Disgusting .. How long does the SMELL of DEAD MOUSE take to go? Tips for eradicating....???

[cookiemonstress]

Hi
Last year we had minor mouse problem . This winter all seems to be ok but next door (terraced) still have a problem and are doing lots of building work. Anyway I have a smell coming from under the floorboards, under my kitchen cupboards which I am certain is dead mouse.It's very localised which is the only thing in its favour. I can't access the floorboards to rip them up (aside from ripping out kitchen cupboards) so I don't know what to do.. It's awful. I have best friend coming to stay for 3 days who is 12 weeks pregnant and nauseaous and DD1 birthday party on Friday. What to do??!
Need to go and anti bac and shower just typing this post.!

[Hassled]

You have to get it out. It will just smell worse and worse until it has completely decomposed, which takes a surprisingly long time. SOrry.

[lucysmam]

if next door have work men in do you think that maybe they would give you a hand to move the cupboard where the smell is coming from, doing as little damage as possible?

I agree with Hassled, you need to get rid, definately!!!!

[cookiemonstress]

oh no.. it's fitted kitchen and am at work for rest of week. Might call on DH uncle and offer to pay him to deal. I can't afford it but the smell is awful...what if it is in the wall cavity between the houses?

[lucysmam]

I remember reading somewhere in a thread on here (not sure if it was mine about 7 mice in 1 trap, will have a look in a mo) something along the lines that pest control have a spray that gets rid of the smell & is really strong stuff.

Your local council might be able to offer some advice if it is maybe

Would his uncle not do it for you without payment? Or offer to do something useful for him in return rather than actual cash?

[CoffeeCrazedMama]

Cookiemonster - we have same in the downstairs loo. Dh is sure something is decomposing behind the woodpanelling that conceals all the loo-cistern stuff. Smell is pretty unmistakeable.

I too have no intention of ripping out my beautiful tongue-and-groove for a rodent - no way dh could ever get it back properly and something would get broken.

Hassled - no! . Was hoping it would be soon . Cleaning lady has told me smell will eventually dissipate. Will watch this thread with interest.

[lucysmam]

it's not in there, but I definately read it somewhere when we first had the mice here, maybe google how to get rid of dead mice? Or ring councils environmental health office, they might be more useful than random googling

[cookiemonstress]

I have been trying febreze neutralising spray and works for a while. Cupboards impossible to move and uncle thinks may be in wall cavity between houses anyway (we've had the kick boards off) . It's not getting any worse but not massively better in between sprays.

To top it off have v gd friends staying who is 3 months pg and sensitive to smells.. Don't want to alarm her as to source of smell because if you have not had mouse problem (she hasn't) it's hard to understand and house is generally spick and span (clean if not always tidy). Am passing it off as something wrong with 'drains' and keeping her out of kitchen..so far it's working.

To top it off my nan died yesterday (expected but hard nonetheless), work is mental and have my dd1 4th birthday party on friday afternoon at home! just a tiny bit icon..

[CaptainKarvol]

oh yuck.. Used to get this a lot in a big old building where I once worked. Mice decomposing on the heating pipes under the floor. It took a couple of weeks each time for the smell to go. How long has it been there?

[cookiemonstress]

but short of ripping out the units and removing the work top it's impossible to reach and i can't do that because i can not re-install kitchen myself. I know exactly where it is because rentokill last yr said there was a hole they could not reach where they suspected they came in from, from next door. From where the smell is coming from (it's very localised) I'm guessing it's the same place. I don't know what to do but so reluctant to just leave it.

[Countingthegreyhairs]

So sorry to hear about your grandmother CookieMonster.

I'm afraid the smell takes about 8 weeks to go - I know through bitter experience I'm afraid - we sought (ripped up floorboards) but we could not find!!

As it's winter, I think I would stick it out. Ours was during the summer and the smell 'peaked' and 'troughed' according to the outside temperature ... yuck ....it has gone now entirely however ...

[Countingthegreyhairs]

sorry ... that should have read ... CookieMonSTRESS

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

I've had pest control out today after hearing worrying things this morning. The man told me they would eat the poison and go away to die and that their bodies are so small there would be no smell. I'm worried now.

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

I've just been talking to my neighbour. They are using old fashioned traps and caught 8 just last night! I am stunned it seems we may be very well infested.

[zanz1bar]

Ihad this problem, turned out to be a dead rat under the 2 month old tiled kitchen floor.
It did eventually go but i had to break open a lot of liquid room freshner and drip it down the holes where the radiator pipes went.
worked for a while.
good luck

[dawn2222]

I have that problem under the floorboards in the bathroom , its horrific the smell

[Yas127ahmed]

Hi I have a stench coming out of one of my bedrooms. After cleaning and taking evrything literally the bed etc, it's still there. I feel it's a mouse under the floor boards but hubby has checked and can't find anything. The smell is so overpowering it's seeping into the other rooms. Opposite that bedroom I have the bathroom which has a hole at 5he back of the toilet and the smell is now coming from there too. It's unbearable the smell have spoken to many people who have all suggested we wait out the smell and have tried air freshners, neutradol, bicarbonate powder etc. Hubby's literally been sick after putting the floor boards back! PLEASE HELP ANY ADVICE APPRECIATED?

[Jules310766]

Best thing to do is just leave it because even after you have created havoc in your life just to retrieve it to get it move because of the horrendous smell, the smell still remains. As someone has already stated, ride it out and mask the smell with oil burners and ventilating the room the smell is in. It may take up to 4 weeks for it to be completely gone yet demolishing your home just to get it is just craziness.

[Anomie42o]

I just moved into an old barn building converted into a house with my 18 month old well two weeks after we moved in I found this horrific smell coming Tom my sons room. I ripped the whole room apart thinking it was a dirty diaper that may have got lost well as time went by it became a dead rotting smell you can't mistake for a diaper lol the draft under the floor boards which are old barn beams was blowing the smell literally through every crack and no way to remove these giant old beam like pieces of wood. I took caulk and covered all the cracks which made it moldy better it's been about 2 weeks now and still stinking worse than ever. My landlord had used poison before we moved in and I think they must have killed a whole fleet of mice since winter is coming they are all coming ton to the house to escape the cold! Worse thing you could do is use poison ! Humane traps are the way to go . Anywys wondering when the smell would go away since Google said about 10 days I ahve a feeling it's gonna be another month specially if there is more than one. To top it all off I THNK I'm prego and morning sickness is setting in! Son is sleepinh in my room until the smell dissipates! I wanted so badly to move into a house and out of apartment building so I'm trying to hold on here and not worry about this too much lol

[Anomie42o]

Didn't mean MOLDY meant Mildly lol

[Puffedsleevedress]

We had a problem with rats and the smell in one of our rooms lasted for about 4 months - sorry..... that's probably not what you want to hear but rats are MUCH bigger, so I'd imagine the smell from a mouse would go quite quickly.....

[BambooSticks]

I'm sorry to say but if you can smell it, it won't be a mouse, it will be a rat. We have had mice off and on for 20 years and their bodies are so tiny they desiccate very quickly and give off no smell at all. Our pest control guys put down poisoned bait and reassure me it doesn't matter if they go off to die in some inaccessible cavity because there will be no smell. I've found several bodies over the years (fresh and shrivelled) and they are right.

I'm sorry, that doesn't help with getting rid of the smell but if it's not a 'one-off' visitor disturbed by next door's building work you may have a rat problem to deal with. Pest control are usually pretty good at telling.

Sorry about your grandmother.

[BambooSticks]

Just realised the OP posted in 2009 .

[MorrisZapp]

Ancient thread but I disagree it's a rat. We had two poisoned mice dying under our freezer. Once poisoned, they seek a heat source.

The smell was utterly foul, literally the worst thing I've ever smelled. But both times it was only truly terrible for two days. My pest control guy removed the corpses but the smell was retreating.

I don't want anyone to panic that their mouse issue is actually a rat issue!