Dead rodents behind kitchen units - are we at risk?

OrangeProse

Sorry, you might need a strong stomach for this one.

I've been living in a rented second floor apartment in south-east London for the last four months. Over the last week or so, I've noticed a horrible rotting/sewage sort of smell coming from the kitchen cupboards around where the plumbing, washing machine and dishwasher are. I did a flush out with soda crystals, vinegar and lots of boiling water but it didn't make any difference. In fact, the smell is getting worse day by day.

So we contacted our landlord, who responded and told us that when he and his fiancee had been living in the flat prior to us moving in, he'd had mouse and rat traps put down underneath the cupboards and appliances (and behind a plinth) in the kitchen.

This has made me really, really angry. I feel that he should have told us when we moved in that there were traps in a hidden and relatively inaccessible place.

I'm also now pretty convinced that the cause of the smell is the rotting corpses of mice and possibly rats underneath our cupboards. This bothers me because we've been keeping cooking utensils and even dried foods in these cupboards.

Does anyone know what the implications of this are, if indeed it is what I think it is under there? Will the kitchen have to be fumigated? Even the entire flat? And is there any associated risk to our health from decaying rodents near our plates and so on?

Any advice or information would be appreciated. I'm quite worried about this one.

Thanks

safesound

Put a pair of marigolds on, take the plinth off and have a look. The chances are good you have a "furry friend" (as my husband call them). If you do then remove it being careful not to touch it with naked skin. Bin it, and make sure you throw away the gloves afterwards so you wont get "infected" (:p). Wash the area behind with a strong bleach wash and you will be fine. Oh and the smell? It wont go away for a few days even once the dead animal is gone, just another one of nature special gifts to us
Just so you know my husband is a pest control technician for the largest pest control company in the UK (I'm not allowed to say which as they monitor the internet looking for references to their name).
Alternatively find out who put the traps down for your landlord and call them up to come check them (they will dispose of anything they find). You will, unfortunately, have to pay for the visit though (unless it was your council and they have a free service).

economiser

don't think there is any need to panic. We have had this problem in the past with vermin dying under the floorboards. Could see the bodies but could not access without tearing the floor up. How they get there is beyond me as I have blocked every access I can find but get there they do. I think the root cause is the neighbouring farmer who puts poison down.

The smell will disappear once the corpses have dried out or been removed. Maybe a week or two, I don't think there is much of a health problem, we are still alive and kicking anyway.

OrangeProse

Thanks, replies much appreciated.

I'm getting pest control in to deal with it, and then will work out what happens next when they've done their 'thing'. I am panicking about Weil's Disease but that's probably just me being hysterical. It does explain the millions of flies that turn up in the kitchen every few days, too. Gross.


I think what bugs me the most is that the landlord knew over four months ago that the building had a rat problem, and that he'd had traps put in inaccessible places, and he forgot to tell us. It's not OK to leave dead rats decaying in someone's kitchen without telling them, knowing that they're going to be storing and preparing food in there. If it happened in a restaurant it would be shut down, pronto.

tmm_aka_tracy

economiser wrote: »

don't think there is any need to panic. We have had this problem in the past with vermin dying under the floorboards. Could see the bodies but could not access without tearing the floor up. How they get there is beyond me as I have blocked every access I can find but get there they do. I think the root cause is the neighbouring farmer who puts poison down.

The smell will disappear once the corpses have dried out or been removed. Maybe a week or two, I don't think there is much of a health problem, we are still alive and kicking anyway.

Hi, we've got a similar problem with Mice, and we know that there are dead ones (at least two) under the kitchen floorboards. We can see them and take photos but cant actually get anywhere near them to shift the little blighters. The smell is awful. What I would like to know is how long it will take for them to dry out and stop smelling, as we have no chance whatsoever of removing the bodies. The smell is so awful it stays in your nose even when your not in the house... what a happy christmas we're likely to have....urrgghhh.

misgrace

We had the same problem, and we didnt know a thing until the SMELL, its the most horrid of smells, I was pulling my hair out.
Like you I tried every cleanser, disinfectent etc.
The times I pulled everything out from the kitchen cupboards, and couldnt find anything.

The OH pulled away the plinth, and we saw holes in the back wall, they were coming in through these holes, and somewhere along the line couldnt get back out and of course died, and to top it all, I actually saw one sauntering along the back of the wall.:eek:

My OH had to cement all these holes up, and it was very tricky for him, as he is a big man, and was having trouble trying to get to the back of the walls underneath the units, and there was loads of holes.

He managed to cement all these holes, which stopped the blighters coming in, but now, and its difficult to explain, we could still hear the odd time one in the walls.
Our house is a 1930s and made up of clay, we have a manhole right outside our back garden, so we think they are moving along in the manhole, and somehow getting in to the cavities in the walls.
This doesnt happen often, but was told by our pest control person, that we could something like a camera put in the manhole, to see if there is an opening, or a cracked pipe that is letting them through.

We thought we would try one of those sonic things first, as the camera idea is quite expensive, I was very sceptable about them, even though they are not getting into the house, its very worrying when you hear the odd one tap dancing inside our wall.

We got one the summer of 2006, put it on the switch under the worktop behind the washing machine, where you cant see it unless you pull washing machine out,but its where Dave (our furry friend normally went), but hand on heart, as soon as it was switched on, we did hear for approx 10 secs something around, but it soon went.

Since summer 2006, I have heard one this week, but it was there for seconds then it went, as the sonic thingy goes into action, and they run like mad.

This might be an alternative before you start forking out loads of money, and the thing with this is that the sonic sound goes along way, and they dont come back, except for Dave, who obviously was trying his luck.:D

lynzpower

Im so glad itsd not just us suffering :eek:

We live in a rented place in the middle of the forest and our kitchen exterior walls have small holes in. Honestly, the place is leaping with them at times. Cleaning up after them is horrendous. :eek: Its the constant. Coming home to find theyve been on the butterdish. Its costing me a fortune in food I cant store it safely anywhere!

The dogs going mad ( shes caught a few :A) but not enough!! they are behind the worksurfaces and cupbaords, we see them jumping between the plinth & behind.

the only thing I can think we can do is get a sonic one. Which model did you get misgrace? Right now, Id pay anything to get shot of them!

moob_2

OrangeProse wrote: »

Thanks, replies much appreciated.

I'm getting pest control in to deal with it, and then will work out what happens next when they've done their 'thing'. I am panicking about Weil's Disease but that's probably just me being hysterical. It does explain the millions of flies that turn up in the kitchen every few days, too. Gross.


I think what bugs me the most is that the landlord knew over four months ago that the building had a rat problem, and that he'd had traps put in inaccessible places, and he forgot to tell us. It's not OK to leave dead rats decaying in someone's kitchen without telling them, knowing that they're going to be storing and preparing food in there. If it happened in a restaurant it would be shut down, pronto.

You can't contract Weil's Disease from the air...it just doesn't happen.

I'm afraid you'll need to tough it out, but it shouldn't be for long, open windows when you can and use a strong deoderiser like Oust to help reduce the odour.

PS: There must be an active pest infestation to close down a food premises.

PPS: Sonic pest deterrents don't work. Your best bet is to ensure the property is properly proofed.