How to get rid of Dead Animal Odor

While the dead animal itself is most of the problem, if the animal has been in there for a while you may have to clean the area more to fully get rid of the smell. Hopefully, you catch it early and all you have to do is open the windows for a while to allow the smell to leave. Sometimes though, if you don’t you may have to do some deep cleaning in that area. Some people prefer to have an expert come in and take care of this to ensure that everything is cleaned properly, however there are things you can do on your own.

Before you do anything, make sure that you have the proper safety equipment on. This can be goggles, gloves, and a face mask. If the animal had started decaying, there is a good chance you have maggots in the area, so be sure to clean all of those out of the space as well as any left behind…fluids. You can mostly do this with warm water and soap and a rag, which you will want to throw out. If the animal was in the attic, you may have to remove insulation that was contaminated. If you had a previous infestation of an animal in the attic, you may be looking into having the insulation replaced anyway, this is something that your insulation company would be able to remove for you with the rest of it so you wouldn’t have to worry about it at that time.

More than likely, you are going to have to cut a hole in the wall in order to reach the animal. Some people feel comfortable doing this on their own, while many prefer to hire a contractor so that the hole is cut properly and sealed again. The hole doesn’t necessarily have to be huge, just big enough to stick your hand through and pull out the animal. You probably won’t find any giant raccoons behind your wall, so you’ll be looking at smaller animals to remove. It is mostly rodents, squirrels, and babies that will end up stuck behind a wall. Once the hole has been cut and the animal removed, you can seal it back with dry wood, or have a professional come out and seal it, depending on your comfort level.