How long before a dead rat stops smelling?

As anyone who’s dealt with a dead rat in their home will know, the smell is one you will never forget!

The foul odour is best described as the rotting smell of death and is generated by a combination of various chemicals including sulfur dioxide and methane. The smell of the dead rat may linger for 4 – 8 weeks, the larger the animal the longer the foul smell will remain until it's fully decomposed. 

We are often asked why the foul smells are strongest in the afternoon when compared to the morning. This typically occurs where a rat or mouse has died in a wall cavity or in the roof (ceiling) in an area that gets the afternoon sun. As the area heats up so to does the dead animal which accelerates the decomposition.

The StopOdours odour bags were designed by our team of industrial chemists as a solution for the professional pest management industry. Our odour bags incorporate a proprietary blend of 100% natural highly porous micropore granules including activated carbon and aluminium silicates (zeolites). The difference between other 'odour bags' sold in the market is that we used science to create a solution that actually works. The stopOdours bag granules are pre-impregnated with different chemicals to target a range of gaseous odours (Ammonia urea - Urine, sulfur dioxide and methane - decaying corpse, microbial volatile organic compounds - midlew/mould).based on molecular weights. The granules adsorb the foul gas molecules by trapping and condensing the gas deep inside the pores as air circulates, to clear the air of foul odours.