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Abbey Marie
10-23-2013, 03:32 PM
...is permeating our home. And I mean permeating.

One dead squirrel behind the metal insert in our wood-burning fireplace = one nauseous wife, and a practically unlivable house. (He apparently fell down the chimney and died on contact). The squirrel was finally removed, but we didn't know it was there until we smelled it. If you've never experienced this, you cannot imagine how awful a smell it truly is.

I just spent about $80 ordering special products to get rid of the odor (fingers crossed!) for this, and went to the store to buy all kinds of gels and candles and simmering potpourri in the meantime. I've been wearing one of those white SARS -type masks around the house.

Has anyone had this problem?

tailfins
10-23-2013, 03:36 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Un-AY204Ir4#t=17

Abbey Marie
10-23-2013, 03:38 PM
:lol: Well, not very helpful, but ok.

aboutime
10-23-2013, 03:40 PM
Abbey. Had the very same problem several years ago. First with wasps, who found an opening somehow that a Starling also found, tumbled several days in the flue until it died, and a squirrel finished it off, and escaped. Had to almost FUMIGATE the house with the ORKIN man involved. Then we placed a 1/8 piece of plexiglass (Home Depot) at the opening of the hearth, taped it with wide tape for several weeks (not fireplace season).
Took almost 3 months, and now. We never use the Fireplace, fearing the same will happen again.

Hope that helped.

tailfins
10-23-2013, 03:44 PM
...is permeating our home. And I mean permeating.

One dead squirrel behind the metal insert in our wood-burning fireplace = one nauseous wife, and a practically unlivable house. (He apparently fell down the chimney and died on contact). The squirrel was finally removed, but we didn't know it was there until we smelled it. If you've never experienced this, you cannot imagine how awful a smell it truly is.

I just spent about $80 ordering special products to get rid of the odor (fingers crossed!) for this, and went to the store to buy all kinds of gels and candles and simmering potpourri in the meantime. I've been wearing one of those white SARS -type masks around the house.

Has anyone had this problem?

This is a somewhat common occurence with vehicles. Thankfully, smells don't penetrate steel and if you're restoring anyway, you remove all fabric and sandblast the seat frames, etc. Have you tried MicroBan?

http://www.baneclene.com/catalog/microban.html



Disinfectant, Mildewcide, Bacteriostat, Fungistat, Deodorizer, Anti-Microbial, Mold Control

Larrymc
10-23-2013, 03:59 PM
:lol: Well, not very helpful, but ok.Not even a trick for your Nose??

WiccanLiberal
10-23-2013, 06:10 PM
Coffee grounds in a filter is one thing I thought of.

Tyr-Ziu Saxnot
10-23-2013, 06:24 PM
...is permeating our home. And I mean permeating.

One dead squirrel behind the metal insert in our wood-burning fireplace = one nauseous wife, and a practically unlivable house. (He apparently fell down the chimney and died on contact). The squirrel was finally removed, but we didn't know it was there until we smelled it. If you've never experienced this, you cannot imagine how awful a smell it truly is.

I just spent about $80 ordering special products to get rid of the odor (fingers crossed!) for this, and went to the store to buy all kinds of gels and candles and simmering potpourri in the meantime. I've been wearing one of those white SARS -type masks around the house.

Has anyone had this problem? That stinks!!!! :laugh: OK, seriously , never had such a problem but if the dead rotted squirrel was removed and it stinks that bad try using a lot of Clorox or Pinesol cleaner on the place it lay. DO THAT A COUPLE TIMES AND IT SHOULD DESTROY THE ODOR.

hjmick
10-23-2013, 06:32 PM
Are you sure that the smell is not one of Obama's policies?

Missileman
10-23-2013, 06:39 PM
...is permeating our home. And I mean permeating.

One dead squirrel behind the metal insert in our wood-burning fireplace = one nauseous wife, and a practically unlivable house. (He apparently fell down the chimney and died on contact). The squirrel was finally removed, but we didn't know it was there until we smelled it. If you've never experienced this, you cannot imagine how awful a smell it truly is.

I just spent about $80 ordering special products to get rid of the odor (fingers crossed!) for this, and went to the store to buy all kinds of gels and candles and simmering potpourri in the meantime. I've been wearing one of those white SARS -type masks around the house.

Has anyone had this problem?

I'd call the Febreze company and ask them if they want to make a commercial?

tailfins
10-23-2013, 08:46 PM
I'd call the Febreze company and ask them if they want to make a commercial?

MicroBan is specifically indicated to reduce the stench of rotting tissue. I have used it on stinking cars so upholstery removal doesn't stink so much and vintage pinball machines as well.


Spray avian, rodent and other animal human wastes and carcasses as directed above, prior to removal and disposal.

glockmail
10-23-2013, 08:58 PM
...is permeating our home. And I mean permeating.

One dead squirrel behind the metal insert in our wood-burning fireplace = one nauseous wife, and a practically unlivable house. (He apparently fell down the chimney and died on contact). The squirrel was finally removed, but we didn't know it was there until we smelled it. If you've never experienced this, you cannot imagine how awful a smell it truly is.

I just spent about $80 ordering special products to get rid of the odor (fingers crossed!) for this, and went to the store to buy all kinds of gels and candles and simmering potpourri in the meantime. I've been wearing one of those white SARS -type masks around the house.

Has anyone had this problem?

I assume the squirrel landed on the brick floor of the fireplace, which is porous. So you have to clean that.

When animals die the fluids become consumed by anaerobic bacteria. The byproducts of these bacteria include hydrogen sulfide. The liquid and byproducts has now seeped into the porous floor. To make matters worse, H2S is a weak acid, so has partially dissolved the carbonates in the mortar, so expect to spend more time working those areas.

You need to chemically react the H2S and dissolve any organic matter, and the easiest way to do that is with hydrogen peroxide (available at your drug store). Unfortunately, the byproduct of this reaction is sulfuric acid, so you have to react that with sodium hydroxide (lye). The easiest way to obtain lye is heavy duty oven cleaner.

In more practical terms:

Wear a respirator. The big-box home improvement stores carry a cartridge type in the paint tool department. Also pick yourself up a face shield and heavy duty nitrile gloves. Then wear your crappy clothes to protect the rest of you.

Since this is the bottom of your chimney, get a good draft going by putting a box fan in a window and blowing in. Turn off any other fans (like your heating system circulator), exhaust fans, and turn off fuel burning appliances.

Dilute the oven cleaner by spraying it into an old soup can with a little bit of water. Mix in a equal amount of hydrogen peroxide, pour it on the stain and enjoy watching the bubbles form. You want the stuff to soak into the porous floor. Use paper towels to mop up any excess. Use an old toothbrush to work the stuff into the mortar. Keep this going until you've reacted all the H2S and attendant organic matter.

Then clean up with more paper towels to get rid of as much liquid as practical. Use dilute dish soap in plain water for final clean up.

jimnyc
10-24-2013, 12:34 PM
Double check your policy. Light match. Start over again with insurance funds in a non-smelly home!

I've had issues like this before, and while stinky as hell, you can beat it. Unless it was literally on the carpet or a piece of furniture, you're just dealing with the stench that has little place to go. Have the fireplace professionally cleaned if you can. Leave the fireplace flu open, open all of your windows and stay in a hotel overnight. That's worked for me, especially in the cooler weather like now.

But I give to Glock's expertise, his advice sounds very solid. My way is the cheap way, without a guarantee - but does give you an excuse to get a good room for the evening!!

Gaffer
10-24-2013, 02:13 PM
If its in the fire place I'd build a nice big hot fire to cook all the residue away. If it's not a usable fire place see glocks post.

glockmail
10-24-2013, 02:26 PM
I'm not sure that a fire would do it. You could try a propane torch or MAPP gas and get it a lot hotter than a wood fire. Yeah you'd get rid of the organic material, but I'm not sure what would happen to the H2S. It might make the smell worse.

Abbey Marie
10-25-2013, 10:18 AM
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

The problem is that it is pretty much un-cleanable, because of where the squirrel died. The man who finally removed it only did so after about two hours of trying with all sort of long-handled instruments. And he never could actually see it where it was. It landed on a metal ledge of the fireplace insert that makes up a thing called a Heatolater that a previous owner had installed. (It's a regular wood-burning fireplace, but if you flip a switch, it throws all the heat into the room via a vent).

So, no, it didn't land on the floor, or on bricks, or anywhere that we can see or really reach. Hard to describe, but anyway, trust me the area is unreachable for cleaning. Our weather has dipped into the low 30's, so leaving the windows open and the heat off is only do-able off an on.

I bought a product that you soak into cotton balls and leave near the source of the smell. Still waiting for that to work, but so far, no difference.

We will try some of the above advice this weekend. Thanks again!

aboutime
10-25-2013, 11:16 AM
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

The problem is that it is pretty much un-cleanable, because of where the squirrel died. The man who finally removed it only did so after about two hours of trying with all sort of long-handled instruments. And he never could actually see it where it was. It landed on a metal ledge of the fireplace insert that makes up a thing called a Heatolater that a previous owner had installed. (It's a regular wood-burning fireplace, but if you flip a switch, it throws all the heat into the room via a vent).

So, no, it didn't land on the floor, or on bricks, or anywhere that we can see or really reach. Hard to describe, but anyway, trust me the area is unreachable for cleaning. Our weather has dipped into the low 30's, so leaving the windows open and the heat off is only do-able off an on.

I bought a product that you soak into cotton balls and leave near the source of the smell. Still waiting for that to work, but so far, no difference.

We will try some of the above advice this weekend. Thanks again!



Really hope it works for you Abbey. We will never forget how our's smelled for so long. It's almost like somebody broke into our home, and stole everything we once owned.
I wish you well. Hang in there.
P.S. By the way. We still have the Plexiglass covering the opening to the Fireplace. We don't intend to use it since a Cord of Wood has become so much more expensive. And some people are foolishly using PINE. The best CREOSOTE creation for a chimney anyone could ASK FOR. NOT TO MENTION a great CHIMNEY FIRE starter too!

glockmail
10-25-2013, 12:57 PM
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

The problem is that it is pretty much un-cleanable, because of where the squirrel died. The man who finally removed it only did so after about two hours of trying with all sort of long-handled instruments. And he never could actually see it where it was. It landed on a metal ledge of the fireplace insert that makes up a thing called a Heatolater that a previous owner had installed. (It's a regular wood-burning fireplace, but if you flip a switch, it throws all the heat into the room via a vent).

So, no, it didn't land on the floor, or on bricks, or anywhere that we can see or really reach. Hard to describe, but anyway, trust me the area is unreachable for cleaning. Our weather has dipped into the low 30's, so leaving the windows open and the heat off is only do-able off an on.

I bought a product that you soak into cotton balls and leave near the source of the smell. Still waiting for that to work, but so far, no difference.

We will try some of the above advice this weekend. Thanks again!

OK so it landed on a ledge inside the chimney. If it's a metal part of the Heatolater that makes the clean up easier. Access is going to be difficult. You have to pull the metal insert out, sit or kneel inside the chimney and reach up inside to clean it. You can buy a Tyvek suit at the paint store to completely cover yourself (your hubby ;) ), along with goggles and a headlamp instead of a face shield. You may need a small stool for him to sit on, or knee pads if he has to kneel, because he'll be there a while.

glockmail
10-25-2013, 01:04 PM
And get some angled brushes or similar tools.

When I run into a job like this, lots of unknowns because of limited access, dirty and filthy so it's a huge pain to get back out of the space, never mind back to the store to find a different tool, I go into the store and buy just about anything that I can think of that I might possibly use. Then I have an assistant on the clean side the entire to hand me stuff. Anything that I don't use I return to the store later.

For a job like this I'd get several different kinds of brushes, scrapers and such. One he gets up there he can call out for what he needs.

Abbey Marie
10-25-2013, 03:24 PM
OK so it landed on a ledge inside the chimney. If it's a metal part of the Heatolater that makes the clean up easier. Access is going to be difficult. You have to pull the metal insert out, sit or kneel inside the chimney and reach up inside to clean it. You can buy a Tyvek suit at the paint store to completely cover yourself (your hubby ;) ), along with goggles and a headlamp instead of a face shield. You may need a small stool for him to sit on, or knee pads if he has to kneel, because he'll be there a while.

Chimney sweep told us it is bolted into both sides of the fireplace. :(