How To Get Rid of Dead Animals Yourself
Six Step to Get Rid of Dead Animals
- Inspect the house, and discover what species of animal lives/lived there - that's an important clue about where it will most likely be.
- Analyze the building architecture, to discover where animals had access to, and where they commonly die.
- Crawl in the attic or move from room to room, and literally sniff around until the exact spot is pinpointed.
- If the animal is reachable, remove it, triple bag it, and wipe down and decontaminate (with enzyme-based cleaner).
- Once the dead animal is gone, and the area cleaned, it's a simple matter of airing out the stinky air in the house, and the odor problem is solved.
- Finally, address the original critter entry problem that caused this to happen!
If dead animals didn’t smell as they deteriorated, most homeowners wouldn’t think twice about what happened to the rat or squirrel that used to live in the attic. Because decaying material produces an odor, having a deceased critter inside of a structure can be a nauseating problem. This is one of the main reasons poisoning pest animals is frown upon. A poisoned animal will retreat into the confines of a dark wall or crawl space before it dies, effectively vanishing by the time the poison has begun to work. Mother Nature will reclaim a carcass the moment life has completely ebbed away. Fluids within the body will pool at the lowest juncture, and tissue will begin to breakdown on the cellular level. Tiny organisms already present on the body will start to break down oxygen and other useful components of the cells. This process is what causes the potent odor that permeates a home when an animal has perished within the walls. The microorganisms will eventually complete their process and the body will dry out. Until this time—which can be weeks or months depending on the size of the animal—the smell will prevail.
Getting rid of the dead animal is the only way to get rid of the smell. Good detective work can help you locate the body, though it may not be as easy as it seems to remove it from the location. Drywall and building materials often have to be cut away in order to reach the carcass. Heat and moisture are two factors that will amplify the smell coming from a dead animal. If you notice that the offensive odor is particularly potent during the heat of the day that can be a clue as to where the animal is located inside of the home. Due to air flow, an animal in the attic will smell more fiercely at night or during the morning than it will during the day, all because of cold air versus warm air. If you smell the odor more strongly when your furnace kicks on, perhaps the animal is located near or inside of a vent. You can usually narrow the location down to a room by use of your nose alone.
This is when things get tricky. You know where the dead animal smells the worst, but where exactly is it within that space? It isn’t practical to rip open feet of drywall on every wall, on the ceiling and under the floor boards. Sometimes the animal carcass will have liquefied enough that a smudge can be seen, but often there is no obvious sign. Knowledge of building structures and the behavior of the animal when it was alive will be the keys to pinpointing the exact spot to open up. Animals can wiggle into some very awkward spots, places most people wouldn’t think to look for them (like under the bathtub). Consider the benefits to hiring a professional to facilitate more efficient removal methods. These folks often have the experience and knowledge needed to quickly locate and remove your problem.
If you have managed to locate the animal on your own, removal is not enough. The area where the body was contained must be thoroughly cleansed with an enzymatic cleaner. Household bleach will kill the odor-causing organisms but it won’t do much for the smell other than to add the smell of bleach. Strong household cleaners are not always recommended for use inside of the home’s structure, so be sure to consult a professional before dumping too man chemicals into the space. Prior to any liquid cleanup, all evidence of the body must be removed. Any leftover or missed material will start the process all over again. Homeowners often find the issue of a dead animal perpetuates when maggots on the body also die and decompose.
Go back to the main Dead Animal Removal page for more information about H1 HEADING. How to Get Rid of Dead Animals in the Car - Dead animals are often found in cars especially during the winter months. Most creatures are drawn to heat when they are cold and the warm engine of a car or the warm exhaust pipe can be too much to resist. Wild animals are not the only ones to take advantage of this source of heat. Cats have frequently been known to climb up under the hoods of vehicles. A dead animal under the hood usually means a mess. If the animal is dead it’s because the fans and belts of the engine have ripped it apart. It is very important to take your vehicle to a repair shop to have it cleaned. Animal parts will usually do no harm to an engine, but teeth and bone can cause serious complications within a motor. Animals wedged in the exhaust pipe will be indicated by the sudden strain of the engine and the smell of exhaust inside the car. If an exhaust pipe is plugged due to a deceased critter, the car should be turned off immediately to prevent further damage. Any time an animal is found in the working parts of a car the vehicle should be taken to a professional for evaluation.
