My house smells

[Richard]

The neighbours decided to get the rat man in as they heard a few scampering around under the floorboards during the night.

The Rat Man came and put poison under their floorboards.

Great, except they're all dying under our Sitting Room Floor.
I can't get to them as this means clearing the room, carpet up, floorboards up (they're tucked under the skirting).

We're about 5 days in now and I reckon, from experience at the big house opposite, it's at about it's height, but hang around for at least another two weeks.

It pongs. Loads of flavoured recycled candles and the occasional shut the Rayburn tight to encourage the smell of wood burning !!

Be warned !!

[AnnaB]

Richard

Have you got any essential oils? If you put some on the wood about an hour before you burn it, it will send the smell throughout the house and mask the other one.....

[seahorse]

There was a dead rat under the floorboards of a house that I worked in. It had met it's maker by the hot pipes under the floor and we couldnt get at it either. This happened to be in the dining room the day before a dinner party. Needless to say it stank to high heaven and no one seemed too hungry. I think the air freshners and candles only added to the pong. No cure other than to open windows and freeze!!!

[Richard]

Thanks, I'll try the essential oils.

Over the Lane, they had a smell which got worse and worse. I finally found it - a pigeon just behind the guttering in the attic.
Being a 400 year old part of the house, huge fun and games. Talk about gag !

I think you are probably right seahorse. Just have to wait for the 'I know and old lady who swallowed a fly' method. Just hope there's not a huge family of them.

Needless to say - neighbours house, perfectly OK !!

[Lo]

oh this sounds delightful and something to look forward to. We had the rat man in yesterday. I live in a row of four cottages 100 years old and the rats can get from one cottage to the other. We have them in the walls but not yet inside the house. Rat man has put his poison down and is due back then week.

I do remember the smell quite well though as when we lived in France in an old grainery, something quite nasty had died in the walls where we couldn't get to. Unfortunately it was next to our bedroom and the smell was undescribably bad.

Lo

[Mo]

We had a squashed hedgehog in the garage, it must have hibernated and had a box of jam jars pushed back onto it. Not indoors though. You could try moving in with the hens for a while.

[Richard]

It brings a good picture that Mo.....

Landlord arrives, smell of dead being with chickens on the sofa. Add to that three brainless cats and scampering accross the celing....well !

[TassieDev]

whoa that's awful!
i wish people wouldn't use poisons, what a horrible way to die, and what about secondary poisoning for pets and wildife? i hope your cats can't get under the house.
i know there are mouse traps but are there such things as rat traps? it's a bit late now, but if you knew a neighbour was about to do this you could try setting rat traps around areas they can get under your house and maybe they would get killed before they got under there? i dont know, maybe they are just so sick by that time they would ignore the food in the trap - i guess they're just looking for somewhere dark to hide.

sorry i dont have any tips for getting the smell out. be careful cranking up the woodsmoke, it is pretty toxic you know.... at least dead rat smell can't hurt you (i think!!!!!!!!!)

[wendy]

I am with you TassieDev.
There are rat traps, really big mouse ones. But they are really canny. The one we have was only 'used' once and then I think they realised what it was and was never 'used' again. Same with the humane trap only the once then not again. Other than the same stupid blackbird two mornings running !!!
Not a clue Richard how to get rid of the smell. I would go batty. How awful
Wendy

[TassieDev]

ahh I see, so there ARE traps, but maybe not very effective, oh bummer!

I can see why cats that were good 'ratters' were so highly prized in times gone past - bring them back!

[wendy]

go for ferret poop and pee I am a great advocate. LOL
Wendy

[Mo]

Yes Richard. Add some ferret poo to the mix. Then market it as an exclusive fragrance.

[Mo]

Sorry, i shouldn't laugh, it must be horrid to live with.

[Gwenoakes]

I am not a great advocate of poison but.........we bought this house a year last Sept and the old lady that lived here before us had rats and mice living with her and I dont mean just in the loft either but the whole floor space!
We tried humane traps as they were in the kitchen cupboards and like has been said just got the one from each cupboard then no more. So we had the pest controller in who in his ultimate wisdom put the poison in the loft! He did say he had never seen so many rat and mice or droppings in all the time he had been doing the job as in our loft!
The poison worked, but the smell was rancid (sp) for weeks. Then they came back again in force so I went on the net and got some plug in expellers. Got four one for each corner of the house and then put poison outside.
Dont know whether I am tempting fate here, but so far so good, have not heard or seen any mice or rats in the house since and some of the rats that lived with us were in excess of twelve inches long!
We had to do something because just over the lane we have a grain store and obviously they came for the feed. Also we have a grandaughter of 20 months living with us so were a bit wary of her picking a disease up from them. The two cats we have were killing up to fourteen a day as well.
The moral of the story if you use poison is do not put it in the house as it just encourages them in. I know this is a little late for you Richard, but perhaps you could tell your neighbours for the next time if there is one.