How To Get Rid of Dead Mouse Smell – Having a mouse in your home, whether it’s alive or dead, is a hassle. If you encounter the potent and distinctive smell of a dead mouse within your house, it will follow you around until you find it.
Even identifying the source can be frustrating. Learn how to eliminate the stench of a dead mouse and stop them from returning by reading on.
What Smells Like a Dead Mouse?
The odor is rotten-like with a natural gas undercurrent of sulfur.
So why does a decaying body emit a strong odor? The mixture of methane, sulfur dioxide, and hydrocarbons that the body releases as it decomposes is what causes the odor. The scent gets worse the longer the body remains in one place, especially one that is confined.
The intensity and persistence of the odor depend on a number of factors:
- Size of the mouse: The fragrance is more noticeable with larger mice.
- Access to scavengers: Small mammals, lizards, snakes, and birds of prey are among the scavengers that consume dead mice.
- Humidity and temperature: Decomposition occurs more quickly in hot, humid environments. The fragrance is significantly stronger as a result.
Finding a Dead Mouse in Your Home
If a foul odor has started to emanate from a particular area of your home, look for these signs of a mouse invasion:
- Tiny paw prints, usually seen along wall borders’ trims
- Usually found in small clusters, droppings the size of a sunflower kernel are dry and dull brown if the rodent has passed away.
- Streaks on the kitchen countertops and the edges of walls
- If there are no signs pointing you in the direction of an impromptu mouse cemetery, follow your nose to where the odor is strongest.
- If the body is still missing, it might be hidden in an air duct, a wall cavity, an attic, a crawl space, or the sealed underside of a kitchen counter.
How To Get Rid of Dead Mouse Smell
Because it cannot be easily remedied by utilizing conventional cleaning techniques, a dead mouse scent is a challenging condition to deal with.
Before you can successfully get rid of the unpleasant odor, you must first go through a number of measures. Here are some pointers for getting rid of the scent of an animal that has died:
1. Properly dispose of any dead mice
It’s crucial to carefully and promptly dispose of the dead corpse of any mice you encounter on your home.
By properly disposing of dead mice, you may both get rid of the scent they leave behind and avoid other issues. The actions listed below guarantee that you have disposed of the dead rats properly:
- Wear gloves and safety equipment, such as masks and goggles, to avoid contamination and disease transmission.
- Apply a disinfectant or a bleach and water solution to the contaminated area and the dead animal.
- Put the plastic bag with the dead rodent inside.
You may also put any rodent nesting sites or droppings inside the bag if there are any. - Properly close the plastic bag. Since viruses can spread via the air and harm people, don’t let any additional air out of the bag.
- Put the bag into another plastic bag, and then tightly seal the second bag.
- Place the dead body’s plastic bag in a garbage container and dispose of it there. It can be kept apart from other recyclable or non-biodegradable materials.
- Hands with gloves should be cleaned with soap and water before being properly disposed of.
- Spray disinfectant on your hands after a second round of handwashing with soap and water.
2. Use suitable cleaning techniques and equipment
You should clean up any contaminated sections of the house and deodorize them after disposing of the dead rodent’s remains. You can use the following products or materials to sanitize and deodorize the contaminated area:
Vinegar: Fill several glasses with vinegar and scatter them around the house to serve as deodorizers. This improves the area’s odor by absorbing the unpleasant smell of the dead animal. Be aware that this may leave a vinegar fragrance throughout your house, but it normally wears off within a few days with proper ventilation.
Another kitchen component that is excellent for removing the stench of a dead rat is baking soda. Spray the area frequently with this deodorizer after combining baking soda and water in a spray bottle.
Bleach: To get rid of the unpleasant smell coming from the animal’s decomposing body, you can also use a bleach solution. Make this bleach solution by combining one part bleach with ten parts water, then apply it to the contaminated area and let it sit there for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping it down.
Charcoal: To get rid of the unpleasant smell, scatter some charcoal briquettes throughout the house. It is preferable to pick natural, additive-free briquettes. You can also buy charcoal deodorizer bags to remove the stink of the deceased animal from the air.
Select a commercial disinfectant that has been suggested for the area you’re cleaning. Choose a product that is suggested for cleaning hardwood floors, for instance, if you are cleaning hardwood floors. To avoid any unwanted issues or accidents, please read the instruction label before using any product.
3. Ventilate Your House
It’s crucial to ventilate your home both before and after removing the smell of a dead rat or mouse from your property. Open windows and doors to let in fresh air and keep indoor air pollution from damaging people or pets.
Place an electric fan next to the open doors and windows to blast the air out of your house to make airing it out easier and more successful in getting rid of the bad smell.
To help circulate the air coming into the room, install a second fan at the other end. In order to improve air circulation and get rid of the unpleasant smell, you might alternatively install an air-ventilation system.
4. Request expert assistance.
Making a call to expert services is a terrific approach to get rid of any lingering mouse or rat odors. As soon as you are certain there are no more rats inside the property, you can request cleaning services from a competent company.
Cleaning every inch of the house, including cracks and subterranean places, they give it a complete cleaning.
You can also contact a professional rodent control company because they can get rid of rodents in confined spaces such inside walls.
Additionally, they assist in cleaning up any rodent waste and urine that the pests leave behind.