Subscribe to the OSS Weekly Newsletter!

Register for the Trottier 2024 Symposium!

Can you remove 'dead mouse smell' without putting holes in your walls?

Nobody likes the idea of live rodents scampering around the house, but dead rodents can be an even bigger problem.

Nobody likes the idea of live rodents scampering around the house, but dead rodents can be an even bigger problem. If they meet their demise inside a wall, as can easily happen, the “smell of death” can be absolutely nauseating. A mixture of decomposition products that include the appropriately named putrecine and cadaverine along with various sulphur compounds can turn the human stomach. What can you do if the carcass cannot be located or is inaccessible? Unfortunately not much. Chances are that the carcass will dehydrate in a few weeks at which point the microbes that produce the smell as they decompose flesh will perish and the smell will vanish. In the meantime an air freshener can mask the smell. If the stench is truly overpowering, an ozone generator can be rented and run overnight. Ozone oxidizes the smelly compounds but it can also harm human lungs so it is not a good idea to stay around while the machine is in operation.

Back to top