OK I have a STINKY situation HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
So, over the weekend I had to open our front coat closet. Right away the smell of something to my nose of "decaying" knocked me back. Up to this point, I've tried enzyme based sprays, enzyme odor absorbers, a tiny little ozone generator/air ionizer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHVRNY4B?tag=tvwb-20 I had a contractor I hire for doing work around the house come over and he went up in the attic over the area to look for possible animal incursion. Absolutely clean, spotless and odor free, I checked inside the drop ceiling under there in the basement. Again, nothing. Contractor even had his wife come in. They both swore the smell was in the carpeting in the closet. I cut out the affected area, pulled out the carpet placed outside and threw the padding away. I think it's actually getting worse!! I also checked the adjoining bedroom and closet zero smell or signs. I'm at my wits end here! I ordered a larger ozone/ultra violet light sanitizer to be here Sunday when we return from downstate for our nephew's wedding. I am frightened of what I will return to!
IDK what the hell is going on but as noted I did order this larger unit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JQG745Z?tag=tvwb-20
 
Here is what I don't get. If there is an animal in the wall the wall has 2 sides. A bedroom on one side (no smell no signs) and that front coat closet. The smell is only in the coat closet. Absolutely nowhere else. Sad thing is other than trying to fight this thing myself I don't even know who or what type of contractor I could possibly call to look into this. I'm open to ideas here as it's making me absolutely nuts.
 
Ok, if the closet doesn't share any exterior walls then I would eliminate that possibility for now. I would still take everything out of the closet and inspect it/smell it to eliminate that as well. Maybe it was something in the carpet that soaked into the subfloor. That might explain why the odor seemed stronger when the carpet was removed.
 
LMichaels said:
I don't even know who or what type of contractor I could possibly call to look into this. I'm open to ideas here as it's making me absolutely nuts.
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I've worked with this company before on storm/mold issues.

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Worth a call for a estimate.
 
timothy said:
I've worked with this company before on storm/mold issues.

Commercial & Residential Restoration Services Near You

The best restoration company near you, SERVPRO is available 24 hours for commercial & residential property emergencies like water damage, fire cleanup, mold damage & more.
www.servpro.com www.servpro.com
Worth a call for a estimate.
Click to expand...
OK thanks for that. also FWIW everything including the carpet and padding is outta there. No stains on the floor, I just searched under the area again, it's clean. And the carpeting is outside, all the clothing that was in there has been removed and washed, it's just bare walls and sub flooring (no stains BTW). And the smell seems like it's getting stronger. I ordered a digital inspection camera from Deptech. 7" display split screen dual camera 16' cable. There is a TEENY TINY little hole or spot of mortar missing on my brick fascia. When I get home either Sunday or Monday, I am going to see if I can get the camera in that little space and if so if there is an opening behind it or just the wood sheathing. If nothing there, I will likely pop a hole in the closet walls various spots and snake the camera in that way. Tellin ya, I'm really getting to my wits end here. I even now have placed my verry large commercial air purifier in the closet https://enviroklenz.com/product/enviroklenz-mobile-uv-model/
 
If it's brick veneer, you should have weep holes every 6 ft or so along the bottom course.
They usually have pieces of rope sticking out ( wicks), to let moisture out, but block insects or rodents from getting in.
 
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Been there, Larry. If the smell worsened when you removed that section, then you're close to the source. We've had mice push up daisies many times in walls and floors. Old house. The way you describe the odor and its potency makes me think it's either more than one mouse, or something larger, like squirrel.
 
Tim Campbell said:
Been there, Larry. If the smell worsened when you removed that section, then you're close to the source. We've had mice push up daisies many times in walls and floors. Old house. The way you describe the odor and its potency makes me think it's either more than one mouse, or something larger, like squirrel.
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Except there is no place anything larger than a mouse could even possibly get through. And I could see a squirrel perhaps in the attic but like I said I had the attic inspected and it's cleaner than clean. As for weep holes this is not one. Back 4 or 5 years ago when my friend was installing the new concrete a small piece of brick had come off. He cemented it back in place but there is a tiny little maybe 7mm or 8mm opening in the the mortar. I am going to concentrate there with the camera when it comes. Baring that, I may resort to having someone take the drywall off the 3 walls to about 3'-4' above the floor. I would do it but I don't know how to cut off drywall and preserve it for reinstallation. I know it can be done but I ain't a drywall guy.
 
I’m thinking a hidden dead animal.

Back when I was a contractor if one of my guys had to remove a dead animal from an attic we would charge a $250 bio hazard removal fee and people were totally fine paying that instead of climbing up in there and doing it themselves.
Some of them possums and rats get pretty darn big so I had no problem with charging the $250 back then and would probably charge twice that now.

Most dead animals seem to try and hide (might be a survival thing) under the insulation is what I’ve noticed so the apprentice would have to gently tap around the area with a flat shovel until he found it and then bag it.

I’m not sure if the product is still available but there used to be a rat poison that rapidly dehydrated the dead animal so it wouldn’t crawl in a wall and reek out the house.

Pro tip,
Portland cement applied liberally to an area then removed does help removing some of the stink.
 
AndyK said:
I’m thinking a hidden dead animal.

Back when I was a contractor if one of my guys had to remove a dead animal from an attic we would charge a $250 bio hazard removal fee and people were totally fine paying that instead of climbing up in there and doing it themselves.
Some of them possums and rats get pretty darn big so I had no problem with charging the $250 back then and would probably charge twice that now.

Most dead animals seem to try and hide (might be a survival thing) under the insulation is what I’ve noticed so the apprentice would have to gently tap around the area with a flat shovel until he found it and then bag it.

I’m not sure if the product is still available but there used to be a rat poison that rapidly dehydrated the dead animal so it wouldn’t crawl in a wall and reek out the house.

Pro tip,
Portland cement applied liberally to an area then removed does help removing some of the stink.
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Where could I use portland cement? That one escapes me. The contractor I had out pulled up the attic insulation dug around in there. He said there was no sign of an animal ever being up there and absolutely 0 smell either there or in the drop ceiling in the basement. That is why I ordered the camera. That little opening on the brick is the only place I can see as a possibility.
 
LMichaels said:
Here is what I don't get. If there is an animal in the wall the wall has 2 sides. A bedroom on one side (no smell no signs) and that front coat closet. The smell is only in the coat closet. Absolutely nowhere else. Sad thing is other than trying to fight this thing myself I don't even know who or what type of contractor I could possibly call to look into this. I'm open to ideas here as it's making me absolutely nuts.
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I had a similar situation. A mouse had died in the wall of the half bath. I didn’t know this at first but you start losing your mind trying to figure it out. I was blaming my son for his poor toilet aim but this stink he did not cause. The mouse got in from outside somehow, must have got on top of the drop ceiling in the basement, climbed through a wiring hole and went in there and died. The smell went away after a few months and then I kind of forgot about it. When I was remodeling that bathroom I specifically cut a hole in the drywall and found the decayed mouse.

Another time I hit a bird that got into the house with a tennis racket. I must not have hit him very good because he flew away and went upstairs. Crazy thing is…I never found that bird. No stink, no nothing. I still think about that quite often. It’s maddening. 🤪

Get a little camera and try to see if there is something in the wall, Larry.
 
LMichaels said:
Except there is no place anything larger than a mouse could even possibly get through. And I could see a squirrel perhaps in the attic but like I said I had the attic inspected and it's cleaner than clean. As for weep holes this is not one. Back 4 or 5 years ago when my friend was installing the new concrete a small piece of brick had come off. He cemented it back in place but there is a tiny little maybe 7mm or 8mm opening in the the mortar. I am going to concentrate there with the camera when it comes. Baring that, I may resort to having someone take the drywall off the 3 walls to about 3'-4' above the floor. I would do it but I don't know how to cut off drywall and preserve it for reinstallation. I know it can be done but I ain't a drywall guy.
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I’d start with a small hole and a camera. Or look up how to patch drywall if a you need a larger slot. It’s not to hard to do.
 
Portland cement on a floor or carpet for a bit will remove a good portion of the smell.
I learned about it when one of my tenants had a rabbit inside her unit.
I’m sure it’s overkill for most situations but it worked well enough to rent out that unit again.

Amazon has low cost borascopes.
I paid about $20 for one with a 15’ ($30 for a 25’) lead before Covid.
It uses WiFi and one of your screens.
Money well spent when wanting to look inside a wall.
1/4” holes are easy to patch.
 
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