How to Remove a Dead Animal in the Attic

11.01.2003 - I get a lot of phone calls for the removal of dead animals inside houses. Such an even causes a very strong odor inside the house. Sometimes the smell is so bad that the inhabitants cannot bear to live in the house any longer. If the person in the house realizes that the source of the stench is from a dead animal that is decaying, they can call me, and I'll come and remove the rotting critter. The animal could have died in a variety of places - under the house, in the wall, or so on, but oftentimes the dead body is up in the attic. If I determine, based on my analysis of the house architecture, and my sniff test, that the animal has died up in the attic, I go up and start my search. In this case, when I got into the attic, I saw all kinds of evidence of animal activity. I saw tracks in the insulation, fur, and most of all, a lot of droppings. However, I didn't see any dead body. Yet the stench was so strong that I knew it was up there.

Step One - I searched and searched, moving back and forth in the attic and found the area with the worst smell. Sure enough, the dead animal had burrowed its way under the insulation, because that's where my nose detected the strongest odor.

Step Two - I dug around under the insulation in the worst-smelling area, until I uncovered the carcass.

Step Three - I bagged it in a plastic bag, along with the insulation that was now dripping with stink juice and maggots.

Step Four - I sprayed the area, especially the soaked ceiling drywall, with an enzyme-based biohazard cleaner.

I then took the animal out of there, and collected my money. I advised the homeowner to have the giant holes in their roof fixed, so that no other animals would get back into the attic again. I offered to do this at a low, low price. Of course, the homeowners lived with a big opossum up in their attic for a while and didn't care, so they didn't have the roof fixed, so this is bound to happen again, and I guess they'll only call me out again when they're gagging and can't live in the house due to the extreme smell.

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Has the stinky stench of a dead animal taken over the air in your entire home? There's a dead animal around the house. You might be unaware but the terrible odor coming from walls, ceiling, and the attic area is indicative of a decomposing animal. Now that you are aware, how can you get rid of the smelly critter? Read on. 6 Tips to Remove the Dead Animal from the Attic: Follow Your Nose: Although the hardest part, finding the dead animal is the obvious first step. Locate the area with the strongest stench. Look for feces or animal feet tracks. Mostly, flies are moving around the dead animal's carcass which is easy to locate.

Dig Deeper Beyond the Insulation: Dig under the insulations, carpets, dirt, and furniture, whatever you might have in the attic. Sniff the ceilings and walls and spot the dead animal.

Bag the Dead Varmint: Don't do it with bare hands, use disposable gloves. Pick up the dead animal and bag it in garbage bags along with the maggots. As for discarding the dead animal into the garbage bin, the local regulations can vary. Most of the time, you can throw away bagged squirrels or smaller critters in your trash cans outside the house. But, be sure to bag it twice to prevent any infections or from attracting insects. At times, there are specific places to discard dead animals instead of trash cans for sanitation purposes. Therefore, know the rules.

Deep Cleaning: Wipe off any blood, maggots, or juices and keenly clean the area with a harsh odor-removing cleaner. A bleach cleaner is ideal to remove the stench. Be sure to thoroughly clean the spot to prevent attracting bugs and pests. Moreover, it will reduce the disease spread among your pets or children who can accidentally enter the space. Most importantly, wear your protective gloves to keep diseases or infections at bay.

Deodorize the Attic: Use deodorants to temporarily fix the issue. For a permanent deodorization, try some natural deodorizers to do the trick.

Seal the Openings: Don't forget to close all the entryways to prevent the entrance of more critters. Last of all, open all the windows to get rid of bad smell via cross-ventilation. If you cannot handle the cleaning process yourself, call expert cleaners to thoroughly clean the entire attic. Call the Professionals for Dead Animal Removal and Cleaning If you are unable to locate the dead animal, hire an expert to remove the dead animal.

Final Verdict:

How do you remove a dead animal in the attic? You have to locate it and remove it. If the animal is stuck in the most difficult places of your house, like inside a duct, down the wall, or below the insulation, there's no easier way than hiring a professional for dead animal removal. The experts can also help you clean the space and deodorize it.