Dead mouse: how can I get rid of the smell?

It is common for mice to perish in human dwellings. Then a bad smell of dead mouse spreads quickly. In this case there is a direct need for action in order to prevent worse harassment.

Dead mouse

Mice often invade human dwellings in search of food and shelter. The rodents like to hide behind wooden paneling, under the floor and in furniture. Often whole families of mice settle somewhere hidden, for example in the garage, in the attic or in the basement. In most cases, the animal corpses cannot be found at first, but they can be recognized by their disgusting smell. Sometimes the house cat also brings a dead mouse home as a present and simply puts it down somewhere.

• Dead mouse carcasses rot over time
• Duration is strongly dependent on the temperature
• penetrate concrete, screed, paving and sandstone
• penetrate the joints of tile floors
• are absorbed by carpets and textiles
• rotten smell contaminates the whole room
• settles specifically on porous materials

Note: The longer the deceased mouse acts on the ground, the worse the smell degenerates.

Quick help

Since bacteria decompose a deceased mouse, putrefactive gases are generated, which the human olfactory organ perceives as an extremely unpleasant odor. In this way, nature warns of toxic and tainted substances. Small molecules and chemical substances are still clearly perceived even in tiny doses. This characteristic odor note is sweet and pungent and immediately rises into the nose. An instinctive disgust follows, combined with disgust and nausea. That is why quick help is required to localize and reliably remove the gestation.

• be sure to try to locate dead mouse
• Carefully remove the found carcass
• do not touch it with bare hands
• Wear rubber gloves
• It is best to put on a mask as a face mask
• then clean the substrate pore-deep
• strong special cleaners are suitable for this
• Alkaline slaughterhouse cleaners are ideal

Neutralize odor

After the removal of the Carcass and after thorough cleaning, the smell of putrefaction often still hangs in the air. If the escaping liquids have seeped too deeply into the subsurface, in extreme cases only disposal will help. Wooden floors in particular sometimes have to be removed and replaced in places. However, before these drastic dimensions, an attempt should first be made to neutralize the stench. There are special funds available from specialist retailers for this purpose.

• Application of odor neutralizer to affected areas
• available as a spray or gel-like solvent
• Special agents are applied with a cold fogger
• fog the affected areas sparingly with fine droplets
• Droplet sizes adjustable between 5 and 50 µm
• It is best to let the device run for several days
• this is how surfaces and ambient air are neutralized
• Agents with surfactants and microbes are helpful
• Direct contact with the odor molecules is important
• repeat the application in stubborn cases
• possibly even several times in succession

Tip: Since a cold fogger is quite expensive to buy, it is worthwhile to hire a specialist to do it. Alternatively, the device can also be rented in shops that specialize in disinfection.

Home remedies

There are many household remedies that can help against bad odors in rooms. These are mostly substances that have a strong odor of their own. The smell of putrefaction is only superficially covered. As soon as the masking effect wears off, the original stench quickly returns and often even stronger. Therefore, for a successful fight, the culprit must always be found and removed first. There are two methods of application to choose from. Either apply the agent to the affected areas or place a container filled with it nearby. Ideally, leave the selected agent to work for a longer period of time, but it is best to repeat the application over a period of a few days.

• Vinegar and lemon juice remove the bad smell
• Spread used coffee grounds
• freshly ground coffee also binds odors
• peppermint helps against bad vapors
• burn incense repeatedly
• Sprinkle high doses of baking soda or salt

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