Unidentified Odor in Kitchen

We had something like this at a former house, and it turned out that the garbage disposal basically wasn't hooked up right and a bunch of rotten food was gathering in the crawl space under the house.  Classy.  You may want to crawl down there and take a gander before hiring the ghostbusters.

Had the same recently and it turned out being a dead skunk in the crawl space under the kitchen.

We had a strong odor from our kitchen once. There was a dead rat under the dishwasher. Nasty but the smell was gone as soon as we disposed of the dead body.

Do you have a gas stove? Or some other gas appliance? Have it checked to make sure it is not leaking. PGE will do this for free. A gas leak is serious. Don't wait. 

Other than that, just check the usual things. Something under the stove or fridge? Pipe are leaking causing mold? Someone left an open jar on the shelf? An animal died under the house or in the walls? 

My bet is you may have some or all of the following: 1. dead critters in the attic or under your house.

2. Serious mold problem in both the places in the attic, under the house, possibly in the walls, or other places that may be in the walls. You should also check under the refrigerator for mold. Your bathrooms are a likely place for mold to hide. Mold is nasty stuff that can cause asthma, allergies and headaches.

I suggest calling an exterminator to look for dead animals and a home inspector.

I know something about this subject. I was the director for the Alameda Co. Lead and Healthy Home Program. Give a call if you have questions. 510-381-2149.

Steve

We had a bad smell, it was from grease buildup in the garbage disposal. The plumber said it’s good to clean out the disposal every 10 years or so.

jk