Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?
Intermittent foul odors in a closet often come from hidden moisture, mold, or plumbing issues near the structure that flare up unpredictably. Because the source is usually out of sight and hard to inspect, trying to clean the surface air doesn't eliminate the underlying smell.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 5 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+9 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 13.8× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?
- 1pouring water down the drain to fix a dry p-trapDid this help you?
- 2recaulking transitionsDid this help you?
- 3Airing out shoes in an open area before putting them awayDid this help you?
- 4Placing activated charcoal sachets or cedar shoe trees inside shoesDid this help you?
- 5Using DampRid in the closet to control moistureDid this help you?
- 6Leaving an open bag of coffee beans on a shelfDid this help you?
- 7Using baking soda mixed with essential oilsDid this help you?
- 8Storing shoes in clear plastic boxes or tying them in grocery bags to create an odor barrier.Did this help you?
- 9Using activated charcoal bags or boot tubes and refreshing them periodically in the sun.Did this help you?
- 10Running an air purifier temporarily by routing an extension cord from another room.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The issue here isn't what you might guess -- the closet doesn't smell like feet, it smells *like shoes*. A rubbery, leathery sort of smell.”source ↗
“I can smell that shoe smell on the clothes I keep hanging in this shared closet.”source ↗
“It’s the smell of leather and rubber that's getting into our clothes and I'm not sure how to combat that.”source ↗
“There is no ventilation in the closet, no outlet in the closet, and I refuse to use anything that smells strongly of any artificial or chemical smell.”source ↗
“The hall closet smells like a cat has pissed in it . It only smells that way on particular days , most of the time it only has a very fant smell. How to clean it , and why it so stinky .”source ↗
“My bathroom is smelling like stale or water that’s has been sitting there for long.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 21Why does my house smell like cat urine when there is no visible mess?
- 7How to get rid of a strong strange odor inside a vintage chest
- 15How long does baking soda take to get rid of fridge smells?
- 9Why does my diaper pail still smell so bad?
- 13Why do my towels still smell musty right after washing?
- 17How to get chemical smells out of carpet