to avoid the electrical lines, the delivery guy dumped the gravel in a way that it spilled over considerably onto my lawn.
