Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Removing the odor
• Part 2 of 3: Freshen the air
• Part 3 of 3: Keeping animals out

Animals are good at finding entry points to warm houses, basements, attics and even cars. This can cause problems if it is sick or cannot go back outside. When an animal enters your home, car, or building without your knowledge and dies, it will produce a terribly nauseating odor, especially if you don't find the animal right away. There are ways to remove the scent from the dead animal, but the most important thing is to remove the cause of the odor and clean the area because you don't want anyone to be exposed to parasites and disease.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Removing the odor

1. Find the animal. Follow your nose to the source of the fragrance. Determine which part of your house is involved (such as your basement or attic). Then let yourself be guided through your nose to where the scent is strongest. You may need to do some research if the animal did not die in a visible place. Check for places like:
   • Behind walls (you may need to make some holes)
   • Under the floorboards
   • Under or behind insulation material
   • Under heaps of coarse dirt
   • Near warm ventilation shafts or heat sources
   • Near pipes or water sources
2. Remove the source of the odor. What you do with the body depends on local government laws, but your options include burial, incineration, and trash disposal. Do not touch the animal directly: wear gloves or use a shovel to move the carcass.
   • If you can bury the animal, place it in a compostable bag and then in a small box. Consult maps of the area or the local council to make sure you don't hit any pipes or water pipes. Dig a hole 1-1.5 meters deep and place the box at the bottom, then fill the hole again.
   • The municipality may permit incineration, if so you can burn the carcass on a campfire.
   • To dispose of the body in the trash, wrap it in newspaper and then place it in a sealable plastic bag twice before throwing it in the trash.
   • You may also be able to call the animal rescue service to pick up the body or deliver the body to them for disposal.
3. Hygienically clean the area. Wear gloves and use a rag or paper towel to wipe up any remaining fur, body moisture, or other animal matter. Then spray the area with enzymatic cleaner, this will break down the organic matter and eliminate any disease and odors. Let the solution sit for 10-15 minutes before wiping the area with a clean cloth and disposing of the dirty cloth and waste. Enzymatic cleaners are:
   • Ultrazyme
   • Multi-zyme
   • EmPower Foam
   • Nature's Miracle
   • Fizzion
4. Clean textiles. Any textiles contaminated by the dead animal - such as curtains, clothing, sheets or other materials - should also be hygienically cleaned. The best way to do this is to take them to the dry cleaner. If that is not an option, you can wash the fabric in your washing machine with hot water on a normal wash cycle, adding 240ml of one of the following:
   • Hydrogen peroxide
   • Turned out
   • Pine-Sol
5. Discard materials that cannot be cleaned. Sometimes animals die on materials that are not easy to clean, such as on top of insulation. If so, remove and replace the material that cannot be cleaned.

Part 2 of 3: Freshen the air

1. Know what to do if you can't find the animal. If the animal died in an inaccessible place - such as in a wall - you may not be able to remove the carcass to get rid of the odor. The time it takes for decomposition and the disappearance of the odor depends on the size of the animal, temperature and humidity. However, it can take several weeks, or even months.
   • Determine the general location of the scent.
   • If necessary and possible, you can drill a few holes to open up the area where the animal is located (such as under floorboards or behind a wall) so that you can treat the area with disinfectant and deodorizer.
   • Use a strong deodorizer or disinfectant on the area. You can do this by spraying a product like Bac-Azap in the holes or by hanging odor removal bags in the area.
   • Replace sachets as needed or keep spraying with the deodorizer until dissolution is complete.
   • Once the odor has gone, close the holes.
2. Ventilate the area. Whether you have removed the source of the odor or are waiting for it to decompose, ventilation is key to freshening the air and helping to get rid of bad odors.
   • Open as many windows as possible in the affected area to get the air moving.
   • Set up some fans to blow air from inside the house out through the windows. This is especially important if you cannot remove the animal.
3. Freshen the air. There are many air fresheners available that will help neutralize and remove odors in your home. You can absorb and remove odors with:
   • Bleach-soaked rags (Soak some rags in a bucket of hot bleach. Wring them out and hang them in the area. Replace them when they dry. Keep the area well-ventilated and keep children and pets out of the area.)
   • An open box of baking soda
   • A container of freshly ground coffee beans with holes in the lid
   • Cabbage (buy 3 or more bags of cabbage online, for example at Bol.com)
   • An air filter with absorbent filter.
4. Freshen the air. In addition to neutralizing the dead animal's scent with air fresheners, you can also improve the scent in your home with other air-freshening products, such as:
   • Store bought aerosols, such as Lysol and Febreze
   • Scented candles
   • Essential oils in a diffuser, on cotton balls or mixed with alcohol and spread through a spray bottle or nebulizer.
   • Frankincense or essential oils
   • Hanging up air fresheners
   • Fabric bags with strong, fresh herbs, such as rosemary and lavender.

Part 3 of 3: Keeping animals out

1. Cover holes and access points. Animals can enter your home through holes, cracks, ventilation shafts and other openings. The best way to prevent them from entering and dying in your home is to block these entry points. Make sure to cover holes larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, ventilation shafts, chimneys, crawl spaces, cracks and fractures.
   • Use materials such as concrete, wire and cement, otherwise the animals will chew through the material to enter your house.
2. Clean up food scraps. Animals are more likely to enter your home if they are attracted to something outside, such as food or water. To remove these attractors you must:
   • Remove standing water from around your home
   • Clean up birdseed and pet food
   • Store rubbish and compost in rodent resistant containers
   • Remove fallen fruit and vegetables from the garden in good time
   • Clean up pet feces
3. Remove debris from around the house. Piles of wood, garbage, wild-growing shrubs and overhanging branches can all be used by animals as a shelter or entry point into your home. Make sure to clean up debris around your home and keep plants, trees and grass short and maintained.
   • For example, a bush of shrubs is a good place for a rodent to build a nest.
   • Branches hanging over your house can give animals access to your house through the roof.
   • Similarly, dirt, trash, and organic matter leaning against your home can allow animals to access higher entry points that they normally wouldn't be able to reach.