Ewww, What's That Smell?

There are certain smells that conjure up wonderful memories, like grandma's famous apple cobbler, or the smell of freshly cut grass. Unfortunately, while some smells have positive connotations, others have some fairly negative ones. Skunk spray, feces, urine, and decaying pest carcasses are just a few of the nasty smells that homeowners often complain about. Read on to find out what that smell in your home could be and how Pest-End can help.

Locating the Smell

One of the first things homeowners do when they get a whiff of something not so nice is to attempt to hunt down where the smell is coming from. Often times, the smell is innocently enough something like past-ripe fruit, meat that is well past its use by date, or milk that has turned sour. Sometimes, however, after sniffing around the kitchen for the origin of the odor, homeowners come to the conclusion that it is not a food item that has gone bad, but rather something else entirely.That's when other locations are explored to find where the smell is coming from. We suggest examining the attic, basement, and crawl space, if access is available. These are the key places where there could be a pest at the root of the problem.

Identifying the Smell

Once a general direction has been determined, it is a good idea to try to determine what the smell could possibly be. Here is what our pest knowledge tells us about potential causes of the smell. Mice tend to give off a musty, urine-like smell while rats have an ammonia stench to them. Bed bugs seem to have a sweet musty odor and leave signs of feces or blood spots on mattresses or furnishings. Roaches have been said to have an oily odor. Stink bugs have a particularly harsh odor akin to the smell of a skunk.Once you have begun to put the pieces together on where the odor is coming from and whatcould be causing the smell, you will want to use other indicators to help you determine exactly what is the root of the odor. Start looking in the area for droppings, gnaw marks, or signs of nesting. Each of these visible signs can help you rule out some pests and keep others on your lists as the culprit. The MSPCA has put together a comprehensive visual list of pest and animal droppings, and prints to help you identify the pest.Still have no idea what the smell is? Call our specialists at Pest-End to investigate the issue and resolve it for good.