Having a mouse in your home can be very disturbing, whether dead or alive. Alive, the little critter constitutes a huge risk to your property as they gnaw their way through valuable items. Dead, the pungent smell of a decomposing mouse is enough to make the entire space inhabitable. You can’t relax or enjoy your space until you locate the smell and take out the source. Read on to learn some tips on how to eliminate the stench from your house.
What a dead mouse smells like
A dead mouse smells like something rotten. The decomposing body smells terrible due to the mixture of methane, sulfur dioxide, and hydrocarbons released as the body decomposes. The smell worsens when the decomposing body remains enclosed, especially in the walls or under your floorboards.
How to locate a dead mouse
When you begin to perceive the stench, it may be tricky to discover exactly where the corpse is. Particularly pungent odors may seemingly come from everywhere, and it may be difficult to narrow it down. Locating where a dead mouse is will require you to use your nose and eyes. Look out for the following to know where the body might be:
Mouse droppings
Pawprints
Streaks on surfaces and walls
Chewed items and entryways.
Also, ask yourself where a mouse can hide. Possible places include:
Cupboards
Kitchens
Under your furniture
Closets
You can use your nose to narrow down where the smell is coming from. However, triangulation can prove futile if the mouse died in your walls and under floorboards where you can get little or no access.
Steps to eliminating dead mouse smell from your house
The best way to remove the smell of a dead mouse from your house is to find the decomposing body, dispose of it, and thoroughly clean the area. If you cannot locate the body until the smell eventually dissipates, professionals recommend that you find it and dispose of it for sanitary reasons. However, do the following if you have located the dead mouse:
Put on rubber gloves to avoid directly touching the mouse as they carry a variety of diseases
Prepare an acidic, sanitizing solution (either homemade, or purchased from a store).
Place the mouse in a plastic bag and seal it using a Ziploc or tying it. Handle the dead mouse with gloves at all times.
Put the bagged mouse in the trash.
Wear gloves and wipe the affected space with paper towels dampened with the cleaning solution.
Dispose the paper towels and wash your hands with clean soap and have a bath.
Air the house after removing the body by opening the windows and doors for clean air circulation.
Get rid of the dead mouse stench and restore freshness to your living space today.
The smell of a dead mouse can be disgusting and unpleasant to handle. When you are having a hard time locating the source of that pungent smell and the body of the dead mouse in your Atlanta home, the best way to handle it is to contact the pest control expert at Another Problem Solved.
We provide a free inspection in all of Atlanta and the surrounding areas and have the experience and expertise to ensure your home smells fresh and clean again. Request a quote and it’s another problem solved!