Let’s say I hypothetically had some mice pee in some plastic components that cannot be properly cleaned in any realistic way. Is it possible to heat it up to “cook off” the mouse pee nastiness without actually melting the plastic?

  • volvoxvsmarla
    2•3 months ago

    So, I have no clue what exactly it is that you want to heat and how you would do it (I somehow imagine you trying to put a microwave over the steering wheel of a car or blow drying your radio) but as for whether it would work to eliminate the odor that is bothering you… I am no expert on mouse urine smell but I did work with GC and judging from GC-O measurements you need to go up quite over 100°C to make every molecule that gives off smell volatile. So my guess would be, no, you cannot cook off the smell. My guess is even if you literally boiled a cup of mouse urine for an hour on a stove and let it cool down it would still have some odor left.

    That being said, I very much hope I am wrong and you or someone else will prove otherwise!

    The way I would go about it is probably to use something like Febreze, basically trying to put the odor molecule into a complex (is this how Febreze works?) where it either cannot bind to your receptors anymore or isn’t volatile anymore. Probably do all of it, first blow dry (?) and heat off what you can, then use some H2O2 spray if the plastic allows it first (might even get some stuff to oxidize and change its properties i.e. the smell), then blow dry (?) it again to heat off what you can, then use an odor neutralizer.

    • @Corkyskog@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2•3 months ago

      Lol, yall are really good at getting in my brain.

      So I basically have a very large tapered heat gun, with a fan… basically like a really dangerous blow dryer. I know from experience, that I can’t continuously heat in the same place (melts plastic, that I thought almost couldn’t be melted…)

      From your comment, and others, it seems like heat might not be the most ideal solution. It seems as if all this vents out to certain points that make sense, and have adequate airflow (no idea if this is actuality, taking it apart would take apart my week). So I could buy anything within reason, is febreeze the best solution if I went that route? I have heard of using “Ozium” instead or there is some kind of weird sugar type substance (can’t remember the name off my head) that was recommended that could encapsulate it?

      • volvoxvsmarla
        5•3 months ago

        Lol oh Jesus please don’t use the heat gun (although I would love to use it myself), apart from the danger, I’ll also point out that while you might not melt the plastic, you might still destabilize it and/or release some actually toxic (and also smelly) compounds. I imagine a low heat blow with a normal hair dryer just to air it out would be a smart step though.

        As for what works best in terms of encapsulation - I would try to ask in a community of rodent lovers. I can imagine that those guys have their secret weapons.

        • @Corkyskog@sh.itjust.worksOP
          1•3 months ago

          Haha thanks! I am at my wits end, and want this over before it warms up in my area. I was kind of hoping some chemist might come in and give some funky way to destroy the compounds. The solution can literally be the most crazy crazily toxic compounds… as long as in the end they all cook off and get rid of the mouse nonsense.

          I have access to money, chemicals, really strong fans and other equipment, and a lot of open air. Heat just seemed easiest, my chemistry knowledge is sophomoric at best.

          • volvoxvsmarla
            1•3 months ago

            Came back to read the other comments, take the enzyme spray!!! I highly vote for the enzyme spray. If there’s an enzyme for your problem then always take the enzyme.

            Ozone sounds also really cool but keep in mind that ozone itself smells weird and maybe don’t exactly breathe it in. (The smell will go away fast but I have worked with quite a few people who felt quite lightheaded after breathing in the ozone from a freshly UV-ed workbench.)

            Whatever you choose, read the label instructions first to make sure it doesn’t corrode stuff, break down plastic etc.