How can I get rid of a dead animal smell?

The Coffee Shop
1

So on Friday I pulled up two boards on my deck to find the source of a nasty smell (I was fairly certain what I was going to find). Turned out that it was a dead possum (I actually expected a raccoon or a cottontail).

Anyway, the offending rotting carcass is gone but the smell remains. I have put bleach on the area, then soaped and power washed it.

What else can I do? I suspect that the boards have taken on the smell. Other than replacing a bunch of boards, is there an effective way of cleaning them?

2

Frebreze, with your pressure washer?

3

Try lime.

It covers all of my (and John Wayne Gacy’s) dead body smells.

4

Hold it’s nose?

But seriously time will do it. Microbes will come and eat up the stuff that smells. If you try to cover up the smell you may make it hard for the microbes to do their job and make the smell last longer.

5

Is it just dirt under the deck? If so, you can try digging up and removing the impacted soil and throwing some fresh soil in it’s place.

6

There were patio stones there before the deck. The guy that built it left the patio stones in.

So patio stones covering dirt. No, I can’t remove the patio stones.

7

Try soaking the area with peroxide. Most of the stinky molecules contain N and S and are oxidizable - oxidation will render them odorless and/or non-volatile, same way that peroxide is the way to go for de-skunkifying dogs. Let it soak for a while, then rinse w/ H2O and repeat until the stink reaches a tolerable level.

8

There were patio stones there before the deck. The guy that built it left the patio stones in.

So patio stones covering dirt. No, I can’t remove the patio stones.

Seriously, powdered lime. Really cheap and will get rid of the dead smell almost instantly. Spread it over the spot, wet it down. There is a reason it is the preferred choice of serial killers.

As a side note, if you have an enclosed concrete area for your pets you will frequently get a pee smell where the rain runs off. Spread lime there as well and it will instantly neutralize the smell.

9

I thought the proper Canadian answer would be a bit of BBQ sauce and ketchup.

10

So on Friday I pulled up two boards on my deck to find the source of a nasty smell (I was fairly certain what I was going to find). Turned out that it was a dead possum (I actually expected a raccoon or a cottontail).

Anyway, the offending rotting carcass is gone but the smell remains. I have put bleach on the area, then soaped and power washed it.

What else can I do? I suspect that the boards have taken on the smell. Other than replacing a bunch of boards, is there an effective way of cleaning them?

Is this really true? Or are you trying to look for ways to bury a body under your deck and have no one notice…

11

There were patio stones there before the deck. The guy that built it left the patio stones in.

So patio stones covering dirt. No, I can’t remove the patio stones.

Seriously, powdered lime. Really cheap and will get rid of the dead smell almost instantly. Spread it over the spot, wet it down. There is a reason it is the preferred choice of serial killers.

As a side note, if you have an enclosed concrete area for your pets you will frequently get a pee smell where the rain runs off. Spread lime there as well and it will instantly neutralize the smell.

Where do I get it? Home Depot doesn’t sell it.

12

There were patio stones there before the deck. The guy that built it left the patio stones in.

So patio stones covering dirt. No, I can’t remove the patio stones.

Seriously, powdered lime. Really cheap and will get rid of the dead smell almost instantly. Spread it over the spot, wet it down. There is a reason it is the preferred choice of serial killers.

As a side note, if you have an enclosed concrete area for your pets you will frequently get a pee smell where the rain runs off. Spread lime there as well and it will instantly neutralize the smell.

Where do I get it? Home Depot doesn’t sell it.
Lowes does. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Timberline-Soil-Doctor-Pulverized-Garden-Lime-40-lb/3058417?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-LawnGarden-_-CommodityFertilizer-_-3058417:Timberline&CAWELAID=&kpid=3058417&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=1175&k_clickID=55e9fb31-4963-43ba-afd7-3b74cd006f50&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4-SSks_d2wIVSNbACh0h8wCZEAQYASABEgL9hPD_BwE

Damn - that is a long url

And most garden stores will. You use it to raise soil pH and in cement/mortar.

13

…Damn - that is a long url…

Total non sequitur, but if you want to shorten a long url like that then delete everything after and including the first “?”. Everything before that first “?” is the actual link; everything from the “?” on is superfluous. I’m no expert but my understanding is that the superfluous stuff is merely for online marketers to track the traffic to their sites. (I.e., everything after “/pd/Timberline-Soil-Doctor-Pulverized-Garden-Lime-40-lb/3058417” in your link is totally unnecessary to the consumer and merely tells lowes.com how you found the link to the product.)

Just don’t don’t delete that stuff from any links that might drive revenue to slowtwitch.com. :wink:

14

As others have said, sprinkle some lime.

That’ll get rid of the cadaverine and putrescine. (No I did not make those words up.)

15

So on Friday I pulled up two boards on my deck to find the source of a nasty smell (I was fairly certain what I was going to find). Turned out that it was a dead possum (I actually expected a raccoon or a cottontail).

Anyway, the offending rotting carcass is gone but the smell remains. I have put bleach on the area, then soaped and power washed it.

What else can I do? I suspect that the boards have taken on the smell. Other than replacing a bunch of boards, is there an effective way of cleaning them?

Move to the United States.

16

So on Friday I pulled up two boards on my deck to find the source of a nasty smell (I was fairly certain what I was going to find). Turned out that it was a dead possum (I actually expected a raccoon or a cottontail).

Anyway, the offending rotting carcass is gone but the smell remains. I have put bleach on the area, then soaped and power washed it.

What else can I do? I suspect that the boards have taken on the smell. Other than replacing a bunch of boards, is there an effective way of cleaning them?

Move to the United States.

The stench of Trump is far worse than this possum smell. I’ll stay here thanks.

17

Late update: Lime worked, thanks.

Now yesterday right on top of the deck where I found the dead possum underneath is a dead mouse. I am going to stay away from that corner of the deck from now on…

Fucking chupacabra is back.

18

Late update: Lime worked, thanks.

Now yesterday right on top of the deck where I found the dead possum underneath is a dead mouse. I am going to stay away from that corner of the deck from now on…

Fucking chupacabra is back.

Of course I read that as a dead moose. And I was thinking, damn that is going to take a lot of lime.

19

Late update: Lime worked, thanks.

Now yesterday right on top of the deck where I found the dead possum underneath is a dead mouse. I am going to stay away from that corner of the deck from now on…

Fucking chupacabra is back.

Of course I read that as a dead moose. And I was thinking, damn that is going to take a lot of lime.

We don’t see too many moose in this neck of the woods. But from time to time…

20

Late update: Lime worked, thanks.

Now yesterday right on top of the deck where I found the dead possum underneath is a dead mouse. I am going to stay away from that corner of the deck from now on…

Fucking chupacabra is back.

Of course I read that as a dead moose. And I was thinking, damn that is going to take a lot of lime.

We don’t see too many moose in this neck of the woods. But from time to time…

6’ chain link fence? yeah I’ll just step over that
6’ wooden privacy fence? yeah, I’m just going to destroy that for you