A Tale of Two Smells: How to Tell if Someone is Truly Dead

It’s the stuff of nightmares. You come home from work and detect a faint, but unmistakable odor emanating from your home. You search high and low, but you can’t find the source. You open all the doors and windows, hoping to air out the place, but the smell only gets stronger. Finally, you stumble upon the source: a dead body. Or so you think. How can you be sure?

If you find yourself in this situation, there are two smells you need to be aware of: cadaverine and putrescine. Cadaverine is produced by bacteria that thrive in anaerobic environments—like the inside of a human body after death. Putrescine is produced by bacterial decomposition of amino acids. In other words, it’s the smell of rotting flesh.

If you’re confronted with a possible cadaver, take a step back and take a deep breath through your nose (hold your hand over your mouth if you have to). If the odor is very strong and immediately unpleasant, it’s probably cadaverine.

If it’s not as strong and more sour-smelling, it might be putrescine. Either way, you’re probably dealing with a corpse. But don’t worry—there are professional odor removal services that can help.

What to Do When You Find a Dead Body

If you do find yourself in this unfortunate circumstance, there are a few things you should do. First, call the police. They will take care of the situation from there.

Secondly, try to ventilation the area as much as possible. Dead bodies can start to smell pretty quickly, and you don't want that odor lingering in your home or office. Finally, consider hiring odor removal services. They can help to get rid of any lingering smells and restore your space to its original condition.

So if you find yourself faced with a dead body, don't panic. Just follow these simple steps and everything will be back to normal in no time.

Wrap Up!

No one wants to find a dead body in their home, but unfortunately, it does happen from time to time. If you do come across a suspicious odor, there are two things you need to be aware of: cadaverine and putrescine.

Cadaverine is produced by bacteria that thrive in anaerobic environments—like the inside of a human body after death. Putrescine is produced by bacterial decomposition of amino acids. In other words, it’s the smell of rotting flesh.

If you suspect you have a carcass on your hands, call professional odor removal services right away—before the stench gets any worse!