I have this smell in my kitchen...

[Tinks]

For the past 2 days I've had this strong smell in my kitchen. It smells like a cross between popcorn and mice. I've looked through every cupboard and have found no evidence of mice. This morning, I think, I narrowed it down to the area around the fridge and one corner of the family room next to the kitchen. It's doing my head in. ANy ideas?

[LizLemon]

I know exactly what smell you mean. I find sometimes tea towels get that smell if they haven't been able to dry properly

[Jaycee]

Could there be a mouse trapped in your walls?

[nickle730]

I was thinking along the same lines as Jaycee... dead animal in the wall cavity? Mouse, rat, possum, neighbour...?

[RainbowRiver]

Check the back of your fridge for a fried mouse... Usually they end up in the water catching tray or in between coils

[Pholi]

Mmm... we had that smell in a cupboard a while back - At first it was distinct but not really unpleasant, and over the next three days developed into something utterly disgusting. Eventually found a rotting rat carcass in the roof space above the wardrobe. Check the back of the fridge NOW for dead, mouse, cos it only gets worse the longer you leave it.

[Tinks]

Ew! It doesn't smell like dead animal though. I'm going to have to wait for DH to come home to move the fridge. I hope there's nothing dead behind it.

[murraycod]

Your washcloth? I only say this because I went to a friends house and she had an awfull smell she couldn't find in her kitchen. It ended up being a washcloth she had been using for ages!!! The smell was just like you describe.

[Rouge]

Oh man. Don't read this just after you've eaten lunch. I hope you find the cause. And it's not too gross.

[nickle730]

Potatoes which have gone mouldy and turned to green liquid smell like a dead animal... I learned this from personal experience! Check your pantry for dead spuds which have escaped the bag and rolled into a corner.

[AnyDream]

Might be a posse of mice or a rat having a little food-storing party under/behind/in the fridge or the kitchen panels surrounding it. They often turn up inside once the weather turns cooler so a nice warm spot near the fridge could be v.tempting

[Floweryfields]

The popcorn/corn chippy smell is usally mouse wee - I had a dead one in the back of the upright stove once - ew!

[milka]

I had a funny smell in my kitchen so I got down on my hands a knees to have a good sniff... Under the kitchen table I was sniffing away and was suddenly eye to eye with a disgusting dead rat (thank you to my two cats...)
I felt sick as I had not swept the floor the night before & didn't know how long the revolting thing had been there! To make matters worse DH was at work so I had to remove it quickly before my sons came to investigate.

I feel sick now thinking about it... Maybe sweep the floor never know what you will find!!

[chody47]

Did you find the culprit?