Dead Mouse Odor

One drawback to any mouse control program is the potential for odor in the home. I can’t tell you how many times I get a phone call indicating that the person on the other end thinks he or she has a mouse dead in the walls and can I find it. They go on to tell me they have had a mouse problem, they are using poison, and now there is a dead mouse odor. I go on to tell them that there is very little chance that they are going to find that dead mouse or mice, and I assure them that the odor will eventually dissipate and the best they can do is mask the odor.

Think about it. A mouse the size of a few inches or so has died and you need to find it. There is no way. It could have died behind a stove, it could have died in a wall, in a ceiling or under a sofa. Not only that, but there could be several mice to be found. It’s a mission impossible.

When we do rodent work here at Grove Pest Control we like to use a bunch of snap traps to increase the chance of physically catching mice so that we can pull bodies out of the home. This limits the risk of odor. Having said that we also use poison baits, and we let the folks know that there may be the potential for odor, but as mentioned above, it will dissipate.

So what’s a homeowner to do if a dead mouse odor appears? Candles, there are enzyme sprays you can use to help mask or eliminate the odor, plug in devices that release a pleasant smell, charcoal or volcanic rock bags that draw odor out of the environment are all methods that can help. After that it is just time and patience, and before you know it, the odor will be gone.