NYC resident asked for tips to rid home of dead body smell on Reddit

Its Reddit Dead Redemption. It seems New Yorkers clearly know way too much about how to deal with odor from dead bodies. A Big Apple resident whose apartment building was allegedly befouled by the smell of a decomposing corpse asked fellow Gothamites on Reddit how to get rid of the death stench and received

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It’s Reddit Dead Redemption.

It seems New Yorkers clearly know way too much about how to deal with odor from dead bodies.

A Big Apple resident whose apartment building was allegedly befouled by the smell of a decomposing corpse asked fellow Gothamites on Reddit how to get rid of the death stench — and received an alarming amount of tips.

In the stomach-churning thread, posted two days ago in the group “r/AskNYC,” user @RedLittyLuv explains how they “started smelling a foul odor” permeating their floor on Saturday night.

“I noticed it by the apartments close to the elevator,” the redditor described, adding that the next day “the smell was so strong it floored me.”

While initially unsure about the source of the smell, they eventually discovered the gag-inducing truth after spotting an NYPD DOA sticker on their neighbor’s sealed-off door, signifying that police were investigating a death in the building. However, it’s unclear how long the alleged body remained in the building before being carted away by corpse clean-up crews.

New Yorkers gave an apartment owner helpful tips on how to eradicate the smell of a dead body in their apartment. Getty Images/iStockphoto

“I’m kinda freaking out because I can smell it IN MY APARTMENT,” the horrified redditor exclaimed. “I asked the building employee and they said they can’t tell me anything but they will put a spray in the hallway to help with the odor.”

They added, “Dude, you can’t spray away a f–king rotting body smell!”

Thankfully, New York Reddit was able to come to the rescue by offering a shocking number of hints on post-mortem aroma eradication.

A police advisory denoting that a building’s premises are sealed off for investigation.

“Take vinegar and baking soda (don’t combine) in a bowl/cup in areas with high level of smell and set it there,” advised one armchair forensics expert.

The Post did not verify this method or any other suggestions, of which there were many.

Another advised buying a can of “cheap pre-ground coffee” and cooking it in a pan on “medium-high heat” until “the smell of coffee drives out the smell of corpse.”

They added that they learned how to beat dead body odor from their partner who “worked as a property manager and had to accompany the police and EMTs to investigate what turned out to be a decomposing corpse after the neighbors complained.”

“This is apparently the trick first responders use (along with Vicks inside their breathing masks) to deal with the smell,” they wrote.

In the stomach-churning thread, posted two days ago in the group “r/AskNYC,” user @RedKittyLuv explainde how they “started smelling a foul odor” permeating their floor on Saturday night. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Meanwhile, one body odor disposal buff suggested sprinkling the area with pulverized limestone, which is used to fertilize farms and gardens.

“An ozone generator would clear the smell pretty well but it’s unsafe to use while you’re there and has to be aired out afterwards,” said another. “This is likely what the cleaning crew will use for the air and what I’ve seen cleanup crews use after fires in houses and mold in cars.”

Meanwhile, many others shared similar experiences of dead bodies stinking up their apartment buildings.

“Neighbor died in apartment in July,” recounted one apartment dweller. “Was dead for 2 weeks before anyone found him. The aftermath for the entire building is something I cannot even begin to explain to anyone.”

One armchair expert suggested buying a can of “cheap pre-ground coffee” and cooking it in a pan on “medium-high heat” until “the smell of coffee drives out the smell of corpse.” Getty Images

They added, “The smell lingered for a long time but the fly infestation was the absolute worst.”

Another recalled a similar experience in which “someone removed a dead body using our elevator and it smelled so bad for a long time.

“I also have never smelled one before but it’s amazing how you just know immediately what it is,” they described. “The good news is the smell did eventually leave the elevator.”

Another explained that the smell of death lingers long after disposal teams take the body. “I once lived in a building where someone died in his apartment over the weekend and wasn’t discovered until 3 days later,” they recounted. “By the time they removed the body, you could smell it 3 floors down.”

“An ozone generator would clear the smell pretty well but it’s unsafe to use while you’re there and has to be aired out afterwards,” advised one redditor. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

They added, “They removed the body in a bag through the lobby and the lobby smelled for another full day despite only having the body in there for 30 seconds.”

Indeed, airing out the stench of the body is no mean feat, even for professional remediation crews.

Victoria Vallone, operations director with Bio Recovery, a New York-based company that cleans up death scenes, told The Post: “When a body decomposes on the floor, you can smell it down the block. All the gasses are out. [In those instances,] the floor needs to be removed with power tools.”

In fact, the stench often remains long after the organic matter has been disposed of.

“It’s hard to give a specific time in work time,” said Dan Hood, co-owner of Trauma Clean Australia. “Because you want to let the house sit so you know you’ve really remediated the smell.”

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