Knocking Down a shed - It SMELLS!! Question About Flooring Removal and Soil Removal - Ask Extension
Hi:
You have helped me so much in the past with gardening/lawn/soil questions, I am hoping you can help me here.
I have a shed on a wood foundat...
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Knocking Down a shed - It SMELLS!! Question About Flooring Removal and Soil Removal #887564
Asked October 09, 2024, 1:40 PM EDT
Hi:
You have helped me so much in the past with gardening/lawn/soil questions, I am hoping you can help me here.
I have a shed on a wood foundation that I installed 12 years ago, The floor is on a wolmanized wood platform, and the plywood is a sturdy Plytanium brand that was painted on both sides before being installed on the wolmanized wood platform.
The plywood flooring has rotted and it smells bad. So far, I cannot tell if some vermin is maybe dead under the flooring, but it does smell bad. I have suited up with an N95 mask and double Nitrile gloves to remove the flooring by unscrewing it and placing it in black contractor bags. Again, I'm not sure if you consult on this matter.
My other question is the soil beneath the flooring. If there is a dead vermin I can carefully bag and remove it. Buth, the questrion is, do I also need to remove the soil that it was in contact with? Is there any risk in leaving the soil exposed? I do not have any children or pets in my backyard - just, as it seems, hundreds of squirrels who come to visit every day.
Thank you in advance for your help,
Jim
Oakland CountyMichigan
Expert Response
Jim - From my personal knowledge, it makes sense that plywood would rot if sitting directly on soil unless it was treated for exterior conditions. If there is a dead rodent in the soil, it will naturally decompose over time (if you don't want to remove it). I'm providing you with a link below that will give you more details about the microbes in the soil and how decomposition interacts with the microbes.
Bottom line, unless you are concerned about some form of contamination and exposure to the soil, you can leave the soil exposed and the microbes and organic decomposition process will take care of the rest.