For a long time, I have been looking at how to get rid of dead rat smell in my house, and after a lot of research, I finally came up with a solution that helped me a great deal. It took so much of my stress away from this problem.
In this article, you will find three options at how to get rid of dead rat smell from your home completely. These remedies require you to at least open some windows or doors of your house, if not fully vacate your home for several hours.
Now, let’s begin.
How to get rid of the dead rat smell from a hard surface?
Step 1: You will learn how to get rid of dead rat smell from hard surfaces from this step. Places, where rats have died are highly likely to carry a strong unpleasant odor of putrefaction due to bacterial decomposition of the rat’s body. The only way to get rid of it is by thoroughly cleaning these surfaces with a special agent that will neutralize this odor and disinfect the area, killing bacteria on the spot.
There are several professional products available for purchase, which are manufactured specifically for removing various types of foul odors in great quantities, but if you don’t want to make an additional trip at your local hardware shop or supermarket or can not afford to buy any of them, there is an easy solution for you.
All you need to do is mix together baking soda, hydrogen peroxide (you can get this at your local drug store), liquid dish soap, and ammonia. Mix 2 cups of baking soda with cup of hydrogen peroxide, add some liquid soap on top of it and add 1/3 cup of ammonia in the mixture.
Make sure to mix all these ingredients well together before applying them onto the surface where a dead rat smell is present. Watch out not to splash these chemicals on yourself or other people! It’s always safe to wear gloves while you are mixing up chemical agents for this purpose. I have done this numerous times when removing the dead rat smell, and I didn’t feel any irritation on my skin, but it’s always better if you wear gloves. Try to avoid contact with your eyes as well, as this might cause injury or severe irritation. Be careful when using ammonia; don’t let children or pets into the room until you’ve thoroughly ventilated it.
Get rid of dead rat smell from inside your house
Open the windows
Step 2: From now on is very important that you follow these instructions if you want how to get rid of dead rat smell from inside your house. You will need access to windows and doors so that fresh air can help remove the odor from your home naturally.
Set up a fan and leave the house if you can
Next, set up a fan in front of one window and turn it on to blow outside and take away all foul odors with it. If possible, leave your home as soon as possible, because dead rat smells can be very powerful and make you sick. If leaving is not an option, put on a dust mask and some goggles to protect yourself from the fumes of the process we will use next.
How to get rid of the dead rat smell compleatly
STEP 3: You can try using one or more of these options (depending on how foul the odor is) to get rid of it completely:
· Vinegar – Pour a cup of vinegar into 1 cup of warm water and mix well. Use this mixture to scrub hard surfaces where a dead rat smell is present. Remember that many chemical agents must not be mixed together (such as ammonia with bleach), but vinegar doesn’t fall under this category, so don’t worry about toxic gas. After you scrub everything down, use a high-pressure washer to do the same thing and ensure no particles or chemicals remain on the surface.
· Fabric softener – A liquid fabric softener is an excellent tool for getting rid of unpleasant odors, so if you have some lying around in your house, mix it with water in a spray bottle at a 1:1 ratio. Spray it onto hard surfaces where a dead rat smell is present and let it sit there for several minutes before rinsing the area with clear water. You can also simply mix fabric softener into warm water and then use this solution to clean these surfaces if you don’t have any liquid fabric softener at home. This method will work just as well!
· Ammonia – Mix 1 cup of ammonia into 3 cups of water and use this mixture to clean hard surfaces where a dead rat smell is present. Note that you should never mix ammonia with bleach, as this might create toxic and poisonous fumes and is hazardous to your health! If possible, try to open doors and windows for ventilation while using ammonia or any other chemical agents.
· Hydrogen peroxide – Hydrogen peroxide has potent disinfecting properties, so it can be beneficial in removing odors from all sorts of surfaces such as floor tiles, hardwood floors, etc. Pour 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide into a bucket filled with 2-3 gallons of warm water and use this solution to scrub these surfaces until the area looks clean. A toothbrush might be helpful while scrubbing.
· Activated charcoal – Many people use activated charcoal to absorb various odors in their house, so why not give it a try to remove the dead rat smell? It’s super cheap and can save you from severe headaches if done correctly! You will need about 4 pounds of activated charcoal for every 1 square foot where the smell is present on the surface. Crumble up all this coal into powder form and spread evenly on these surfaces until they are completely covered. Wait overnight until the coal has absorbed all smells before vacuuming it up or brushing away excess powder. Charcoal must never contact grease or oil, as this will cause toxic fumes that may harm you!
· Open all windows – This may seem like a no-brainer, but most people choose to ignore it and close windows due to the smell. While doing this is better than nothing, opening windows will give you much better results. You can open windows in the rooms where a dead rat smell is present or leave your front door wide open for a good amount of time until fresh air comes into your house and takes away all smells with it.
Large buildings such as schools or warehouses should have ventilation systems that work 24/7, so this method might not be very effective if your home or office has no ventilation system. If that’s the case, try using any of the methods listed above instead! For these methods to work correctly, you need to ensure that the humidity in your house is low; otherwise, none of these will work.
To decrease humidity, you have to run a dehumidifier in rooms where a dead rat smell is present and open windows for several hours until the humidity levels drop down enough. This method works wonders on wooden surfaces!
· Tomato juice – If you sprinkle tomato juice onto hard surfaces where a dead rat smell is present and then scrub it off with warm water after 10-15 minutes, this method might also give good results. Remember that the odor of tomatoes isn’t so pleasant, so try not to spill any juice on your floor or furniture if possible!
If nothing from the list above works, you could try using a commercial grade odor neutralizer, which you can find in many DIY stores. These commercial products are designed to remove the toughest smells in the world and will work just as well when removing dead rat smell from your home or office.
You should leave these products on surfaces where the smell is present for about 5-10 minutes before scrubbing off with warm water and then rinsing with clear water. Make sure always to use gloves while handling any chemicals!
