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How to Remove a Dead Animal from Under Your House

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If your house is not properly sealed your house could become home for a number of different critters, which could possibly die inside. The most common area for animals to gain access too is under your home or your crawl space. This will show you how to located and properly remove the dead animal(s).


  1. 1
    Don't leave it too late. The first step for dealing with a dead animal underneath your house is when you first notice something you should looking into it! Although this sounds like a "duh" point many people will wait too long. There are two main ways that people first become aware of this problem: Smelling the odor or actually seeing the animal.
  2. 2
    Dispose of the of the carcass. If you can see the animal, then it is pretty self explanatory that you should use proper gloves to put it in a garbage bag and properly dispose of it according to your local area regulations.
  3. 3
    Deal with a non apparent dead animal issue. If all you notice is an odor, many people will not choose to do anything about it right away. This is where the problem escalates very, very quickly. The longer the animal is left under your house the stronger the odor will become due to the bacteria and rotting carcass. This will also make the clean up much more difficult
    • Is there a bad smell? You need to investigate. Many times it might be just garbage or a rotten piece of food, but it is worth looking into.
  4. 4
    Locate all your foundation vents and make sure all the vent screens are still there. If one is missing then there is a great chance an animal is causing that smell.
  5. 5
    Go into the crawl space and find that stinky critter. Obviously a best way to locate the dead animal is to use your nose to follow the odor. But many times they crawl up in to your insulation that makes this a lot harder, without tearing down all the insulation. There are two things to look for before pulling down some insulation; first you should look for a saggy spot that is lower that everywhere else. Second is to look and listen for flies because they will lead you too the dead animal most likely.
  6. 6
    Properly clean, remove, and replace material that was in contact with the animal. Basic solution for cleaning is bleach and water, but there are many great commercial cleaning solutions out there.
  7. 7
    Then you have solved the problem and should seal any holes that lead into your house to prevent future problems.

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  • Often times there is more than one animal so if the odor does not die down after removing one animal you should restart the process.
  • If you do not have the proper cleaning, safety, and removal equipment it may be best to hire a professional to remove the dead animal.


  • Always use safety/protective eye wear, respirator, gloves and body suits when going into an area the animal has died. There can be dangerous bacteria.

Article Info

Categories: Household Waste Disposal


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