Hello all!

Recently I have noticed a pungent smell coming from our laundry area/porch - this is the first room you enter when you enter our house. The smell is not coming from the washer/dryer however. This smell is rank and can only be compared to a cross of burnt popcorn and skunk. The smell has appeared during the night for two consecutive nights. The smell is most potent near a door that leads from our laundry room/porch area down into the basement. When you open this door there is a small landing and then stairs that go down. Our basement contains gas furnace and water heater. There is also another door on this landing that leads outside.

The smell is most potent around this door - the one that joins the porch area to the basement. I sometimes place cat food outside the door by the landing outside for farm cats. I thought that maybe a skunk got into it and sprayed near the door but there is no odor outside at all. There is also little to no odor in the basement - just on the landing and porch. I really do not know who to call about something like this but the smell is so potent that it gives me headaches.

Thanks for any advice given - I have no idea what to do.

Maybe an animal got in and died, gross to think about but possible, check any possible small hiding place and if nothing is found call a house cleaning company to see if they can help.

Certainly sounds like a skunk to me. Fresh skunk almost smells like burning wires to me.

Cat food is excellent skunk and raccoon bait...

We have them all the time around here, and they can be quite difficult to get rid of, once they move in.

Any of the farm cats smell like skunk?