The smell of skunk in your room is so unpleasant. Moreover, it’s unsafe if produced due to a gas explosion.
Even one room in house smells like skunk is also risky for your health. It can create severe breathing issues, affecting your whole respiratory system.
There are several suspects except for gas leakage to create the skunk smell. They are bacterial breakdown, faulty plumbing, pet poop, etc. The skunk smell can irritate your lungs if you don’t take steps.
Experts put their opinion on placing a bowl of white vinegar and leaving the bowl for 24 to 48 hours. But, only this effort doesn’t work every time.
Is The Skunk Smell In The House Dangerous?
The skunk smell in the house has a high risk of a violent explosion due to a gas leak. Besides, the skunk smell isn’t good at all, as it can create respiratory problems.
Breathing skunk smells can irritate the lungs (Reference: National Capital Poison Center). Patients with asthma problems can get a worse situation which even can lead them to death.
However, the mild skunk smell in the house isn’t that dangerous. It’ll last up to three weeks, then disappear if there’s proper ventilation.
Skunk smells are usually generated from sewer gas. And this gas usually comes from the septic or sanitary sewer system. But, there are a few possible reasons without the gas that can generate the skunk smell.
Why Does Only One Room In My House Smell Like Skunk?
Not every time, the skunk smell is produced by sewer gas. A different type of gas like hydrogen sulfide, can lead to house smells like skunk and burnt rubber.
The smell could be from any dead organ or pet also. Let’s see some possible reasons behind one room in your house smells like skunk.
Is there any hydrogen sulfide leak?
Natural gas or hydrogen sulfide leak- both have a skunk smell in your house. People in various forums ask why my daughter’s room smells like skunk?
Gasses are usually lighter than air, so they tend to rise and disperse throughout the apartment. Hydrogen sulfide is a type of gas that replaces oxygen by taking its place.
The Washington State Department of Health says that- hydrogen sulfide can turn people unconscious.
The final result could be death since it replaces oxygen in the respiratory system. (Source: Washington State Department of Health)
Prime suspects
| Bacterial breakdown | Nature produces hydrogen sulfide from bacterial breakdown or decomposition. Any dead plant and animal matter must go through this stage. There might be any dead organ like a pet or giant insect decomposing. |
| Faulty plumbing | Sewer drains usually contain dry traps. Those traps allow hydrogen sulfide gas to enter the home without any protest. Pipes with a leakage are the output of regular wear and tear. |
How to get rid of hydrogen sulfide leak
When you notice a skunk smell in the house at night or day, you should care about it immediately. Let’s see how to quickly get rid of this hydrogen sulfide or sewer gas.
Step:1- Equip yourself with safety manner
Wear a gas mask (if possible) and goggles to protect your eyes. Besides, try to avoid crowds in the room.
Step:2- Check if the sink is overflowed.
Your room might have an attached sink with faulty plumbing, resulting in a sewer odor. Gunk and filth can quickly get stuck in the sink, creating a nasty smell. Here you can try some tricks to eliminate the overflowed sink.
- Apply a rubber funnel into the sink drain.
- Before that, pour boiling water down it. Clean the path as long as it takes.
- To remove the odor more precisely, dump 1 cup (230.4 g) of baking soda down the drain.
- You can add 1 c (240 mL) of white vinegar also. Wait until there is a form of foam in the mixture. Then, pour boiling water into the drain, forever removing the hydrogen sulfide smell.
Step:3- Remove bacteria-affected organisms
If you discover a skunk smell in house in winter, there’s a high possibility of bacterial breakdown. It’s not that difficult to remove the odor from the room.
Step:1- Ensure proper ventilation
Make the windows and doors of the room open. Run the fans to remove the decomposition smells from the room naturally.
Step:2- Wash the environment
The step above won’t work efficiently. So, it’s time to apply a chemical solution. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water together. Wash the area with the mixture and let it sit for several minutes.
Step:3- Absorb the residual lingering smells
A large amount of smell will be removed from the room after washing. Place a bowl of vinegar or baking soda near the cleaned area to remove residual lingering smells. This setup will ensure absorbing any lingering smells from the room.
Does that one room contain propane gas?
People have a confusion- what type of mold smells like skunk? Well, some molds can spread smells like propane gas. It comes with a strong unpleasant smell like rotten eggs. That’s why you get a skunk smell in the room.
The presence of a dead animal could also be the reason. Propane manufacturers add this smell to make customers aware of the gas leakage.
Prime suspects
| Room garbage | Your room can be occupied with any garbage that can create a propane gas smell. |
| Defected molds | Molds can emit gases after they grow. Most often, it releases the smell of propane gas. Well, propane gas has no odor, but mercaptan gives it a distinctive “rotten egg” smell. (Reference: Connecticut’s OfficialState Website) |
| Dead organs | One of the biggest reasons behind the skunk smell could be the presence of any dead organ. Maybe, a rat is rotting underneath the furniture. Or, if any insect has died, bacteria are decomposing its body. |
How to get rid of propane gas leak
Here you get a complete solution for removing a propane gas leak.
Step:1- Open doors and windows
Immediately open all the doors and windows to dispose of the gas from the room. It’ll help to remove the gas smell effectively.
Step:2- Try to find and eliminate the smell source
Follow the prime suspects behind the skunk smell one by one. If you can find one, the rest of the work is easy.
The dead organs or garbage should be removed accordingly. Then, wash the surface with vinegar solution. You can spray on the surface also and wait until it dries.
Step:3- Call for emergencies
If you cannot find the gas source, something fishy is happening inside the room. Immediately leave the room, and call for experts to resolve it.
Is your pet (dog) responsible?
Dogs’ digestive system allows releasing a foul-smelling solid substance from their anal glands. The smell is similar to a skunk.
This can leave a pungent odor on the carpet, making the room smelly. If you’re smelling skunk while sleeping, that also could be dog farting.
Prime suspects
| Dog’s poop | The odor of the dog’s poop is mild. But, if it has a change in food habits or a poor diet, the smell of its poop will be devastating. |
| Farts smell of the dog | Dog’s fart releases a stinky hydrogen sulfide gas as a by-product of digestion. It smells like skunk, making it impossible for the tenant to stay in the room. |
How to get rid of the skunk smell produced by your pet
If you want to eliminate the skunk smell, the floor, and the pet should be washed. Let’s see how to do it.
Step:1- Wash your pet
Mix 16 ounces of hydrogen peroxide with two TSP of baking soda. Also, add one TSP of dishwashing liquid to the mixture.
Now, wash your dog more than once every day. The skunk smell from the pet’s body will disappear sooner.
Step:2- Ensure proper ventilation
Ventilate your home correctly. Open all windows and doors in the room, and run fans at high speed.
Step:3- Apply a mixture.
Prepare a 10 to 90 mixture of white vinegar and water. You can also try commercially prepared cleaning sprays and solutions to remove the skunk smell from carpets.
Have you checked your AC in the suspected room?
Some parents on various forums have asked why my son’s room smells like skunk? In most cases, the room was occupied with an AC.
Especially if your house smells like skunk when it rains, it could be a gas leakage issue. Also, dust can create problems with the AC.
Prime suspects
| Gas leakage | The one big possible reason behind the AC gas leak is corrosion. Its condenser pipes start corroding, resulting in gas leakage. |
| Dust stuck | Dust naturally accumulates over time inside the AC. At the end of the day, it can cause issues with the air conditioner, such as a gas smell. |
How to get rid of the skunk smell from your AC
Here’s how you get a proper solution for the skunk smell from the AC.
Step:1- Allow air passing
First, open all doors and windows to ventilate the space. You should evacuate the area immediately if required.
Step:2- Eliminate the dust problem
- Check if your AC filter is replaced at the right time.
- Next, inspect the coil of the AC to see if there’s any dust
- Wipe down the coil with a soft cloth now
- To avoid dust build-up, regularly clean the area around the unit.
Step:3- Observe the leak
Try to figure out the reason behind the obstruction in the airflow. Sometimes, the chemical reaction between the refrigerant and the insulation of the AC can cause a leak.
Step:4- Call for professionals
Perhaps, you can’t figure out the problem if it’s something internal. Immediately call an expert to resolve the problem.
After trying these steps, observe the outcome- can you smell a skunk from inside your house? Hopefully, you won’t.
Final words
Now you know about some strong possibilities that your one room in house smells like skunk. There could be thousands of possible reasons, though. But, the situations above are mostly faced.
Removing skunk smells from your house works best when your room has a proper ventilation system. If the smell is mild, generated from any rotten organ, it will disappear soon.
But, the smell from any instrument or gas leakage requires strict steps.
Even after disposing of the smell, your floor or carpet can generate the odor. Then, you need to perform a deep clean – that’s all. Better, keep the possible source maintained and clean the room regularly to prevent the problem.