NYC Knows Too Much About Dead Body Smell

NEW YORK CITY — How much do New Yorkers know about dealing with the stench of a dead body? A stomach-turning Reddit thread could have the answer: a bit too much.

The thread began New York City apartment dweller this week posted about a "foul odor permeating" their floor.

The stench turned out to be from a dead body within the building.

"I'm kinda freaking out because I can smell it IN MY APARTMENT," wrote redkittyluv.

"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. Dude, you can't spray away a f------ rotting body smell!"

Reddit users responded in ways that are telling about New York City's oft-malodorous smellscape, where people are all-too-familiar with foul odors, from garbage juice to whatever it is that permeates the subway.

The thread filled with similar stories, as well as practical tips — apparently drawn from real life experience — about how to deal with the smell of a decomposing body.

Buy a can of cheap pre-ground coffee and put it on the stove, one user offered, noting "it's okay if it burns a little bit."

"Do this until the smell of coffee drives out the smell of corpse," they wrote.

"This is apparently the trick first responders use (along with Vicks inside their breathing masks) to deal with the smell."

Another poster suggested vinegar and baking soda, with the important caveat of not combining them.

Still other Reddit users had stinky stories of their own.

"Neighbor died in apartment in July. Was dead for 2 weeks before anyone found him," one wrote. "The aftermath for the entire building is something I cannot even begin to explain to anyone. The smell lingered for a long time but the fly infestation was the absolute worst."

"It took over 3 weeks for the smell to go away fully from the building next door to mine," another wrote. "You could even smell it outside for many days."

The original poster — redkittyluv — didn't respond to Patch's request for comment on more details, but wrote they initially thought the NYPD left the body to rot inside the building.

Such lax body disposal by the NYPD is unlikely, other Reddit users noted.

"The coroner definitely took the body, but dead body smells can take a while to clear out, especially if no cleaning was done after," another user posted.

"It's not on the police or coroner to clean up the apartment after, so you could be stuck with it for a while."

The NYPD's website notes that property owners are responsible for cleaning up trauma scenes.

"If the trauma scene is on private property, such as a residential or commercial building, the owner or landlord must arrange for the trauma scene to be cleaned up," it states.

Many companies, including those in New York City, specialize in crime scene clean up or disposal of an "unattended death."

Are you a New Yorker who knows too much about dead body smell? Feel free to share your advice and stories in the comments below.