Okay, this is gross but I'm hoping for any helpful hints or suggestions...

A mouse has died in the walls of my apartment. In MY BEDROOM, no less, and in the area that's where the head of my bed is.

My bedroom isn't a large space and the stench in there is beyond revolting. I have had the window open as wide as possible with a fan blowing the air into the room, put an air purifier in there, AND this odor killing thing air freshener that smells like berries --- but I'll I've got even after 3 days of all that is a room that reeks of berry-scented rotting rodent flesh.

Anybody else gone through something like this? Does anybody know how long this stink might last and/or any ideas on how to maybe cut down the stench to a bearable level?

I'm betting all I can really do is wait it out until the smell goes away but it's very irritating as I can't sleep in there, the room is freezing because of the window being open to the lovely Minnesota winter air (but it's either that or puke due to the smell, plus I worry that the stink is going to cling to my clothes, blankets, etc if I don't keep the fresh air coming in as much as possible)

Anyway, thanks for listening. And if anybody has any odor killing suggestions, I'm very grateful.

hmmm, a bird died in the hole in the wall by my bedroom... i just had to wait the stink out. sorry.


but... for all the other little critters around - get some of the poison that makes them turn into little fluff balls... they dry out instead of stink up your walls. sorry, can't remember what it's called.

That sucks!

Can you flip your bed around so your headboard is on the opposite wall? Maybe put some potpurri baskets along that wall until it goes away? That's probably a huge hassle, huh?

emm said:

Thanks, emm. Yeah, I pretty much figured all I can do is wait out the stench.

Thanks also for the poison suggestion but I don't know how well that would work for my situation. I'd be worried to put out poison as I have two cats, and these stupid mice are in the walls of my building anyway (though I did catch one actually inside my apartment last year. Or rather, my CAT caught it.)

I can hear them running around above me in the ceiling and in between the walls and although I've told the office about it they don't care. Maybe there's nothing they can really do, I don't know. It's gross, though, hearing them running around like that.

Thanks for all the flowers. Wish I could put THEM in my room and make it smell like roses!!

CalhounSq said:

Those are good suggestions, Calhoun, thank you.

But sadly it isn't even a matter of hassle. I'd do whatever I could to make the situation more bearable but the room is just PERMEATED with that rotting flesh odor. No matter where I'd move my bed that stink is so strong, it's just that's it's at its most powerful right where the head of my bed normally is.

I closed the window for awhile tonight because it was getting so cold but within an hour the stench was so strong again I reopened the window.

Guess it's the good ol couch for a awhile longer.

I feel for you SQ. I had that problem before because I would put out that stuff that they eat to kill them. BAD IDEA. I rather use the sticky stuff that way I can toss them when they get caught. Wait out the smell or tear out the sheet rock and get rid of it.

Miguel

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Thanks, Miguel.

We used to have mice down at our lake place when still had it, and we'd put out the poison for them to eat there. They'd eat it and then get thirsty and go die and drown in the toilet.

This building has lots of mice. I cant wait to get out of here.

The funny thing is, in the last couple months there had been this cute little mouse that I'd see late at night who'd come out onto my balcony to eat the seeds that had fallen there from the bird feeder. He was so cute and little. I didn't have the heart to put out any traps or anything and I figured - he's outside, so what do I care if he's there?

Now I wonder if he's the little that is currently stinking up my bedroom.

Oh, wow.. Sorry to hear that, hun...

I have no suggestions whatsoever...besides Motel6 for a few weeks..lol

Byron said:

Thank you Byron.

Motel6 is sounding pretty good right now!

Mice ARE cute, but they stink when they're dead.

My folks had the same problem with rats in their ceiling. Since it was their own place they could get up into the roof to put the poison up there, but this one must've died from some other cause, since they used that stuff that makes them thirsty and leave.

How long does it take to decompose? I dont know..but ..

The only thing I can think of is an air purifier.

Honestly, there isn't anything you can do, unless you break the wall and remove the mouse.. My bother-in-law is an exterminator.. he said that odor is so pungent you cant' get rid of it.. its horrible...I use to work in a store that sold choclocate and at night they mice use to come and eat the bait then die behind the counter in front by the register.. I would reconize the smell.. it was horrible. I am afraid the only way you will get rid of the smell, is remove the mouse or wait till it starts to decompose ...

Sorry!

well, i know the deal here what you do is print out the problem you are having. copy it, and give it to the office where you live... this is what it needs to say..


to the office of ***** apartments,

i reside in apartment # ? i have brought the mouse situation to your attention quite a few times and noone has done anything to fix the situation. now i have a dead mouse behind my wall in the bedroom. it has become unliveable in that area of the home. because you will not assist me in the process of getting rid of the problem, and because under most tenant/landlord rights, i am not only due a SAFE (rodents carry germs and diseases) home, but, you are required to take action when situations arrise. therefore, i am giving you 24 hours from the time you recieve this letter to have someone come in and fix this situation, or i will use the rent money due you to exterminate and also remove the pest that is trapped in my wall.


thank you ..
*****




be sure to have it notarized at a bank. hopefully, the letter in itself will scare them into doing something. good luck sweetie, thats a nasty situation, i hope they fix it for ya.

nakedpianoplayer said:

That and get a can of Oust and an Oust battery-operated fan...that stuff works! It kills the bacteria in the air that causes the smell.

nakedpianoplayer said:

Excellent suggestion. Perfectly legal and effective.

gemini13 said:

oh, also, try to think back to the times that you have talked with them about the situation - write the dates and times and who you spoke with in the letter.. it always makes it look better when you attach it to someones name that way, they look bad for not taking care of it when asked.

if it isnt settled, put your money for your rent into a special account that is only designed for that money... if you end up going to court, your letter should hold up, and you can show that aside from paying to have the problem fixed, you have been paying rent, just not to them..

most judges will grant you out of your current lease without hurting your credit and then award you the money in the account.... that way you can use that money to help you move

see, all is well again

so, what ended up happening ?? is the smell gone ?? did you stick up for yourself ?? what happened man ??

Dead mouse smells don't go away.

Is there anyway you can get your apartment manager to get this corrected.

My sympathies! That smell is awful.

Have you tried throwing a dead cat down there?

That might help

nakedpianoplayer said:

Excellent suggestion, naked. SnowQueen, I hope you get this problem rectified soon. That sounds like an awful situation you've got there.

That smell won't go away for a while.

SnowQueen said:

ewww. i think the stink will wear out...i know rotten eggs or something like that or forget it. Call an exterminator..maybe they can get to it. Call the landlord too. It's should be their resp. to get rid of it.

nakedpianoplayer said:

exactly what I wrote too...or close. that was a good idea doing a letter too. That is just what you write.

Okay hopefully this comment goes through. I wrote a long one earlier today but my computer ate it and it didn't post.

First, thanks to everyone for your suggestions, advice, and moral support. I really, really appreciate it.

So here's the latest:

The putrid stench is STILL there, just as bad as it was when this all began exactly a week ago.

I did contact the apartment management and they basically (at first) said "It's an Act of God" or "Act of Nature" or something like that. Like usual, they don't think they're responsible for doing anything. They also don't follow my reasoning that they should knock off some rent for the fact that that room is totally unusable and unliveable right now, has been for the past week AND will probably be so for who knows how much longer.

The maintenance guy did come over yesterday and put on a show of knocking on the wall/s and being sympathetic to my problem and agreeing that the stench is horrific. I also found out that just TWO DAYS prior to this smell manifesting itself, the building had had an exterminator out to put out poison or whatever for the mice. So, the maintenance guy says - because of how incredibly strong this odor is and how long it's lasting - that he thinks a mouse brought some of the poison back to its nest and there's a whole bunch of dead mice in there OR it's a squirrel.

Well, at first it didn't seem like anybody was going to do anything to help this situation b/c, as I said, this lousy building management claims it's beyond their control, blah blah blah. In fact, they even had the nerve to give a little lecture about leaving my window open so much in this cold weather because they're concerned about the pipes freezing. Well, what else am I supposed to do, I'd like to know?!?!?! I have to do SOMETHING to dilute that gawdawful stench. The smell is starting to cling to clothes and things in the room now, even.

So, today I went and made more of a "stink" (ha ha ) at them and they've now agreed to have a guy come over tomorrow and drill holes in the wall and spray in some kind odor elimanator chemical. They said it's the kind of stuff mortuaries use to kill smells. Nice. Yuck. But, I guess as long as it works, that's I care about. Still..yuk.

So now tonight I have to move my bedroom all around so they can get at the offending area of wall, and this is all just such a damn HASSLE and I"m so tired of it. On top of this I also have a bunch of medical stuff going on currently (tests and etc) and this is really the last thing I needed...more chaos and stress in my life.

This is the second time in about 6 mos. that something has died in the walls like this and reeked up my apartment, plus there's other problems with living here.

(SIDENOTE: the medical issues I mentioned above may or may not be related to living here, I don't know yet. But ever since I moved in to this specific apartment - within one month of getting here - I've developed various chronic physical symptoms such as stomach problems, burning, red, watery eyes, nosebleeds and nasal burning/irritation/dryness, and just generally feeling ill, etc. I've seen various doctors but no one's been able to give me a real answer as to what's wrong with me, but a doctor I saw just in the past couple weeks refered me to an allergist which I am to see in a week and will have allergy testing done. I don't know much about allergies, but the ENT I saw about my nose said he could tell from the exam there's an allergic situation going on. I don't know if my medical problems **are** actually in any way related to this apartment, but I do find it an interesting coincidence that I started getting sick so quickly after moving in here and have felt so bad the entire time since.)

So anyway, I told the office today I've had it. I'm breaking my lease and getting out of here. If this place is what's making me sick it's NOT worth staying here to honor a lease, I'm sorry. Plus I'm tired of all the constant problems I've encountered living here and how the place doesn't seem to care much about resolving said issues. I've already started apartment hunting and have an appointment to see a place tomorrow evening.

Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that the maintenance guy, while he was here, also mentioned that the people directly below me never call the office when there's a problem because they think they'll have to pay for something if they do, and by chance the maint. guy recently discovered they'd been letting a water leak go for a long, LONG time down there and one wall of their place was all totally molded and mildewed to the point where the whole wall had to be ripped out, the drywall replaced, and the building had to call a company that specializes in dealing specifically with mold. So I"m wondering how much that might have affected me in terms of allergies and/or whatever is wrong with me, and if there's other similar situations going on in this building that could be making me sick...this place already have mice, ladybugs, beehives and various other stuff growing and living in the walls so who knows what else might be happening.

I know there's a lot of mice in this building - obviously - and I also wonder if their presence could affect a person, allergywise or anything?

Argh.

Apologies for how long this post got to be and thanks to anybody who took the time to read through it all. The vent felt good, though.

And thanks again to **everybody** for your advice and suggestions. Nakedpianoplayer - I am going to take your advice about that letter if they dont agree to knock off some rent or if they give me any trouble about getting out of here before my lease is up. Thank you for what you wrote. It was VERY helpful.

bkw - Your suggestion was also very helpful. Thanks. (it really did help, actually. I desperately needed a smile today, so truly..thank you. )

You sure it's not just that you live next door to Althom??...

ok hun.. im gonna look something up real quick, brb... be sure to read it ok ?

Byron said:

nakedpianoplayer said:

I surely will. Thanks for all the help you've been giving me regarding this.

SnowQueen said:

My pleasure

I think you are doing the right thing by moving out of that place. Dont let them bully you into paying rent til it's re-leased. Get on the offensive and tell them straight out that you dont expect any shit about this or you will raise hell about the state of their building.

http://www.advancedmoldin...m/faq.html



Q: What are the symptoms of exposure to mold?
A: Effects from exposure to toxic mold can result in any of the following symptoms:
• headaches • memory loss • problems focusing or concentrating • chronic fatigue
• nose and throat irritation • persistent cold-like symptoms • burning, itching or watering eyes
• dizziness • nausea • tremors • heart palpitations • shortness of breath (during mild exertion)
• exhaustion after routine activity • serious swelling in legs, ankles, feet • serious swelling in torso or stomach • prolonged muscle cramps and joint pain • sensitivity to odors • cancer • women who are pregnant could experience multiple problems, even miscarriages.


-----

http://www.thefloodco.com/page5.html



POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS OF MOLD EXPOSURE




Eye irritation/watering

Runny nose

Coughing

Sinus pressure

Headache

Throat irritation

Hoarseness of voice

Tightness/burning of chest

Increased frequency or severity of asthma

Loss of concentration/focus

Malaise

Recurrent fever

Dizziness

Nausea

Often mimics Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Nose bleeds/other bleeding



there are quite a few of your symptoms listed here... i am not a lawyer, though, i wish i woulda been one i find great excitement out of looking for things like this... im always out for the lil guys in life

anyway, you need to copy some of these papers.... do you know the folks downstairs ? can you ask them if you can take pictures, that will really help go to the office with your concerns, and your papers, tell them that the most important thing is that you are not counted against for your credit.
if necessary, get copies of your medical records and have those handy... but, dont give to much info to them, as you may eventually end up in court behind this.... again, im not a lawyer, but it sure sounds to me like you have a perfect reason to be upset