I've noticed a really strong ammonia smell in my detached garage, and it's getting pretty unbearable. It appeared suddenly, almost within a few hours, so I'm wondering if we just didn't catch it building up over time. The strange thing is, we don't own any cats, and the smell is so intense that it feels like a whole colony would have had to use the garage for it to smell this bad. Does anyone have an idea of what might be the culprit?
2 Answers
When I experienced a similar smell in my house, it turned out to be a melting electrical outlet cover. The wiring was old and too loose, causing it to heat up and emit an odor that actually smelled like cat pee. You should definitely inspect all your electrical outlets to be sure they're safe—sometimes it can happen fast and catch you off guard!
It could be that an opossum or another animal made its way into your garage and left behind a strong, musky smell. Also, check if there could be some chemicals or solvents stored in there that might have leaked or ruptured. Those can create a really bad odor, too. If you have a way to check for wildlife getting in, that'd be a good start!
Thanks for the heads-up! How did you pinpoint it was the outlet cover? Did it look charred or melted?