How long until corpse stops smelling bad?

[HeXen]

Anyone with experience of this? At the bottom of my staircase with walls on either side, some kind of critter died either under the stairs or inside the wall there and is emanating through. No way for me to get in there without tearing it apart...if I wait it out, how long until the corpse dries up and stop smelling? Smells like a dead mouse to me.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Depends on the size of the corpse and the conditions. Mouse under ideal conditions that decompose it quickly, a day or two. Mouse under poor conditions, a week or more. Fat neighbor that got whacked and stuck in the wall you might be smelling it until July.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Never. The rat will attract flies. The flies will attract frogs. The frogs will attract rats. More rats will die. Eventually the entire planet will becoming an unbearable, rotting wasteland.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Never. The rat will attract flies. The flies will attract frogs. The frogs will attract rats. More rats will die. Eventually the entire planet will becoming an unbearable, rotting wasteland.

That's what happened to New Jersey. One dead rat, now look at it.

 

[Mayne]

lasts about 2 days.

 

[OverVolt]

lasts about 2 days.

He would know. He do what he do.

 

[K7SN]

Depends on the size of the corpse and the conditions. Mouse under ideal conditions that decompose it quickly, a day or two. Mouse under poor conditions, a week or more. Fat neighbor that got whacked and stuck in the wall you might be smelling it until July.

As it decomposes or mummifies (conditions determine which) the fat neighbor will stop smelling but the smell from decomposition will remain and permeate until the microbes that decomposed the body die off from a lack of food and they like mouse level of odor will be undetectable by our sense of smell but your family dog will still be interested in the smell coming from the wall long after you have forgotten.

A dead mouse will cease to be a problem in days to a month depending as you say on what can get to the carcass. Believe it or not they have been researching the smell of death since the 19th century; it is a forensic tool.

 

[adamantine.me]

Oh man, this happened to me a few years ago. It was a month of this phantom foul-smell. Then came the flies. Oh god, the flies. There were so many. So, so many.

Get yourself a good fly swatter and some grip tape.

 

[Brainonska511]

Depends on the size of the corpse and the conditions. Mouse under ideal conditions that decompose it quickly, a day or two. Mouse under poor conditions, a week or more. Fat neighbor that got whacked and stuck in the wall you might be smelling it until July.

Many years ago, I had a rat die in the wall of my kitchen in my apartment in the middle of the summer. It smelled for about a week to a week and a half. Then it was fine as far as smell goes. But a week after the smell stopped, I had an absolutely massive fly infestation for a week. The major lesson I learned is: don't use rat poison inside.

 

[Captante]

Critter inside the wall hmmm? :hmm:

Sure its not the bodies in the basement ?!? :awe:

 

[Imp]

Ya, "some kind of critter." I also have "some kind of critter" buried in my backyard... *wink*

 

[Red Squirrel]

You might want to figure out what kind of hole is allowing a critter to get on the warm side of the vapour barrier. That will lead to frost and mold this winter.

Mice corposes are weird, 9 times out of 10, they don't smell like anything, but when they do... it's the most horrible smell ever.

This reminds me I need to bring fresh water bowls to the ummm critters, in my basement.

 

[angminas]

That's what happened to New Jersey. One dead rat, now look at it.

Had to be done. Guy liked to talk too much. Beans or blood, something was gonna spill.

 

[who?]

I wonder if soaking it in disinfectant spray will stop the decomposition and if it did what would happen then?

 

[CZroe]

The police have been notified.

 

[Raizinman]

I can tell you from first hand. I placed the wife, I mean rabbit inside the wall. No smell from the wife, I mean raccoon, I mean rabbit for at least a week. Then the wife, I mean the skunk, I mean the raccoon, I mean the rabbit started to smell terribly. I thought I could live it for a while but decided inside the wall was a bad idea. Tore out the sheet rock, pulled out the wife, I mean some critter and gave her a proper burial way in the back yard under the ole oak tree. Still getting her social security check too! Oooops.

 

[angminas]

I can tell you from first hand. I placed the wife, I mean rabbit inside the wall. No smell from the wife, I mean raccoon, I mean rabbit for at least a week. Then the wife, I mean the skunk, I mean the raccoon, I mean the rabbit started to smell terribly. I thought I could live it for a while but decided inside the wall was a bad idea. Tore out the sheet rock, pulled out the wife, I mean some critter and gave her a proper burial way in the back yard under the ole oak tree. Still getting her social security check too! Oooops.

Okay, this story is just ridiculous.

You'd smell that rabbit in way less than a week.

 

[TheGardener]

I think you'll have to live with the smell for longer than 2 days, but it will go away. I second that you'd better check the outside for any cracks or holes. It got in somehow. Have some caulking material with you on hand. Good opportunity to check for termite damage, as I've seen that as a source of how the mice got in. Caulking won't help for that.

Also set some traps or poison pelts or both in a safe place, away from kids and pets. If you suspect one mouse, chances are you have a family visiting you.

 

[adamantine.me]

It's probably chipmunks. Those critters can get anywhere they want.

 

[zinfamous]

first, bleach the area and let it evaporate for a few days.


Then EtOH scrub the shit out of it. shove some EtOH into the cracks or holes if you think it will reach the critter.

If the odor persists, dump about 1 gallon of mineral oil over the offending area--that will soak up some stank. Of course, now you have a greasy mineral oil problem. Be sure to call Jimmy from maintenance and his shop vac.

 

[John Connor]

https://youtu.be/4vcNnS9k884?t=1m8s

 

[DaveSimmons]

I learned on Breaking Bad that plastic tubs are the right thing to use with acid. Porcelain not so much.

Anyway, the point is to cut up the body and use the acid while it's still fresh, before it stinks up the house.

 

[IronWing]

The crypt at the York cathedral reeked of death seventy five years after the most recent interment.

 

[feralkid]

I learned on Breaking Bad that plastic tubs are the right thing to use with acid. Porcelain not so much.

Anyway, the point is to cut up the body and use the acid while it's still fresh, before it stinks up the house.

The point is to know which TYPE of acid to use.

 

[MongGrel]

Pig Farm.

:ninja: