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How To Get Rid of Mouse Urine Smells In 7 Steps
Pete Ortiz
Last updated:
Mice can be a destructive force in any home. Not only do mice chew up electrical cords and inhabit walls and floors, but they can also leave behind a terrible odor. Mouse pee smells bad, and that smell can soak into furniture, carpet, and insulation. The lingering odor can be maddening and hard to deal with. If you are suffering from mouse urine smells, don’t panic, there are ways to get rid of the entrenched odor.
Here is how you can get rid of mouse urine smells in seven easy steps.
The 7 Steps to Get Rid of Mouse Urine Smells
1. Locate The Source
First and foremost, the only way to get rid of any lingering smell is to locate the source of the odor. If you try to treat a bad scent without locating and eliminating the source, all efforts will ultimately be in vain. Finding stinky spots and treating them might help in the short term, but over time, if the ultimate source is not eliminated, then the smell will always come back.
If you suspect that you have an infestation of mice, there is no reason to try and treat the subsequent smells without first eliminating the infestation. Mice will continue to pee if they are not removed or eliminated. That means you will always be treating the smell and running after the mice without actually getting to the root of the issue. The first step to getting rid of mouse urine smells is to get rid of the mice themselves.
Once the mice are gone, you can focus on cleaning up after their mess.
2. Air Out The Space
Next, the space should be aired out. Getting fresh air circulating through the space will help in two ways. First, it will help get rid of any lingering odors that might have come from the mice themselves. Second, it will help to identify the remaining sources of mouse urine smells. In a space where a lot of odors mix together, getting fresh air in will help cut through any built-up smells and make it clearer where the remaining sources of odors might be.
Image Credit: Monkey Business Images, Shutterstock
3. Steam Clean
The most effective way to clean up mouse urine smells is to steam clean. Giving your house a complete steam clean will eliminate almost all sources of mouse odor. Focus specifically on the places where you might have seen or suspected the mice to be—steam clean any carpet, tile, or wood flooring that may be present. Also, steam cleans any upholstery and furniture located in the areas that are suffering from mouse urine smells.
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One of the most effective ways to reduce odors is to use baking soda. Sprinkling baking soda over areas that stink can help absorb the last sources of any odor. Let the baking soda sit for thirty minutes to an hour before vacuuming up the remaining powder.
Putting out cups of baking soda can also help. Baking soda will pull odors out of the air over time. You can leave cups of baking soda around for days at a time and periodically dump out the baking soda.
5. Clean With Vinegar
If steam cleaning and baking soda do not completely eliminate the problem you can do more intense cleaning using vinegar, soap, and water. Vinegar and soap will effectively break down any urine that might be leftover. This process will break up the source of the odor and eliminate it. Scrub hard and mechanically break up the spots that you suspect might still contain any mouse urine.
Image Credit: evita-ochel, Pixabay
6. Pay Attention To Soft Surfaces
If you are still having issues after all of these steps, it is time to pay attention to soft surfaces. Hard surfaces do not trap odors long-term like soft surfaces do. If you are still struggling to locate the last remaining pockets of mouse urine smells, it is probably trapped in a soft surface. Double back and check furniture, bedding, and carpet again. In extreme cases, the soft surfaces that are infected with mouse urine could be the insulation in the walls or ceilings. Replacing insulation can be expensive and stressful, but it might be necessary after extreme infestations.
Go back and reclean any soft surfaces in and around the areas that still smell like mouse urine.
7. Wait And See If Smell Dissipates
Lastly, you should wait and see if the smell dissipates. Sometimes it can take a while for the house to air out and the smell to finally go away. After you have done all of your cleaning, it is time to wait and see if the smell finally goes away. Give it a day or two. Pay attention and continue to air out the spaces to facilitate the final airing out process.
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What Does Mouse Urine Smell Like?
Mouse urine smells strongly of ammonia. It is a pungent smell that is tangy and can fill a space. It is easy to catch a whiff of this smell when mice are present. If you are noticing patchy pungent smells that stinks like ammonia it could be mouse urine.
One of the earliest ways to identify a mouse infestation is to smell the urine. Mice are rarely seen when the infestation is in the early stages, but they can’t hide the smell of their pee. If you smell this ammonia-like scent and see any mice around then it is a dead giveaway of a potential infestation. Again, the first and most important step to eliminating mouse urine smells is to first stop the initial infestation in its tracks.
Absolutely not. Very few smells are permanent, even hard to eliminate odors like cigarette smoke can finally be dislodged over time. Mouse urine is not a permanent smell. Like all odor elimination, the most important thing is to find and treat the source. Even if you are dismayed about a lingering odor issue, the problem is definitely not permanent. Odors might be hard to eliminate but it is definitely doable.
Conclusion
Mouse urine is an awful smell and it can become trapped and embedded in a home very easily. But the smell is not permanent. There are many ways to clean up and eliminate mouse urine odors. Do not despair if you are struggling with these odors. There is hope. These seven steps will eliminate nearly every mouse urine odor and following all of them will all but guarantee success in the venture.
Pete has been working in the trades since high school, where he first developed a passion for woodworking. Over the years, he has developed a keen interest in a wide variety of DIY projects around the home. Fascinated by all sort of tools, Pete loves reading and writing about all the latest gadgets and accessories that hit the market. His other interests include astronomy, hiking, and fishing.
As the founder of House Grail, Pete's primary goal is to help consumers make educated decisions about DIY projects at home, in the garage, and in the garden.
