Baked-In Odor

[OceanSpirit]

Hi everyone!

Last weekend, I picked up a couple of second hand racks. They were NASTY. I think the previous owner had lost interest in his collection prior to re-homing the animals, so some of the tubs/rack slots had been sitting there with stool and old substrate for the last two years. I don't think any of the racks had ever been cleaned, and they were covering in fecal matter and filth. I scrubbed them down and disinfected last week, and at the time was able to eliminate (I thought) all the horrible odors. However, last night I re-assembled the racks and plugged them in to test them before the arrival of my two newbie BPs this morning, and the odor is back. It seems that now that the racks are plugged in and the heat-tape is warm, it's resurrected the odors that were baked into it over several years. I've removed some of the tubs and stashed boxes of baking soda in the empty rack spots.....but is there any way you all can think of to really kill the odor? It's not overpowering like it was when I brought them home, but my snakes live in the second bedroom I use as an office, and I certainly don't want to be smelling that for 8 hours five days a week.

Also, to your knowledge, can I safely burn scented candles in the same room with ball pythons? I'm not talking about lighting up 10 candles in a 20 square foot area, maybe just one to distract my nose.....

Any advice or info would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[butterballpython]

If there's any possibility of replacing those tubs, that would be my choice. I know the snakes are on the way and it would be an added expense, but if the smell is still there, I would be worried that some germs might still be hidden somewhere.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I'd try vinegar and letting them sit in the sun for a few days. If that doesn't work those tubs are probably done.

[AlwaysSunnyJenn]

What did you use to disinfect?

[Ba11er]

My first rack i was never able to completely get rid of the smell even after giving it a really good scrub down. My second rack was kept in better condition so after the initial scrub it has not had any smell. I would try to soak everything in strong bleach solution and then a long soak in water with lots of changing of the water. This would take a long time to do safely.

[OceanSpirit]

I'm definitely open to replacing the tubs--I don't have so many snakes at this point that it would be prohibitively expensive, and it would be worth it to know that my snakes (and myself) remain healthy. However, I don't think it's the tubs--I think it's actually in the wood/melamine. You wouldn't believe how nasty it was--it's designed as most are, so the tubs don't need lids. It looks like this jerk kept his animals in filthy tubs for months--the snakes would wind up wallowing in their own accumulated filth, smearing it all over the shelves of the rack.

I scrubbed the rack and shelves down with Lysol, then hot soapy water. The tubs were soaked and scrubbed down with bleach and hot soapy water. Both the tubs and the racks were left to air for the week between picking up/cleaning and plugging them in yesterday. Most of the tubs actually cleaned up well (those that didn't were trashed)....I think the odor (and potential microbes) is in the actual wood/melamine. If I had realized how bad they were, I wouldn't have bought them. Unfortunately, they were in a dark garage when I went to look at them, and I didn't realize the degree to which they'd been neglected until I got them home.

[OceanSpirit]

The tubs were soaked and scrubbed in bleach and hot soapy water. The melamine and wood were scrubbed down with Lysol and hot soapy water.

[Timelugia]

Hi everyone!


Also, to your knowledge, can I safely burn scented candles in the same room with ball pythons? I'm not talking about lighting up 10 candles in a 20 square foot area, maybe just one to distract my nose.....

Any advice or info would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Scented candles have not been sufficiently proven safe for humans. I would not trust them around snakes.

[EmilyandArlo]

I agree that candles may not be the best solution and will only mask the smell. I would try spraying everything down with white vinegar and letting that sit for a bit, then dust everything generously with baking soda. Let it sit for a while then wipe it off (you could even vacuum out the baking soda if that's easier). It's a little bit messy, but that combination is usually pretty great for cleaning up odors. Good luck!


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[bcr229]

Look for a product called UR In Control from Black Diamond. It doesn't just clean up pet waste/vomit smells that have become embedded into a porous surface like carpeting; it has enzymes that break nasty stuff down and get rid of it. I've had to use it on pre-owned enclosures that smelled like retic waste and the stink was gone in two days.

My only complaint is it smells like orange, which I don't care for.

As with any product rinse the enclosure very well afterward.