“I thought they were berries—until I smelled them.” Cleaning out old sweaters turned into a disgusting nightmare 🧥🤢 See what was hiding in the closet in the article 👇🫣
I hadn’t touched my old winter clothes in years. They’d been tucked away at the back of the closet, mostly forgotten, thanks to a few mild winters and changing fashion trends. But recently, I decided to do a bit of decluttering and figured I’d donate the barely-worn sweaters to charity.
I pulled them out one by one. They looked fine—no visible holes, no stains. Still, I wanted to wash them before donating, just to freshen them up. That’s when I noticed something odd.
One of the sweaters had strange reddish, oval-shaped bits stuck to it. My first thought? Maybe they were dried berries or seeds—something my kids had left behind without me realizing. But when I touched them, they were hard and gritty, and they gave off a strong, unpleasant smell.
Curious (and slightly grossed out), I went online to figure out what they might be. What I found made my stomach turn.
They weren’t berries. They weren’t lint. They were mouse droppings—turned reddish from the poison I had placed in the wardrobe years ago and completely forgotten about.
I felt sick knowing these clothes had been sitting in the middle of a mouse infestation. I immediately threw out all the sweaters, plus the scarves that had been stored nearby.
After that, I scrubbed the entire closet multiple times with soap and disinfectant until the smell disappeared. And then I spotted something else—one of the sleeves had been chewed through, a small hole I hadn’t seen earlier. Digging deeper into the corner of the wardrobe, I discovered bits of stuffing and threads. The mice had been trying to make a nest.
It was a wake-up call.
Now I make it a habit to air out and inspect my closets every season. I’ve also started storing clothes in sealed containers and have traps set—just in case. No way I’m letting that happen again.
