Dead rat smell how long does it last

Using poison to get rid of rats is not the best solution for many reasons. Having poison in the house can be extremely dangerous if you have pets or young children, and it may die inside of your home which becomes an issue when the rat starts to decompose and emit a pungent smell.

Table of Contents Show

Where do rats go to die?
What does a dead rat smell like?
How long before a dead rat stops smelling?
Can dead rat smell last for months?
Can dead rat smell harm you?
How do you get rid of a dead rat smell?

A dead rat can hide in your walls, on your attic or basement, in the vents, in the closed and even under floorboards. These places can be a challenge to find where the carcass is and get rid of it.

To get rid of dead rat smell, you have to:

Locate and remove the carcass. Depending on where the body is, you may have to hire pest experts with equipment for dead animal removal to get rid of the source of the smell. The sooner you do it, the better.
Wear protection when removing the dead body. Use rubber, vinyl or latex gloves so you don’t touch the rat. Put it in a ziplock bag and seal it immediately. If the smell is too repugnant you may want to use a face mask as well.
Mix bleach and water and use it to treat the area where the body was. Again, use gloves to do so.
Ventilate the area. If there are no windows that you can open to let air in, use a portable ventilator. If the house still smells, open windows to let air in.
Use smell absorbing bags. They are sold in stores and will help take some of the smell away, but you will have to change them regularly until the smell is completely eradicated.
Use scented candles or other air fresheners in your house in the first couple of weeks after dealing with a dead rat or a dead mouse smell.

There’s a saying that when rats get poisoned they go outside and die there. This myth has been debunked for quite some time now but some people still believe it. There are other ways to get rid of rats and mice, without poisoning them.

Where do rats go to die?

Most rat poisons work after a couple of days so there’s plenty of time for it to move about your home. In some cases, it may go outside and die there. But there are more documented cases of rats dying inside of the house than outside of it.

The places it can die vary – it can die in its nest, it can die in the walls or under floorboards, which makes it incredibly hard to find the decaying and smelling corpse and get rid of it.

When you turn your house upside down and there’s no trace of the dead rat but the smell is strong, there’s a chance the carcass is in your walls or under your floorboards.

What does a dead rat smell like?

If you’ve ever smelled rotten meat, perhaps a forgotten stake in your fridge, multiply the smell by 50 and you may get close to what a dead rat smells like. It is a rotting, repulsive, sickening smell.

And the worst thing is that you cannot cover it up with anything. Especially, if it is strong in one of the rooms. This is a smell that without a doubt when you sense it for the first time, you will know what is causing it.

If this is the case, you should hire a professional pest controller to find the right spot and if necessary to take apart the floor or walls with minimal damage and dispose of the decaying animal and to repair the area.

The Best way to get rid of a Dead Rat or Mouse smell

As anyone who’s dealt with a dead rat in their home will know, the smell is one you will never forget!

The foul odour is best described as the rotting smell of death and is generated by a combination of various chemicals including sulfur dioxide and methane. The smell of the dead rat may linger for 4 – 8 weeks, the larger the animal the longer the foul smell!

Professional Pest managers regularly treat homes for rodents in winter, as this is the time of year rodents move indoors in search of shelter. Sometimes not all pest control programs go according to plan and while rats can be captured or killed by using rodenticide baits and lethal traps, if the rodent happens to die in an area that is inaccessible or hard to reach, they will start to decompose and leave a really awful stench. Professionals are acutely aware of this and as such calls from homeowners to eradicate foul smells is one of highest callouts this time of years for Pest Managers.

So, what can you do about the foul odour?

How to get rid of a dead rat smell with products the professionals use

Step 1: Where To Look

As unpleasant as it sounds, you will have to follow your nose and sniff around until you find the part of your home where the odour is the strongest. Check air vents, wall voids and your ceiling as these are common areas where they could be found. Also keep a look out for staining as bodily fluids can seep out of a carcass. Observe any insect activity, for instance, flies hanging around a wall or vent. This will be an indicator of where the dead carcass is.

Step 2: Remove the problem

Removing a dead animal and ventilating the area is the quickest route to relief. Once the rat is disposed of, that doesn’t mean the smell will just disappear. This is when it is necessary to be equipped with an odour neutralizer.

Step 3: Eradicate the foul smell

There are two types of products typically used by professionals to eradicate foul odours caused by dead rats.

Our top picks for the best product to remove foul odours

Odour remover bags ($26.50ea per bag)

StopOdours odour remover bags adsorb the gas molecules (ions and atoms) that make up the foul odours. Each bag contains a proprietary blend of highly porous microscopic granules which have incredibly large surface areas (each gram has a surface area of about 500 square meters). The foul odours are adsorbed to the surface pores and condense, meaning, the smells and odours are stuck at the surface and trapped inside the pores. Instead of covering up foul smells, the StopOdours bags adsorb the gas molecules that make up the bad odours. This results in a total elimination of the odour. Hang 1 or 2 bags in each room that has an odour. Air circulation is best to ensure the foul air is sucked into the porous bags. One bag covers approximately 10 square metres. Each bag will last approximately 3-4 months; we suggest leaving them up until the odour is gone.

What We Like:

· Adsorbs foul odours as opposed to masking them

· Results in total odour elimination

· Contains 100% natural ingredients

· last on average 3-4 months

· 1 bag per 10sqm

What We Don’t Like:

· Can take up to 24hours to work

· Need to be placed as close to the odour generator for best results

· Slightly more expensive

StopOderz Odour neutralizer gel pod ($15.98ea)

These products don’t just emit a pleasant lime scent of all-natural plant-based essential oil ingredients, they can literally neutralize the odour away so it is no longer permeating through the air. The product contains non-toxic natural ingredients and has a continuous release gel formulation that works round-the-clock to provide constant odour elimination day or night. Simply remove the seal and place the odour gel in rooms that contain foul smells. Each 250gram pod will last 15-30 days and will neutralise any unpleasant odour.

What We Like:

· Neutralises foul odours by emitting a constant pleasant scent

· contains 100% plant based natural aromas

· easy to use and low-cost;

· provides immediate results

What We Don’t Like:

· Does not adsorb odours like odur remover bags, it neutraliser the odour

Key takeaways for getting rid of foul odours

While rats are a problem when they are alive and invade your home, they can also be a problem when they have died in your home and can't be reached for disposal via decomposition. This produces an awful odour that can linger for weeks without intervention.
Professionals regularly encounter dead rats as part of their rodent treatments and have found the StopOdours odour remover bag to be highly effective and the preferred choice for dealing with dead rat smells. However, where clients cannot wait for the StopOdour bags to work, they typically install StopOdours Odour Neutraliser Gels to mask and neutralise the smell for immediate relief. The odour gel pods emit a slight citrus floral scent and typically last up to 30 days. Typically, 2 odour pods are usually sufficient to handle most situations.
Prevent dealing with dead rat smells by carrying out exclusion and sanitation measures to make it less likely for rats to invade your home.

Tags: Best odour control products, Best odour removers, Dampness, Dead mouse odor, dead mouse odours, Dead Rat Odour, Essential oils, Foul smell, Freshwave, gel pods, Mildew, Musty smells, natural, odor eliminator, odour control, Odour eliminator, Odour remover, Pet odors, Pet odours, Possum urine, Smoke, stopOderz, stopodours, Vomit

How long before a dead rat stops smelling?

A dead rat, mouse, or other animal smell can linger and produce an even stronger odor as time wears on until it's fully decomposed which could take 6 to 10 weeks.

Can dead rat smell last for months?

If you choose to wait it out, it can take up to 3 weeks to a month for the stinking odour to pass. After this time, the carcass has had enough time to completely dry out, and the rotting process has passed through its most noticeable phase.