Florida, private property
A Smell With No Visible Source
There is a smell, you have looked, and there is nothing to find. This is the call people are most likely to be sold something on, so here is the plain version of it.
Before you pay anyone. There is no public service anywhere in Florida for this. No city or county in our source list offers to locate an odor source, and no state agency does either.
What this covers
- Narrowing down where the smell is actually strongest, which is rarely where it seems
- Searching the reachable voids: attic, soffit, crawl space, under decking, garage, cupboards, around ductwork and pool equipment
- Removing and treating the source where it turns out to be reachable without cutting into finished construction
- Telling you plainly when it is not reachable, and what your actual options are at that point
Where the limit is
Opening a finished wall or ceiling. Most operators do not cut drywall or plaster to retrieve a carcass, and it is not something to assume will be offered. If the source is inside a wall cavity and cannot be reached any other way, the honest answer is that removal may not be possible without construction work that is a separate decision, taken by you, with someone who does that trade.
We are not going to give you a number of days, and you should be a little wary of anyone who does. No Florida agency publishes a decomposition or odor timeline, and the published research that exists is outdoor work in other climates that does not transfer to a wall cavity in a Florida house. What can be said is that heat and humidity generally accelerate the process, that a small animal produces a shorter and less intense smell than a large one, and that a sealed cavity behaves differently from a ventilated one. What nobody can honestly tell you over the phone is how long yours will last.
How a call goes
- You describe where the smell is strongest, when it started, whether it changes with the air conditioning, and whether you have seen flies gathering anywhere.
- We check operator availability for the address, which is not confirmed anywhere in Florida yet.
- The operator searches the reachable voids in order of likelihood rather than at random.
- If the source is found and can be reached without cutting, it is removed, and the area is cleaned and treated.
- If it is behind finished construction, that is said plainly. No wall is opened on this site's say-so, and no guarantee is given that the smell can be removed without addressing the source.
Questions about this situation
Will someone cut open my wall to get it out?
Assume not. Most operators do not open drywall, plaster or ceilings to retrieve a carcass, and this site will not promise it on anyone's behalf. If the source is genuinely inside a wall cavity and cannot be reached another way, that becomes a construction decision for you rather than part of a removal call.
How long does a smell like this take to clear?
We will not give you a figure, because there is not an honest one to give. No Florida agency publishes a timeline, and the laboratory work that exists was done outdoors in other climates and does not transfer to a wall cavity in a Florida house. Size of animal, temperature and how sealed the space is all change it substantially.
Will it just go away on its own?
Sometimes it does, and we are not going to tell you it never will in order to sell a visit. But that is not a promise either, and where the source stays in place there can be secondary problems, including insects and staining. Anyone who is certain about the outcome without having seen it is guessing.
Could it be something other than an animal?
It can, and that is worth ruling out before you spend anything. A dry or failed plumbing trap, a refrigerator drip tray, a failed sump or a dead patch in the air handler can all read as the same smell. If it is strongest in one room and near plumbing, start there.
Not sure this is the right page? Who removes a dead animal in Florida works through the public and private split, and the county pages give the published position where you live.