How to Get Rid of Dead Animal Smell

When an animal like a rat, squirrel, opossum or raccoon dies in an inaccessible area of your home, the smell can be overwhelming. We often hear of this situation after a customer has placed rodent bait or poison inside of the home. (We do NOT recommend using any type of rodenticide inside of residential structures). This can make a house uninhabitable until the stench has been eliminated.

When you know that you have rodents, raccoons, possums or other creatures living in your attic or basement, this is where you should start the search. Sniff the air and follow the scent to the area where it is strongest. Most people can tell what room smells the strongest and where in the room the smell is coming from. If the scent trail leads you to an area that is inaccessible, such as a wall void or under floor boards, you may want to call in a professional. Failure to remove the dead animal can lead to secondary infestations of flies, maggots, carrion beetles, carpet beetles or roaches.

If you are able to remove the animal carcass, you will be able to eliminate the odor quickly by using products like Bac-a-Zap Odor Eliminator or Odor Hunter which utilize enzymes to break down the offending odor carrying molecules. These products should be sprayed onto the area (or as close to the area as possible) where the odor originated from to be effective. You may also use the Earth Care Odor Remover Bags. These bags are simply hung up in smelly rooms and as the air in the room passes through the bag, the odor is removed.

If you are not able to locate or remove the animal carcass, there are steps that you can take to control the odor until the decomposition process is complete. You can hang Earth Care Odor Remover Bags throughout the area. You can also use Bac-a-Zap Odor Eliminator with a foaming agent in a poly foamer and foam the scent destroyer down into the wall void where the smell seems strongest. You may consider installing a metered misting device such as the TimeMist Classic Metered Dispenser. This system allows you to use a canned air freshener or aerosol insecticide and it automatically dispenses the product every 15 minutes. When deciding what odor control products to use consider the size of the animal in question. The larger the animal is, the stronger the smell will be and the longer the odor will linger. Using a combination of products is usually the best route to achieve relief.