How to get rid of that dead rodent smell?

When most people  see a rodent in their home they will do one of two things. They will either immediately call an exterminator for a consult, or attempt to treat the rodents themselves. Those homeowners who chose to take on the problem themselves often find themselves trading one problem for another after the rodents have been exterminated and they are left with that unmistakable dead rodent smell. 

Since it’s rodent season, we’ve been fielding this question a lot  and we know how awful that smell is. We are going to tell you everything you need to know about getting rid of that dead rodent smell. 

What’s that smell?

That funky smell you smell a week or two after treating rodents yourself is the dead rodent smell. It is a nasty, musty and unmistakable smell and the cause of it is simple. The only time you are going to smell that smell is when there is a dead rodent in your home. 

But I already got rid of all of the rodents why do I still have dead rodent smell?

Many times people will think they have removed all traces of rodents from their home and don’t understand why the smell is lingering. How can I smell dead rats, if there are no dead rats around? 

Remember our answer to the previous question, you only smell that smell when there is an actual body in a space. If you smell a dead rodent smell then there is a dead rodent in the house. So the only question now is…..

Where is it? 

This is a tough question. The smell could honestly be coming from anywhere. Our best advice is to search in the places you have seen rodents before. When the rodent becomes ill they will likely go hide where they feel most secure. Unfortunately that is usually tiny holes in the walls or other nooks and crannies you may not even know are there. 

Think like a rat and follow that smell. 

How did this happen?

Most of the time we encounter this issue when the resident has randomly sprinkled poison all around the home or property. When this happens the rodent will eat the poison and become ill. When that rodent becomes ill it crawls away and finds a good, secluded, hard to find, place to die. 

If you’re treating your home for rodents it’s best to use traps, portion poison with intention and consult a professional. You want to control when, where and how the rodents die so that you can control how fast their disease-carrying bodies can be removed from your home. 

What about when I find the source of the dead rodent smell? 

When you find the dead rodent the hard part is over. Grab a pair of gloves (rodents carry diseases and dead rodents carry even more) and remove the rodent from your home. Place in a garbage bag and toss it in your exterior trash can. You should always sterilize the area with bleach to remove any lingering fluids, or germs. As soon as the body is removed from the space the smell will dissipate quickly and before you know it you’ll have your home back. 

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