What is this weird horrid smell in my home? UGH!?

Question

When I come home and walk in my home it has this wretched smell..kinda like rotted meat. This is nasty but we used to have a mouse problem(live near lots of fields..field mice). But we have it fixed now and havent saw any lately. Could one have got in the walls and died? Will it ever quit smelling? What can I do to at least mask this odor for a little while? Ive tried candles...Wax burners...a Rainbow Air freshener device..nothing helps...

Answer 1

My grandmother's house used to have this problem a lot. One would get caught between the walls and die... I think these were rats.

Anyway it would smell disgusting for a while, but it does go away. I forgot how long it took.

In the meantime, how about charcoal activated air freshener and lots of those cheap renuzit type of cone type of air freshener. This humid weather brings out the cat & dog pee in our carpets and this does just the trick!

There are also those large flat canister type heavy duty air fresheners that cost $10 that you can buy in bed bath & beyond or home depot. They work great.

If you are having company and it is quite embarassing what you could do is first go around the house lighting matches. The sulfer kills the toughest odors.

Then boil a pot of pot porri on your stove, and perhaps use some febreze in the worst areas.

Answer 2

Well, if you had mice, you might also have something larger... like a cat, or squirrel... if one of the larger animals died in your home, you can expect to smell it for about 2 to 3 weeks.

There isnt a whole lot to be done on a "temporary" measure... Ill list several things here that may help, but nothing will eliminate the smell better than removing whatever is causing the smell.

Oust air freshener
Febreeze
Lysol disinfectant (kills germs on surfaces, and leaves a clean smell afterwards)
Sliced Lemon
A small dish with some vinegar poured out onto it (and left where it won't get knocked over)
Air purifier with a CHARCOAL filter
Dust mask with a charcoal filter (especially handy if you FIND whatever is making the smell, lol)
Candles -- most candles only 'mask' a smell, and then, for only a short time...they are not normally strong enough to completely mask an odor.
Baking Soda

Good Luck

Answer 3

I know this sounds awful but I have had potatoes go bad that smells worse than a dead animal. I had a couple of potatoes fall behind my dryer once and I thought something had crawled back there and died. Baking soda will help mask the odor.

Answer 4

check the walls for dead mice we had field mice die in one of our walls is smelled for over 5 weeks but only in one room if its the entire house ya may have more then one or it could be plumbing

Answer 5

DO YOU HAVE A BIN INSIDE THE PANTRY THAT HOLDS POTATOES....THERE ISNT A NASTIER ODOR THAN THAT WHICH COMES FROM A VERY OLD COUPLE OF POTATOES THAT HAVE FALLEN IN THE BACK OF THE DARK CUPBOARD OR PANTRY AND TURN TO GREEN MUSH.....FIND IT FIRST...WIPE THE AREA WITH CLOROX WATER....THEN ZERO PET ODOR SPRAY AND LET IT DRY....IT S ONLINE AT ZEROODOR.COM

Answer 6

Do you have a garbage disposal? It could be that is blocked up or if you have really old carpets, it could be that. Try tearing up a small piece and see what is underneath. Hope this helps : )

Answer 7

i had the same smell once and it was a dead mouse in the basement (yuck!), try using unscented Oust until you find the source of the smell.

Answer 8

an uninvited guest may have passed on in your walls or basement or crawl space

Answer 9

a dead mouse in the wall is possible - sounds terrible!