Weird smell from our oven, and my imagination is getting the better of me-

[jent]

So the other night, I came home to DH making dinner and a horrible burnt smell coming from the oven. I assumed he'd spilled something getting dinner in the oven but later he told me no, the smell started when he preheated the oven. When he looked, he didn't see anything in the oven but a wisp of smoke coming from the side of the oven.

So then my imagination made a leap. We had evidence of mice a few weeks back, we cleaned the kitchen thoroughly and blocked any cracks/crevices that could lead to the unfinished basement, and didn't see any signs of mice for a while. Until a few days before the oven incident, when we found a Cadbury egg that had been left out overnight unwrapped an chewed.

When the oven cooled down, I checked the inside thoroughly and took the cover off the heating element at the bottom... no burnt mouse. Then I Googled and I found that mice can crawl into insulation of the oven wall and make a nest.

So, do you think this could have happened? If so, what do we do next? Our oven is gas and DH is afraid to mess with the hookup himself (he is NOT handy), so we can't pull the oven out all the way. The parts of the oven we can see look fine.

[happymom]

Ok this is going to sound weird but did you happen to refinish any wood flooring in your house recently? Because I know when you polyurethane your floors, there's a bad smell when using your oven soon afterwards and most people don't connect the two.


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[jent]

Ok this is going to sound weird but did you happen to refinish any wood flooring in your house recently? Because I know when you polyurethane your floors, there's a bad smell when using your oven soon afterwards and most people don't connect the two.

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I read that too when I Googled "weird oven smell"! But no, we have not done any refinishing/painting/etc. It is just a strongly burned smell.

[mackmama]

We've had rodent problems before, and I'm so sorry. I know how stressful and gross it can be. I would hire someone to pull out the broiler pan and clean behind the oven. I would think it's unlikely that a mouse got into the oven or its insulation, but it sounds like it can happen. Either way, someone needs to pull out the oven to clean it. Try not to think about what it "could" be. Just get it cleaned, and then you will deal with whatever it is. Also - if a mouse ate a Cadbury egg in your kitchen, then the mice are still getting into your house, and that needs to be dealt with regardless of your oven smell. I'd call an exterminator asap to come over and do a thorough inspection of your house inside and out to seal any openings. Hang in there.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Oh goodness.. YES!!!

My grandmother owned a farm where my dad and his federal judge friends would go hang out, cook steak tartare and hunt. I went in the little house on the farm, and to this day remember the STANK that was when a mouse had crawled into the stove vent pipe and got cooked. Oh my goodness what a horrific smell.

I would be really tempted to just buy a new oven. Can you? Definitely call an exterminator. We've had mice in our kitchen in 2 different old houses. Makes me crazy, but I couldn't deal with knowing one had gotten into my oven, based on the smell from that little farm house, knowing my dad and his buddies ate from that oven all weekend. So sorry. :(

[WatchingThemGrow]

You actually should pull out everything from your cabinets also and look for droppings. BTDT. no fun.

[jent]

Oh, we know we still have to deal with the mice. We're going to have one more try at DIY and get mouse traps- I was too squeamish to do that the last time. And yes, we pulled *everything* out of the cabinets and scrubbed them down at that point. They didn't seem to be getting into our cabinets though- only found mouse poop behind an open shelf and under the stove.

I am tempted to buy a new range, but I think we need to pull it all the way out and figure out what exactly we're dealing with.

[jenstring95]

Oh, we know we still have to deal with the mice. We're going to have one more try at DIY and get mouse traps- I was too squeamish to do that the last time.

We had mice in our garage a few years ago, and when we cleaned out the garage and took away their food source (bird seed) they started coming in the house. No BTDT with the oven, but I thought I would recommend electric mouse traps. (I tried to find the specific ones we have but don't see them, so I didn't link to any.) They are enclosed so no one gets a surprise when they come across a dead mouse; a light (blinking, I think?) comes on when there is one in there. Someone still needs to empty it (that was DH's job), but I don't think it was as horrible as it could have been. In any event, I feel for you. It's awful to have mice in the house! Good luck getting rid of them and figuring out what is going on with your oven! You didn't clean it recently, did you? If so it could be residual cleaner or residual stink from the cleaning cycle.

[jenstring95]

Oh, we know we still have to deal with the mice. We're going to have one more try at DIY and get mouse traps- I was too squeamish to do that the last time.

We had mice in our garage a few years ago, and when we cleaned out the garage and took away their food source (bird seed) they started coming in the house. No BTDT with the oven, but I thought I would recommend electric mouse traps. (I tried to find the specific ones we have but don't see them, so I didn't link to any.) They are enclosed so no one gets a surprise when they come across a dead mouse; a light (blinking, I think?) comes on when there is one in there. Someone still needs to empty it (that was DH's job), but I don't think it was as horrible as it could have been. In any event, I feel for you. It's awful to have mice in the house! Good luck getting rid of them and figuring out what is going on with your oven! You didn't clean it recently, did you? If so it could be residual cleaner or residual stink from the cleaning cycle.