Why Does My Urinal Smell Bad?

Urinals have a lot to do with our health, especially the way our urine smells. Funky odors can signal certain medical conditions, like UTIs and other infections.

Normal urine, when you’re fairly hydrated, has very little smell. However, the odor can change based on dietary habits and certain medical conditions.

Vaginal Discharge

Vaginal discharge serves a vital housekeeping function by carrying away old cells and bacteria that have lined the uterus and cervix. Normally, this discharge is clear or white or off-white and odorless. It can vary in amount, texture, and color at different times during the menstrual cycle as hormone levels change. Discharge can also be more noticeable when a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding, during sexual intercourse, and around the time of ovulation.

Urine also produces an odor that can sometimes make the urinal smell bad. This is due to the breakdown of proteins in urine. The liver breaks down these proteins, producing ammonia, which then leaves the body through the urinary tract when you urinate. Urine typically smells fresh and clean if you drink enough water and empty the bladder often.

If the odor of your urine or urinal smells like ammonia, the problem could be an infection or other medical issue. However, if your urine smells normal and the odor is only coming from the urinal itself, you should wash the interior surfaces of the urinal with a cleaning solution to remove the odor.

The best way to determine the cause of a urinal smell is for your doctor to ask questions about your symptoms and conduct a physical exam. During the history and physical, your doctor will pay special attention to the appearance and consistency of your vaginal secretions. He or she will also check for other signs of gynecologic disease, such as abdominal pain, pain during urination and sexual intercourse, itching, tenderness, and redness around the genitals.

Another cause of a urinal that smells bad is the presence of a yeast infection. Yeast infections are characterized by thick, cottage cheese-like vaginal discharge that is usually yellow or greenish and may have an odor. Infections with STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, can also produce abnormal discharge that is accompanied by sores and blisters around the genitals, bleeding between periods, and painful urination.

If the urinal does not smell after washing it with the cleaning solution, you could have a clog. First, try putting a plunger over the drain and giving several strong thrusts. This can often loosen shallow clogs. If the clog persists, use a urinal auger and slowly crank its cable into the pipe until you feel it hit something solid. When the clog is removed, flush the urinal to ensure it is completely unclogged.

Dehydration

The smell of your urine can tell you a lot about your health. If it becomes strong, foul, or musty, that may indicate dehydration. You might also experience a change in the scent of your pee after eating certain foods or taking certain medications or supplements. Fortunately, funky-smelling urine is rarely serious and often passes on its own.

When you don’t drink enough fluids, your urine becomes highly concentrated and can cause a stronger, ammonia-like odor, says Dr. Kovach. It can also irritate the bladder lining, which may lead to urgent symptoms like frequent urination or painful urination. Dehydration can affect anyone, but it’s especially common in small children, the elderly, or those suffering from fever, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Certain foods can also cause your pee to smell off, such as asparagus, which emits a sulfur-like aroma, and garlic, fennel, and leafy vegetables. High protein diets can also give your urine a strange odor. A medical condition called fistula, which occurs when a connection between the bladder and intestines is formed after injury, surgery, or infection, can mix intestinal waste with your bladder contents, which makes urine have a bad smell.

Aside from food, some medications and supplements can affect the odor of your urine, such as antibiotics from the sulfonamide family (like Bactrim), which can cause a fishy or musty odor in urine. High blood sugar levels can make your pee have a sweet odor, as can some liver conditions. Certain vitamins and minerals can change the odor, including vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), which can have a strong odor when taken in large doses.

If you’re noticing a bad odor in your urine, it’s important to talk to your doctor. They can determine the cause of the smell and help you find ways to fix it. They can also help you stay hydrated by prescribing liquids like juice, water, and broth to increase your fluid intake. They may also recommend a low-sodium diet and ask you to avoid certain foods until your urine odor improves. They can also run tests to check for bacterial infections or other problems that can cause bad odors in your urine.

Bacterial Infections

Infections are a big cause of smelly pee, and they can range from mild to serious. Generally, though, urine with an unpleasant odor indicates a medical issue that a doctor or other health care professional should address.

Urine consists primarily of water, with some concentrations of the waste products that the kidneys excrete. In most people, a healthy person’s urine has a slight to moderate ammonia-like smell and is a pale yellow color. When someone’s pee contains a high concentration of waste products, it will have more of an ammonia-like scent and be a darker shade of yellow.

A urinary tract infection (UTI), caused when bacteria enter the urethra or bladder, is the most common cause of smelly pee. These infections, which can also have other symptoms, such as pain with urination or blood in the urine, are usually treated with antibiotics.

Other types of bacterial infections can also make urine have an ammonia-like odor, including bacterial vaginosis, an infection that affects the vagina; impetigo, a skin infection with bacteria that causes flushed, itchy sores that leak clear fluid and then crust over; and typhoid fever, an illness caused by salmonella or E. coli bacteria that can have severe consequences, including death, if not treated early.

Certain genetic conditions can also cause the pee to have an abnormal odor. Maple syrup urine disease, for example, can cause pee to smell like maple syrup; other types of urine odor syndromes can make urine smell sour or sweet.

Medications and supplements can change the way your pee smells, too. For instance, people who take vitamin B or folic acid may have their urine smell different or stronger than other people. And people with diabetes who take medications called sulfonamides — which are used to treat UTIs, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases — can have their urine smell very strong.

Some health issues that make urine smell bad require short periods of treatment, while others need ongoing attention. The most serious of these are the infections that can lead to sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the body’s natural defenses are overwhelmed by bacteria or other pathogens.

Other Health Issues

If you’re generally healthy and well hydrated, your pee should have only a slight ammonia-like smell, if any at all. But if your urine suddenly begins to smell fishy or strong, it could be a sign of a health problem.

The odor of your urine can be affected by foods, certain medications and supplements, and chronic health problems like diabetes. If you notice a change in your urine’s scent, talk to your doctor.

Garlic, onions, asparagus, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower), some spices, and citrus fruits can all taint your pee with a sulfur-containing chemical that gives it the rotten egg or skunk smell. You can try avoiding these foods for a while and see if the smell dissipates. If the odor persists, you should consider talking to your doctor, especially if it comes along with other symptoms, such as pain when you urinate or blood in the urine.

Certain infections can also make your pee smell different or stronger, including bladder infections (UTIs), bacterial vaginosis, and some sexually transmitted diseases, such as chlamydia. If these infections have other symptoms, such as vaginal discharge or painful urination, they may be more serious than smelly urine.

A common reason that your urinal smells bad is that a water seal has broken, allowing the waste pipe to suck air into the washroom. A blockage, such as hair, food, or soap particles, can cause this. The best way to fix this is to clean the urinal regularly and use a drain cleaner when needed.

Your urinal may also have an odor if the traps are dirty or blocked, which can be a sign of a plumbing problem, such as a broken valve. Clean the traps and drain regularly, and make sure the water seal is working properly. Look into buying a urinal target for the future to help with the entire process of making cleaning easier.