... Not to have thrown my wellies out? (not for the squeamish!)

[Littledidsheknow]

This morning I went to put my wellies on for the school run as it was raining. I felt some sort of impediment as I put in my left foot, and assumed it was a sock. I put my hand in, and just as I felt something soft and gooey was hit in the face by the most vomit inducing smell I have ever encountered. It was a dead mouse, in an advanced state of putrefaction - a "gift" from one of my cats. Those who are familiar with the sight and smell of putrefying flesh will understand my experience; for those who aren't ... I couldn't begin to describe it!
Anyway, these are wonderful, comfy boots. I have had them for 10 years I and they refuse to age or wear out. I live in the country and use them a lot. So... I decided to pour washing soda in hot water into them to clean and (hopefully) deodorise them! They are soaking outside now.
They're great boots and I'm quite strapped for cash at the moment, as well as being a stingy frugal person generally.
Should I have thrown them away?
Has anyone else ever rescued/ cleaned/ repaired anything yucky?

Nah, good wellies are like gold dust.
You'll know when you revisit them whether the smell has gone.

Not really the point of the thread, but what make are they please?

Hi zebra, glad someone is as straightforward and practical as me! They are Expedition, wellyish at the bottom, padded at the top. Soles and treads still like new!

Ergggh. Putrefying rodent. An odour that has been in my nostrils all week as something, almost certainly a bank vole, has breathed its last breath in my sitting room. DH has taken up most of the floor and removed section of skirting board, found several mummified mice from long before our time, but no decaying voles. We have narrowed down the location of the stink and now think it must be in the wall. Finally today, after 10 days, the smell seems to be waning. So I hope your wellies revive! Biological powder and hot water would help break down the proteins too.

Thanks for the tip, helly, it's a pretty enduring and pervasive stench, isn't it? Hope you locate the source of yours. If not, well, theses rodents do dry up and cease to smell after a while don't they? (Not that I've ever found any mouse mummies under my hallway rug during its biennual clean or anything )

Isn't bicarb good at absorbing smells?
I've rescued, cleaned and fixed many yucky things over the years.

Nobody knows about the frog that was stuck to the cricket bat (poor frog)

Yes, bicarb's great for getting rid if smells.
I think that as you had the strength of stomach to deal with it, definitely keep the wellies for now, see how they turn out

Job for One of those shoe deodorisers, I think. Any variety shop or shoe shop should sell (puffy press down things). I use them in my skates.

I left my boots outside a few days & put my foot on a snail inside. Luckily didn't crunch it.

I'd Milton them to get rid of pathogens, and then leave them standing with with bicarb inside for a few days to get rid of the smell :-).

Same thing happened to me but in a really lovely pair of knee high leather boots. They are now out the back in the bike shed - smell is awful but I don't want to throw them away (whereas I might throw the cat away....) maybe bicarb of soda?

No advice but I probably wouldn't have thrown them out. But mainly came on to say eww eww eww ewwwwwwwww!!! I can't even imagine how I would feel if I did that!! sick face!

It'll be fine.

Years ago, I was putting wellies on in a hurry while my mum shouted for me to hurry up and felt something in there, walked along for a bit, stopped (to more morning angst) and tipped out a mouse...

I would defiantly have done the same as you I love my wellies and couldn't bare to bin them, although cleaning them out must have required a strong stomach

No advice, but it does remind me of back when I lived at home there was a terrible smell in the kitchen for weeks One day my dad saw a fly fly into the toaster and upon investigation discovered a dead, toasted mouse.
We eat a lot of toast.
My dad would have been happy to keep the toaster, fortunately we managed to persuade him not to.

This is just one of the reasons I never, ever put on wellies without turning them upside down and knocking them against something. I have a wasp sting allergy and worry about a rogue wasp getting into my wellies, but have also know large spiders to get in there, and mice in wellies are very very common...

We have dead rats under the foors at work. The smell comes up through the vents. It is really nasty!

Spray in some vinegar then some bicarbonate of soda - they won't end up smelling like a bag of chips, don't worry!

That reminds me of the day my 3YO DD2 was putting her wellies on at a camp site to go to the toilet block first thing in the morning. I moaned at her for mucking about and taking so long to get them on her bare feet then shut up when I saw her tip a large, indignant toad out of one. He hopped off across the field leaving us watching with jaws dropped.

The smell of putrefaction was well and truly welded into my nose after having to walk past a decomposing sheep on a regular basis for a while. I guess the farmer didn't want the paperwork so pretended not to notice. Once smelt, never forgotten.

I hope your hot washing soda works, OP.