Rats, lizards and frogs may commonly trespass into your property and die in the basement. Whether it was a result of your pet’s hunting escapades or something else, an animal’s corpse that stays in the basement for too long will begin to rot. Naturally, this will lead to a horrible stench that will inevitably disturb you and other inhabitants in the house or building.

When an animal decomposes, the chemical reaction produces a smell that is often hard to recognize. As bacteria break down the carcass, a mixture of compounds like hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol is produced, leading to the unpleasant, disgusting smell that will start to spread in all parts of your home.

Moreover, when the dead animal begins to rot, there is a high chance it may spread disease, which could inflict inhabitants and make them sick. Hence, whether you’re disturbed by the overbearing stench or the disease-carrying scavengers, you should get rid of the animal corpse as soon as possible.

But this brings us to an important question: how would you know the source of the smell?

Signs of an Animal Corpse in Your Basement

The thing is, the basement is a low-traffic area in the house. Therefore, you may not even realize that a dead animal has been lying there until it starts to rot, and consequently, smell. Even then, you may wonder what the source of this horrible smell is. You may cite it to the presence of water or mold, completely ignoring the possibility of a dead rat or something in your house!

This is why it is important to know the following signs that an animal corpse may be present in your basement.

Direction of Smell

If you want to locate the source of the smell, you need to first uncover the location. For this, you will have to literally follow the smell and see the point where it starts to get stronger. If you detect that it is coming from the basement, this is your first clue that there may be a dead rotting animal there.

While there could be several reasons behind a smelly basement, animal corpses are the most common. This will help you to actively search for the body and get rid of it to curb the spread of the smell and any disease further.

Presence of Flies and Maggots

A sure shot sign that the root of the smell in your home or basement is a dead animal is the influx of flies and maggots. Flies and maggots will hover around an animal corpse, which will tell you the exact location of the rotting animal.

If you see lots of flies in your basement or hear a definitive buzzing sound, don’t ignore it. Animal corpses are usually even lodged between crevices and can be hard to spot. With the presence of flies or maggots, you can spot the animal and get rid of it before the smell penetrates other parts of the house.

What to Do About a Rotting Animal Corpse in Your Basement?

Once you have spotted the rotting corpse of the animal in your basement, how do you go about it? We understand this can be gruesome, so you might get professional help to remove the animal.

Let’s go over this step by step.

Step 1: Remove the Dead Animal Carcass

Since you don’t know the potential health hazards of the animal, you should wear protective gear like gloves and a face mask. Make sure you are wearing full sleeves and long pants.

When you go in to pick the animal, don’t ever use your bare hands. Instead, place it in a newspaper and then scoop it in a plastic bag. Instead of burying the animal in your backyard where your dog might dig it up, discard it in a location where no animal has access to it.

Step 2: Disinfect the Area

A dead animal carcass can be harmful to your health. So once you’ve removed the animal, you should clean and disinfect the area. You can use bleach and water solution or a disinfectant to sanitize the area. Otherwise, you can just avail expert sanitization services that will also help with odor removal.

Step3: Get Rid of Dead Animal Smell

Even once you have discarded the dead animal, the horrible smell may linger inside your home. Since there might be no ventilation in your basement, the smell won’t go until you actively get rid of it.

To get rid of the overpowering smell, you can use odor-eliminating products, or you can create one at home. For the latte, you can use a concentrated vinegar and water solution and let it sit in the area where the dead animal carcass lay. You can also use baking powder and water solution to spray the basement till the smell finally dissipates.

Step 4: Seal Entry Points

Once you have gotten rid of the animal corpse and the bad smell, you need to ensure this incident doesn’t happen again. For this, you need to seal any entry points from where the animal may have entered the basement.

You should spot and block existing entry points and also ensure the roof for any openings. Moreover, keep bushes outside your house trimmed to prevent the path for any animals to creep inside.

Get Professional Help

You can either choose DIY or avail professional services to get rid of a rotting animal corpse in your basement. 911 Restoration of Akron-Canton for expert sanitization and odor removal services to revive your basement to its original state.