I had a possum or something do thatā¦ it was the worst.
Ironically I found opening the windows and doors to air the place out just created a low pressure zone that let the stink come fully out of the wall and spread through the house.
I ended up closing all windows and doors and then directing a fan at the exit point (the gap in the wall under where the heater was installed) to keep air pushing against it so it couldnāt come out.
Because I canāt use traditional air fresheners around my cat I set out dishes of white vinegar to deodorise the air. Then dabbed 1-2 drops of Nilodor on cotton balls or a tissue, put it in a paper cup, then tied a paper towel over the top.
If the hole the smell is coming from is a fan vent you can leave the fan on. If you have a manhole into a ceiling cavity you might be able to see if you can reach it with a rubbish bag covering one of those long grabbers.
Obviously donāt put yourself at risk by going to the top of the ladder or crawling into the space! Itās possible to step off a rafter and fall through the ceiling.
Seagoon_@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
spoiler
nothing smells worse than rat
TheWitchofThornbury@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
Um, dead possum is worse imo. The smell hangs around forever and canāt be cleaned out even when the body is removed.
Seagoon_@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
TIL
Baku@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
Whatever the hell it is is seared into my memory now. I canāt actively smell it while Iām not near it, but i still get random little whiffs. Even while Iām outside
Fuck this, Iām lightning incense
Catfish@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
Deceased rodent is a smell you wonāt forget. Hot weather is kinda helpful because it mummifies them a bit quicker. Our chimney debacle winter last year reeked for months.
Baku@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
I can assure you it will be stuck in my nostrils for the next 3 months at least. Every now and then Iāll probably get a tiny whiff out of nowhere :/
I hadnāt considered that! I guess thatās one positive from the warm weather. Hopefully it makes it less habitable for maggots or whatever else is trying to get up there for an easy dinner. I really donāt want to have to deal with an infestation one week after moving in
SituationCake@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
Dead rat stink is so bad. Close the bathroom door, open the window, air freshener, scented candles can all help a bit, but itās a waiting game until the corpse is either removed or decomposed past the stink stage. So sorry it happened to you so soon at your new place. Itās happened to lots of us at some point. Itās bad right now but will be a good story to laugh about down the track.
Baku@aussie.zone āØ2ā© āØweeksā© ago
spoiler
Tbh I can already see a bit of humour in it. The idea of trying to scrub rotting flesh stench off myself directly underneath a decomposing rat carcass with magots wriggling around is somewhat funny in a morbid, āwhat the actual fuckā kind of way.
This does solidify that if I ever have enough money to buy land and draw up plans to build my own house, I am 100% investing in a very easily accessible ceiling cavity with multiple access doors. Even if I owned this house, Iād probably still pay somebody else to do it, but I want them to be able to find it quickly and dispose of it easily. I did some googling and found horror stories of this happening to people in houses with no roof access at all. That sounds like a nightmare honestly