Dead rats smell. A lot. All who have lived in an old house know what I am talking about. The smell does not last for very long but I have heard storied about house owners who have removed floors and walls just to get rid of the dead creature. I was, therefore, a bit concerned when I started to feel a sweet, unpleasant smell in the back entrance of the house. It was not very strong and an open door now and then took care of the smell for a while but it was back in the morning and slowly, slowly I started to realize that I had to do something about it. It is not the best way to greet people and if the cold and damp weather continues, it might take a long time before the poor animal has mummified completely.
Since I had not vacuumed since I came back, I decided to start my general cleaning up by doing so. It is not one of my favourite household tasks but since a few dead flies and dust had gathered during the time I spent in Vienna, it had to be done. I started in the back entrance and I immediately found the dead rat. It turned out to be an eight-meter rubber covered measuring band I bought just before I left Vienna. The rubber gives away a strange smell and I now know why Zgonc (a hardware store in Austria) smells a bit foul!
Conclusion, it might be boring but vacuuming might solve more problems than you can imagine.
No comments:
Post a Comment