Mice smell

[Tyler6357]

I inherited a 90' Fleetwood Bounder 34s, class A motor home. That got infested with mice. It has been sitting outside neglected for about 10yrs. I have cleaned out all the nests and killed or otherwise gotten rid of all the mice both dead and alive but they got into both the heating duct system and the oven compartment and behind. I have tried to clean everything and then cleaned everything again. Got the carpets and upholstery cleaned and tried to vacuum out all the heating ducts but I can't get rid of the smell when I run the furnace or the oven. What can I do?

[bdpreece]

Try running an ozone generator in the motorhome for a week or so.

[doc]

Check with some of the auto dealerships in your area. We have a guy that specializes in odor removal from our trade-in's. He can do just about anything from deep cleaning to the ozone thing. Mouse odors are pretty disgusting and nasty smelling and the odor tells other mice there might be a party going on and to come on in.

[swampdog]

i would have to ask how long have your mice been dead? if they have been dead for a while then the smell should be gone.live mice don't smell as for as i know. the reason i'm asking this is because you could have a propane leak and that is a million times more dangerous than mice smell.propane will smell just like a dead rat , mice etc i'm not saying that for certain you have a leak but you should consider that you might and have your m/h checked because a propane leak is not uncommon. just want you to be safe

[bdpreece]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampdog i would have to ask how long have your mice been dead? if they have been dead for a while then the smell should be gone.live mice don't smell as for as i know. the reason i'm asking this is because you could have a propane leak and that is a million times more dangerous than mice smell.propane will smell just like a dead rat , mice etc i'm not saying that for certain you have a leak but you should consider that you might and have your m/h checked because a propane leak is not uncommon. just want you to be safe

Live mice may not smell but mouse urine does and the smell can linger on for a long time.
Still it does not hurt to make sure there are no propane leaks.

[doc]

Mouse Pee Smell YUCK!! How do I get rid of it!? - Yahoo! Answers

Ohhhhh, so wrong!

[gonzo136]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyler6357 I inherited a 90' Fleetwood Bounder 34s, class A motor home. That got infested with mice. It has been sitting outside neglected for about 10yrs. I have cleaned out all the nests and killed or otherwise gotten rid of all the mice both dead and alive but they got into both the heating duct system and the oven compartment and behind. I have tried to clean everything and then cleaned everything again. Got the carpets and upholstery cleaned and tried to vacuum out all the heating ducts but I can't get rid of the smell when I run the furnace or the oven. What can I do?

I suggest that you google "Hantivirus". I would think you would need some sort of professional service to de-louse the whole motorhome. If it is even possible!

Tony G.

[Tyler6357]

Thanks for all the advice. OK, its not a propane leak. I turned the main propane valve off and ran the furnace just blowing unheated air and I get the smell in minutes.


I have decided that I'm going to have to find a long brush, one that extends that I can soak with an anti-stink chemical and clean out the air-ducts. I'm just worried because there is an air duct hose that goes into the bath room under the tub shower that connects to part of the air-duct system along the floor that I can't reach or get to. If there is a dead mouse or nest in there then I am stuck. I have found close to 25 dead mice in various stages of decomposition, some just bones and others fresher throughout the motor home engine compartment, generator compartment, storage compartments and coach. I have also captured about 10 small mice in spring traps. I'm certain that I have got them all out now. I haven't caught any in the last 2 weeks with 10 traps set at different locations (peanut butter bait). Also, no new signs of mice. In addiction, the motor home has been moved to a new location after I fixed mouse damage to engine wiring and hoses. I have also gotten rid of all the nests that they made.


I have vacuumed and cleaned the carpets with an industrial cleaner it it came out great. The upholstery has been totally cleaned or replaced. I took the fridge out (because it needed a new cooling unit) and vacuumed out all mouse droppings in the fridge compartment. I cleaned out nests in the oven and used Easy-Off overnight and totally cleaned it but the smell is still horrible when turn it on. I ran it for over an hour at 500 degrees but the smell didn't go away. I guess I will have to pull the range and scrub everything behind it. There is a small vent hole in the back of the oven which gave them access to the oven.


Other than getting rid of the bad smell I have finally gotten everything else working as designed. Yes, I know about need for new tires. Of course I want to make some upgrades like a new sound system and flat screens and a camera system and I can't wait to get started on those. The engine has low millage and I can't wait to get it on the road again.


"I hate meeces to pieces!! "

Bdpreece----that is not a bad suggestion!! I didn't think of that

[Yellowreef]

You are a better man than me taking on that project. The smell would make me think I missed something in the cleanup and I wouldnt be able to sleep in there thinking abut it. That said, I second putting in an ozone machine for a few hours. those things work wonders.

[Tyler6357]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellowreef You are a better man than me taking on that project. The smell would make me think I missed something in the cleanup and I wouldnt be able to sleep in there thinking abut it. That said, I second putting in an ozone machine for a few hours. those things work wonders.

Thank you!
Needless to say I have been wearing a mask and gloves and have vented the coach as much as possible. It's not the most pleasant thing to have to do but this beast only has 8600 miles on it and it's in pretty good shape otherwise. Psychologically I think I will be alright but I will be using the microwave oven for a while no matter how hard I scrub that gas oven.

[Rodneykrantz]

Check with a cleaning company like Servpro they have a fogging machine
that will cover the whole MH they use it after fire and smoke damage