Death in the Attic - need advice please

[JJEH]

No, I don't need an attorney. I do, however need some advice.

2 days ago we noticed a funky smell coming from our closet (it's also the entry into the attic) and at first we thought that Misty (dog) might have brought in some poop on her feet or something like that. Well, yesterday it got worse and now our bedroom stinks.

So I went on to investigate and pulled everything out of the closed (I'm still tired from all that). Couldn't find anything in the closed so I figured it won't hurt to check the attic. Bam.

I almost passed out. But I can't find/see/feel anything... I would need to be 2' tall and weigh less than 10# in order for me to move around up there.

All I can see is insulation, beams and ducts. And I believe that's all supposed to be there...

Anyone else had this problem?

I mean, it smells like death. Not sure what insulation smells when it gets wet over a long(er) period of time. I couldn't see any leaks (it's raining since 3 days now) but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

Any help is appreciated

 

[mtgianni]

First step for me would be to check the outside vents to ensure they are all in place and tight. If not it is the probable point of entry.

 

[Marshwheeling]

It's probably a raccoon or a squirrel. You may just have to wait it out, as I did when I caught a mama 'coon out on the roof one day. She was unable to return to her babies under the roof. In due course, they died and decayed. It smelled pretty rank, but it couldn't be detected from any living areas, and didn't really hang on that long. Of course, they were little.

If it happened today, I might have tried some Febreze, which they didn't have back then.

 

[Onomea]

If employed, this technique would need to be employed safely, somehow, in an attic, but I have read that professionals, restoring a home after someone has died and the body has decomposed, burn coffee grounds to mitigate the smell.

 

[Old_Cop]

My wife's RAV4 has had the dead mouse or chipmunk smell twice. Aside from Febreze, it has been wait until it mummifies.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In my 30 year war with raccoons; I has dead bodies in attics with no human access almost every year and sometimes 2 or 3 times a summer.

Get your favorite air freshener and turn on the window fans (blowing from the shade side of the house) have them plow in. You are trying for "Over pressure" to force the smell back up into the attic close all the other windows and turning on the A/C helps. Most exterminators have a service that will fetch the dead body(s), but it is by the hour and with a healthy minimum or service call. (how much would you charge a stranger to do that?)

It got in there somehow, and until you find the entrance and permanently close it, these smelly days will keep happening! I found over sized (to the hole) pieces of 22 gauge galvanized sheet metal screwed in place and painted to match will keep the next offender from chewing around or through the current entrance! It is probably a hole in the soffit or where a gable ties into the roof line. Easy case: damaged or missing Hat or Ridge vent! Worst case: around a plumbing vent pipe! Fix it right the first time or you'll be up there often!!!

Ivan

 

[Telecaster]

If employed, this technique would need to be employed safely, somehow, in an attic, but I have read that professionals, restoring a home after someone has died and the body has decomposed, burn coffee grounds to mitigate the smell.

I think that would put me off coffee forever.

 

[Nevada Ed]

All entry ways, vents, need to be screened off to prevent entry.

I had birds get into the chimney, past the top vent and end up above a old Ben Franklin stove where the vent flap stopped them, that was located at the deer club.

Life can be interesting at times.

The wife found out that the new dog food that she is trying out does not go well with our dog...........
as it passed gas last night as we were watching tv !!

Hang in there.

 

[SweetMK]

You WILL remove the remains,, or,,,
you will endure the odor, the time length mainly based on the volume size of the animal.

A mouse can smell as bad as a raccoon, but, the smell of a mouse will last "only" 30 to 60 days.

A raccoon sized animal can easily have a smell that will last a year, or more.

Back in the 1970's, my BIL buried the remains of a couple 40 pound rock fish that he had filleted,,
The fish were buried about 4 feet deep.

We accidentally hit the remains with a bulldozer over 6 months later,,

We ALL thought we were going to die from the smell,

It was unbelievable,

 

[oink]

You could let some flys in the attic. You'd then have to gas some flys later but the smell would disappear faster.

 

[johngross]

.. I would need to be 2' tall and weigh less than 10# in order for me to move around up there.

Seems like a cat would be able to handle the job for you.

 

[fordson]

My wife's former house has a raccoon die in the attic. Had to have it "professionally" remove, and the attic fumigated and sanitized. Quite expensive. She sold the house.

 

[Maddog 521]

Do you have any roof vents? Either the turbine or the low/flat ones should be checked to see if they are blocked of plugged up and/or the screen is gone. I have easy access to my attic and my roof so I inspect frequently.

 

[Telecaster]

You could let some flys in the attic. You'd then have to gas some flys later but the smell would disappear faster.

 

[Deceasedeye]

Have you modified your exterior walls at all? I had the problem with bats, when siding closed off their exit they were trapped, died inside the wall and smelled terrible. Some did make it into the attic space so look for signs in the attic. Not much you can do about the odor if it's inside a wall, it usually dissipates pretty quickly. Good luck!

 

[JJEH]

Oh wow.... I don't even know what to say...

I went back up there with the longest stick I could find. I poked and swirled around like a kid plays in the sand... getting frustrated and being ready to burn down the house.

That's when I pushed all the insulation back which came too close to the door and lo and behold... here she lies, less than 1' from the door.

I collected the mouse as well as a trash bag full of stinky insulation surrounding him/her.

I guess you can call that dumb luck... or what was the one saying with that blind chicken...?! I don't know.

All I know is that I hope this is the only one. And I will still follow all your recommendations and check up on the vents, etc.

Thanks again for all you advise here....I appreciate y'all. And I might buy a lottery ticket later

 

[IronSkillet]

Good find, hopefully no babies. Maybe a good time to set a snap trap with a little bait in the same area, just to play it safe.

 

[6518John]

Oh wow.... I don't even know what to say... getting frustrated and being ready to burn down the house.

I am so glad to read this, I did not want to post what happed to a lady I know because I would rather say nothing than fail to be encouraging.

She has a coon die in her attic in August in Arkansas. A big one to boot. While she was on vacation in Hawaii!

When she got back—and I will be limited in my description because I just returned from lunch and have a very weak gag reflex for a lawyer—it was literally leaking through the ceiling.

Her homeowners insurance called in the people that clean up crime scenes, like dead bodies in the back of a Caddy at the Memphis Airport for a month in the summer.

It still stunk to high heaven when they got done.

Long story short they ripped out ceiling, insulation, flooring below and replaced it all.

Lady said she could still get a whiff occasionally. Insurance adjuster finally told her she was crazy and cut the claim off.

She finally sold the house in the dead of winter. She gets a call in the spring from the new owners, "did you ever smell something in here in hot weather?"

 

[Tradewind36]

Same thing happened to me twice, dead mouse. Even stained my ceiling.

 

[NYlakesider]

One of my neighbors had a "death smell" in a wall. He did not want to tear into the wall. What he did was keep scented candles going in that room. He had no kids or pets to mess with the candles so that worked for him. Said it took about two weeks till things got better.

Edit- My father was a undertaker I most certainly know what that smell is.