Updating post from Reddit.
So, I moved into a new apartment a little while ago and have been noticing some weird odors that I can't pin point. Originally it smelled like fresh paint with a slightly weird fishy odour. And it has turned into a urine smell, only in the one room. I went over every square in with an enzyme cleaner and it went away for a little while, but it has returned and I dont know where it's coming from. I've never dealt with something like this before. Has anyone else? Does anyone have any tips on what i should do?
Bad electrics can smell fishy.
That's concerning, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!
Hot lights can melt plastic light fittings and cause a fishy smell
I only noticed the smell when there was excess moisture in the air, I only noticed it immediately after mopping or showering, but only every once in a while, and not every time. The drain in my bathroom sink also smells like ammonia sometimes, and a reoccurring urine smell emanates from my room. When I moved in, the base boards in the bathroom were covered in urine, but I cleaned it up, and the smell went away. However, I can catch faint whiffs of it every now and then, even after cleaning it with enzyme cleaner and other cleaners.
If it happens again, go around the flat sniffing and touching plugs until you find the one that's stinky. Itll be overheating
Thank you for the help 😊
Plasterboard gives off an ammonia smell when it gets damp. This, in turn, can have a slight odour of urine.
I'd work to check the damp levels in the room, increase the ventilation and heating, and look for potential sources of damp.
I've just bought an American product called Bac-azap, it's like a step up from an enzyme cleaner (something about live microbes that disintegrate proteins). I found a dead rat under my kitchen kickboard when I moved in, but after it was removed there was still a strange smell. If there is remnants of human urine in your bathroom, it would work on that too! Smells can return in warm weather. I've not used it yet, just waiting for it to arrive. It was very expensive for a spray but I want that smell gone!
Any issues with rodents in the property?
This, might be something under the floor boards
I hope it isn't the floor boards or baseboards.
It smells like human urine I'm pretty sure
I have unfortunately have to deal with rats more regularly than I would like to admit, and rat nests and where they frequent smells like poorly maintained public toilets, very similar to stake human urine.
No, not that I'm aware of
Is it ground floor? Underfloor damp?
I'm on the top floor, but I'm wondering if it could be the sub flooring
Do you have a roof above your ceilings?
It could be the paint. There was an issue years ago with, I think, B&Q paint that smelt funny. Could be old paint that’s got bacteria growth.