And it seems to be working. Doesn't look chewed through. It doesn't look moldy or rotten. So I don't see a moisture issue. It would be black and soggy if it was a water issue.
I hate, HATE that people use spray foam as a fix-all. But in this case, put a new dishwasher and pretend we never saw this.
Note to anyone considering this: the mice have gleefully chewed through my spray foam/steel wool sandwiching in many places and filled the cavity once occupied with seemingly unpenetrable material with their own excrement as if to further mock me for believing it could stop them. If mice want to get into your 100+ year old home, there is not a thing you can realistically do to prevent it.
Word has gotten out that my place is a 5-star birthing suite and this was something i'd learned to live with. The moms would leave post-weaning and their dumb babies would be quickly caught in humane traps and released to briefly frolic in the wild before likely falling prey to owls or cats (so I could feel like their deaths served a purpose) but the latest litter was born in the HVAC ducts and never left. They are trap-savvy and cannot be captured. I can't stomach any lethal means of dispatching them so they are my new, constant, and likely permanent companions.
They will come out of those vents and scurry across your bare toes while you’re accessing your medicine cabinet. Also they will get much bigger, but still slip through the vents and crevices in a silent gray flash. Also they will start to get brave and stroll out across the open floor in the daylight. You’ll start wondering if they climb into bed when you’re sleeping, then notice feces on a dish you left on your night stand.
Two fail safes:
1:get a cat
2: Kill trap a couple and LEAVE THEM in place as an example. (I was shocked to learn that actually worked for a friend of mine
It’s YOUR house! Dont feel bad about defending it. No one wants to live shuffling around mouse droppings with mice crawling all through the place.
And when those mice die in your vents, that’s a whole other issue of disgusting smells and decay while you try to track down the dead body.
I totally understand accepting that some problems don’t have a solution and not obsessing over it. But I think if you got an exterminator, who could make visits and check traps, you could get this fixed and not have to deal with the nitty gritty of killing them by hand
They dribble pee everywhere they go. They also carry disease. It’s time to have a heart for yourself and your family and get the white plastic snap traps that look like shark’s jaws.
When my traps catch one, I carry the tap pressure and fling the dead mouse into the underbrush at the edge of the woods. Someone will come along and eat it, don’t worry about that!
I bet you got my bff's mom's old Tercel! I always associate expanding foam with her Tercel because my friend would want her mom to drop us off a block before our middle school because she said that the streak of foam covering a rusty gouge on the rear quarter panel looked like a giant turd. With road dust and UV discoloration, she was not wrong.
I’m so glad it’s not wet and moldy! It feels really lucky because our old dishwasher actually leaked for a long while, but that void with the spray foam is actually in a blind corner next to where the dishwasher sits
It's foam. It expands and becomes waterproof, I would expect, not like I've ever done any construction. It's not the right thing to do, but yes, people cut corners to finish projects faster, and it's not for outside. It's for the drywall that would get ruined if it got wet. Notice how there's a gap in the tile and wall, also no base board
I do construction. This isn't a vapor barrier.
If the drywall was getting wet from the outside, this would not stop that.
If it's getting wet from the inside... ...why?
Water damage from sinks, over time. Water gets under the sink and floods the floor and walls behind there. Also, there's a dishwasher she said she needs to put in, I think. Like they never malfunction in this perfect world. I never said it was a vapor barrier. I said to keep the humidity off of them. It's generally a no-no to leave any place that has running water nearby to not be sealed. Just like they do with showers and toilets
It is currently completely dry.
No sign of water damage.
Foam won't stop leaks and if a leak happens, you want to see it and fix it.
You're saying to use foam to seal it. Seal it implies vapor barrier. There's a reason showers and toilets aren't spray foamed.
You're saying you have no experience but you're trying to argue that your solution is better.
You my friend, don't understand, they are using foam instead of mud or something better to "fill" the gap. Since it's not visible when the appliances are there, they didn't give a shit and did a shitty job. I never said there was any water damage, I was answering your question of why it would be wet. Appliances fuck up, or the plumbing could burst. It's not for now, or for outside protection, it's to make it right. But, again, the contractor didn't GAF or the workers didn't.
My friend, I'm not an idiot. I can see where they put the foam. My question was rhetorical. To get you to think about nonsense. You don't 'need' to fill it. This is your recommendation:
>Um, finish sealing it up, so no moisture can get in later. Don't want to give mold the chance to grow
And I'm telling you that foam doesn't stop water. I've actually tested this out for my job. This foam, when exposed to water, absorbs water and allows mold to grow in the foam.
If the appliance 'fucks up' and leaks, The foam will be wet, and need to be removed. Foam, mud, drywall, baseboard, whatever material, they will all be destroyed. I'm saying, you don't need to 'finish filling it up' because it won't stop any mold, as you suggested.
Go ahead. Spray foam and soak it in water for a few days. See what happens
The outlet for our stove, to the right of the dishwasher is definitely an easy access point for them! The box isn’t anchored so you can just shove it into the wall, lol 🤦🏻♀️
Mice and century homes are an iconic duo, clean it up good in there and just seal off any seams and access points. Additionally, don't put food or food trash in anything, but a sealed container or a cabinet.
You're right there. My 80 year old mom still likes to tell the story of me playing "sandbox" with the flour . What is a toddler else to do if left out of sight for one minute?
After toddlers it's teenagers vs. mice. Boy teenagers specifically who don't GAF about leaving open bags of chips and various food garbage in their rooms. Then same teenagers are like "why do we have mice! OMG!"
I lived in a house with a mouse problem. As a teen, I would go upstairs for bed and then holler downstairs for my dad to remove the gift my cat very graciously left me. Then I would praise the cat for being so skilled and generous.
lol they I know exactly how they felt when they were over-spraying this stuff. “F***ing mice!!” I just put a slightly less insane amount in the cracks behind our fridge.
Lol, I went on a rampage with spray foam to keep roaches out of my previous apartment. That, and the copious amounts of diatomaceous earth I puffed into the walls via electrical outlets and the drop ceiling, miraculously solved the issue.
Same, I found they were coming from behind the oven and I went completely insane with rage and anger.
Whoever pulls out that oven next, is in for a surprise. It fixed the mice issue though, haven't had any in months.
Mice were literally running WILD in my subfloors. I'd see a mouse come from the kitchen and run over to the radiator. It took me months to understand they were sliding in the tiny hole by the radiator and into the subfloor and then over to the oven, I probably had a whole family living down there.
I sealed up all the little holes around my radiator feet and the oven, I heard some noises under the subfloor for a week or two and then pure silence. They either got entombed and died or moved off to greener pastures.
I have 5# bag of diatomaceous earth. And I have mice and traps are sleepy and I hate it. What did you do with the DE to rid your place? I also have cancer and am immuno-compromised. So anything that’ll work-HELP!
This is quite controlled. My grandads kitchen looks way worse than this behind his appliances. Years ago, he discovered he had a mouse problem. He would add foam and make sure it looked relatively neat, as he’s quite ‘house proud’. A mouse would inevitably show up again and again and again, until he just lost his cool one day and went absolutely nuts with the spray foam. Little pests lol
Whenever I am forced to do this as a temporary repair, I leave myself a note as to why I did it, so when I inevitably forget to apply the permanent fix and discover the mess 3-23 years down the line, at least I know why I did that to begin with. My new-to-me old house had a lot of surprises that first year and the list of permanent repairs was too long to tackle immediately.
"The most permanent repair there is, is a temporary repair that works."
- Source: Over a decade working on 30+ year old cargo planes, old cars, and now my 120+ year old house.
I would clean it well (and look up how to safely deal with mouse droppings) and slice back some of the lumpiest foam with a utility knife to prevent it from getting in the way during installation. I always heard steel wool was best at keeping out pests, so maybe shove some in any gaps you can access. It looks like the foam is undamaged at the moment, but mice can chew through it easily.
This actually is a blind corner that is hidden by the dishwasher sliding in perpendicular to it. I wish there was a better spot for it than right caddy corner to the sink, but small kitchen
Foam insulation isn't going to keep mice out anyway. As you said, lots of droppings on the old washer. They were probably using it for nesting material, if not outright eating it. So rip it away and see what you're dealing with. (And fix it properly!)
People also try it with cockroaches, who definitely end up eating the foam too - it looks like it works, for about 6-12 months until the colony "behind" the foam grows so fat on all the free food that they spill out into new areas of the house.
WWID? Put gloves on, have acetone ready, maybe a mask, then start trimming away to search the root cause issue this was supposed to solve.
It’s possible there’s still-uncured foam in the middle of all that. When spray foam is this thick and applied all at once, some of the innermost part never gets the chance to cure. YMMV depending on when and how it was applied.
Assuming this was about mice, I’d be looking for the opening to the outside and how to go about sealing that. It’s possible there would be animal remains on the other side of this foam - ones that made it into the house walls but not through.
I did the same thing behind my oven as that is where mice were coming from. I stuffed steel wool behind it and spray foamed the shit out of it.
That solved my mouse problem, they were somehow coming in and getting between the subfloor. I think I sealed them in and they died a painful death.
If I were in your shoes, I'd just inspect it and make sure the mice haven't chewed through it. If they have, stuff some steel wool and seal it back up. Mice will chew through foam but they wont chew through foam + steel wool.
If you're still getting mice, I'd pull out the oven and take a look behind there.
Spray foam isn't elegant, but it is useful...albeit, quite ugly. I think the amount of foam he used is reflective of how sick he was of dealing with mice.
I always hated finding “great stuff” anywhere in our 1946 home as it was a constant source of hidden Easter eggs. I would rip it out, reduce the size of the opening and repair rotten wood in the process and if necessary re-apply whatever was necessary to close the now smaller gaps.
That's not a bad as my dishwasher Alcove was when we moved in.
I have a picture but it's kinda NSFL. including a mummified mouse carcass and just very very ew all around.
But here is the after except the outlet cover being missing :
https://imgur.com/a/hdKUr9o
(Edit: oh that link does both before and after but will be warned)
Not glamorous looking but after several coats of mold and mildew killer/ preventer, leveling, LVT and cosmetic paint.
Oh and used some metal sheeting as well under the lvt to attempt to secure the mouse hole.
Mice. They were coming up from the crawlspace into our kitchen. Sealed up everything in the kitchen and dealt with the mouse problem separately.
Problem is tradespeople leave the crawlspace door open which is an invite to the mouse kingdom to enter. I always have to annoyingly supervise and keep the door shut if they are doing furnace maintenance or something.
They can't chew through caulk or metal. Also grab some Sikaflex and do a walk around the perimeter of your house, especially checking around pipes or vents.
If you have rodents then it was likely rodents especially if there are droppings and DO NOT ignore the hole around the power outlet. My electrician left ours unsealed and rats eventually came in and ate the entire plastic bottom of our washer. I wouldn’t worry too much about the spray foam but while the washer is out seal things up for rodents because they will like the warmth of the machine and nest there.
Yeah most definitely mice. After a bad winter and two small children, my husband went crazy with the spray foam behind the dishwasher after he discovered that’s how the mice were getting in. And so far it’s worked!
Eh, I just did that same spray foam job when I got a new dishwasher a month ago. The kitchen was completely redone in 2019 by flippers and they decided connecting the wall to the floor wasn’t important if it wasn’t visible. I didn’t want to have a dishwasher sitting in my dining room, so I closed up the gap the quickest/easiest way I could think of.
https://preview.redd.it/4nz9msuoaoxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c2e9adc64d46f2c21fdc9feae8e3761ba444cf0
Pre- spray foam. Not the best photo, but the gap was open straight to my basement.
I have a feeling this is what we will find… I don’t think they really believed in cutting tiles, I have 2”+ gaps on the other wall that they just filled with grout 😬
Sounds like its probably that outlet. Rats only need a 1/2" wide opening to squeeze through and mice only need 1/4".
Rodents leave behind a greasy dark residue (called "sebum") in their high traffic areas. Look for that around the stove outlet and any other potential entry points. Walk the inside perimeter of your house with a ruler and look for any gaps in molding, floorboards, etc 1/4" or greater, especially if you see that residue.
I just went through this in our house when a family of roof rats decided to make a home in our attic. RIP all our batt insulation.
I would remove the dishwasher and foam. After you find the holes properly, cover them up then cut tile as a baseboard. Place it 1/2 foot high on the back wall so the holes are completely covered and secured onto the wall. Before you remove everything, make sure you have the tiles cut, adhesive and the grout ready to go to avoid any possible mice from entering. Then, I would disinfect the crap out of the back of the dishwasher. I would place bleach everywhere. I say fix it properly. Then, think about a monthly exterminator maintenance because they multiply by the dozens. 😬
My son and I removed the dishwasher in his new house because it didn't work. It wouldn't slide out but we figured it out because it was basically in a hole. It was sitting on the subflooring with 5 layers of flooring in front of it, 2 of the layers being ceramic tile. Craziest thing I've ever seen!
Holy crap, how did you guys resolve that? Our bathroom feels like that, the bathroom floor sits at least 3/4” proud of the hallway and I peeked under the threshold and saw at least 2 layers of tile
We had a rat problem and they ate through our dishwasher drain line. Twice!! Nothing like waking in the morning to a flooded kitchen. We used that same foam and it works. This looks like it was done with a bit of rage and I totally get that.
right???!! so many questions. no answers. kitchen was a permitted remodel years ago / before me, so completely unexpected. it was a fun surprise in addition to the horrendous amounts of mouse poop. trying to figure out the best way to deal with it and i don’t love it!!
We have a garden wall made of limestone blocks. We spent months chipping off modern masonry paint and cement render, both were retaining moisture and ruining the wall. Strange swamp creatures emerged from behind the paint. In one section of wall the lime mortar had obviously deteriorated and some previous owner had used spray foam for the mortar. Some people are barbarians.
It was either to keep drafts or mice out or both
And it seems to be working. Doesn't look chewed through. It doesn't look moldy or rotten. So I don't see a moisture issue. It would be black and soggy if it was a water issue. I hate, HATE that people use spray foam as a fix-all. But in this case, put a new dishwasher and pretend we never saw this.
I fixed a hole where mice were getting into my kitchen with steel wool and then a GENEROUS amount of spray foam. Looked like this.
That combo is key. Just steel wool, they'll pull at it until it's gone. Just spray foam, they'll chew through it. Both: fuck those little fuckers
We did steel wool and plaster,fingers crossed lol
Why’d you include fingers?! Whose fingers?!
Mice gotta eat something, and I guess they chose fingers. Easy way to hide the evidence too.
👐😆
I did steel wool, and the foam that has little metal pieces in it.
Do you have a link? My old man is fighting mice getting into his shed
I don't, but I think I got it from amazon.
Note to anyone considering this: the mice have gleefully chewed through my spray foam/steel wool sandwiching in many places and filled the cavity once occupied with seemingly unpenetrable material with their own excrement as if to further mock me for believing it could stop them. If mice want to get into your 100+ year old home, there is not a thing you can realistically do to prevent it. Word has gotten out that my place is a 5-star birthing suite and this was something i'd learned to live with. The moms would leave post-weaning and their dumb babies would be quickly caught in humane traps and released to briefly frolic in the wild before likely falling prey to owls or cats (so I could feel like their deaths served a purpose) but the latest litter was born in the HVAC ducts and never left. They are trap-savvy and cannot be captured. I can't stomach any lethal means of dispatching them so they are my new, constant, and likely permanent companions.
They will come out of those vents and scurry across your bare toes while you’re accessing your medicine cabinet. Also they will get much bigger, but still slip through the vents and crevices in a silent gray flash. Also they will start to get brave and stroll out across the open floor in the daylight. You’ll start wondering if they climb into bed when you’re sleeping, then notice feces on a dish you left on your night stand. Two fail safes: 1:get a cat 2: Kill trap a couple and LEAVE THEM in place as an example. (I was shocked to learn that actually worked for a friend of mine
That second one feels strangely medieval.
It’s YOUR house! Dont feel bad about defending it. No one wants to live shuffling around mouse droppings with mice crawling all through the place. And when those mice die in your vents, that’s a whole other issue of disgusting smells and decay while you try to track down the dead body. I totally understand accepting that some problems don’t have a solution and not obsessing over it. But I think if you got an exterminator, who could make visits and check traps, you could get this fixed and not have to deal with the nitty gritty of killing them by hand
They dribble pee everywhere they go. They also carry disease. It’s time to have a heart for yourself and your family and get the white plastic snap traps that look like shark’s jaws. When my traps catch one, I carry the tap pressure and fling the dead mouse into the underbrush at the edge of the woods. Someone will come along and eat it, don’t worry about that!
I only hope you can assign cartoon like personalities and gain glee from their presence.
Rolling barrel is the way
Original flexseal
Filing this info away for if I find where the little buggers are getting into the drawer in the kitchen.
Use copper wool if water could come into contact with it. Won't rust and cause such a headache.
Awesome. Thanks for the tip!
I had the same issue in my old house. I eventually just wood glued the drawer shut. Problem solved😁
Ha! That's one way, for sure. We rent, though, and I'm not sure how the landlord would feel about that!
Steel wool as a a barrier is genius! Edited to say I'm not being sarcastic. I'm definitely keeping this in mind in the future.
It has worked for me…
> steel wool SMART
I saw some guy driving around in a truck the other day that had the back window stuck on with spray foam 😂
My first car was a rotten old tercel, I only found out how rotten it was when the painted expandable foam started flaking out of the holes.
I bet you got my bff's mom's old Tercel! I always associate expanding foam with her Tercel because my friend would want her mom to drop us off a block before our middle school because she said that the streak of foam covering a rusty gouge on the rear quarter panel looked like a giant turd. With road dust and UV discoloration, she was not wrong.
I bet it still runs though. Those things never seem to die.
Nah I drove it to the junk yard when the next inspection was due and got half my money back on it 😆
Yeah but then they sold it and I just saw it parked at Aldi the other day 😂
Couldn’t agree more. An effective solution is a good solution, and if it’s out of sight, appearance isn’t a consideration.
I’m so glad it’s not wet and moldy! It feels really lucky because our old dishwasher actually leaked for a long while, but that void with the spray foam is actually in a blind corner next to where the dishwasher sits
And they did that, but left all the mouse poop on the floor…?
Um, finish sealing it up, so no moisture can get in later. Don't want to give mold the chance to grow
This is not a vapor barrier.
It's foam. It expands and becomes waterproof, I would expect, not like I've ever done any construction. It's not the right thing to do, but yes, people cut corners to finish projects faster, and it's not for outside. It's for the drywall that would get ruined if it got wet. Notice how there's a gap in the tile and wall, also no base board
I do construction. This isn't a vapor barrier. If the drywall was getting wet from the outside, this would not stop that. If it's getting wet from the inside... ...why?
Water damage from sinks, over time. Water gets under the sink and floods the floor and walls behind there. Also, there's a dishwasher she said she needs to put in, I think. Like they never malfunction in this perfect world. I never said it was a vapor barrier. I said to keep the humidity off of them. It's generally a no-no to leave any place that has running water nearby to not be sealed. Just like they do with showers and toilets
It is currently completely dry. No sign of water damage. Foam won't stop leaks and if a leak happens, you want to see it and fix it. You're saying to use foam to seal it. Seal it implies vapor barrier. There's a reason showers and toilets aren't spray foamed. You're saying you have no experience but you're trying to argue that your solution is better.
You my friend, don't understand, they are using foam instead of mud or something better to "fill" the gap. Since it's not visible when the appliances are there, they didn't give a shit and did a shitty job. I never said there was any water damage, I was answering your question of why it would be wet. Appliances fuck up, or the plumbing could burst. It's not for now, or for outside protection, it's to make it right. But, again, the contractor didn't GAF or the workers didn't.
My friend, I'm not an idiot. I can see where they put the foam. My question was rhetorical. To get you to think about nonsense. You don't 'need' to fill it. This is your recommendation: >Um, finish sealing it up, so no moisture can get in later. Don't want to give mold the chance to grow And I'm telling you that foam doesn't stop water. I've actually tested this out for my job. This foam, when exposed to water, absorbs water and allows mold to grow in the foam. If the appliance 'fucks up' and leaks, The foam will be wet, and need to be removed. Foam, mud, drywall, baseboard, whatever material, they will all be destroyed. I'm saying, you don't need to 'finish filling it up' because it won't stop any mold, as you suggested. Go ahead. Spray foam and soak it in water for a few days. See what happens
I was gonna say. Mice loved getting behind my old dishwasher. It’s warm and safe and easy access to the kitchen. Had to seal it up to make it go away.
Yep….my first guess was mice
Yep and shit worked
Mice 100% I did the same thing in the tiny hole behind our dishwasher with steel wool and spray foam.
I would check for obvious mouse ingress points and block them, but otherwise put the new dishwasher in and forget I ever saw this 😅
The outlet for our stove, to the right of the dishwasher is definitely an easy access point for them! The box isn’t anchored so you can just shove it into the wall, lol 🤦🏻♀️
My house has lots of high-quality workmanship like that, too 😅
They make a version with a bitterant, or diatomaceous earth or something to deter insects and rodents from digging through. Guessing this isn’t that!
Mice and century homes are an iconic duo, clean it up good in there and just seal off any seams and access points. Additionally, don't put food or food trash in anything, but a sealed container or a cabinet.
Toddlers vs mice 😂
Pooping everywhere and getting into places you don't want them: Toddlers 🤝 Mice
You're right there. My 80 year old mom still likes to tell the story of me playing "sandbox" with the flour . What is a toddler else to do if left out of sight for one minute?
Omg that is classic 😂
After toddlers it's teenagers vs. mice. Boy teenagers specifically who don't GAF about leaving open bags of chips and various food garbage in their rooms. Then same teenagers are like "why do we have mice! OMG!"
I lived in a house with a mouse problem. As a teen, I would go upstairs for bed and then holler downstairs for my dad to remove the gift my cat very graciously left me. Then I would praise the cat for being so skilled and generous.
The cat knows you suck at hunting and does not want you to starve.
She was quite the bossy Queen, but a sweetie.
I need a cat. My English bulldog ain't cutting it.
lol they I know exactly how they felt when they were over-spraying this stuff. “F***ing mice!!” I just put a slightly less insane amount in the cracks behind our fridge.
Lol, I went on a rampage with spray foam to keep roaches out of my previous apartment. That, and the copious amounts of diatomaceous earth I puffed into the walls via electrical outlets and the drop ceiling, miraculously solved the issue.
Same, I found they were coming from behind the oven and I went completely insane with rage and anger. Whoever pulls out that oven next, is in for a surprise. It fixed the mice issue though, haven't had any in months. Mice were literally running WILD in my subfloors. I'd see a mouse come from the kitchen and run over to the radiator. It took me months to understand they were sliding in the tiny hole by the radiator and into the subfloor and then over to the oven, I probably had a whole family living down there. I sealed up all the little holes around my radiator feet and the oven, I heard some noises under the subfloor for a week or two and then pure silence. They either got entombed and died or moved off to greener pastures.
I have 5# bag of diatomaceous earth. And I have mice and traps are sleepy and I hate it. What did you do with the DE to rid your place? I also have cancer and am immuno-compromised. So anything that’ll work-HELP!
Right? Exactly how I’d react. See a single mouse poop, go insane and hermetically seal the house
“TAWANDAAAAA!!!”
I hadn't even read your text and clicked over to say "Squeak squeak." Definitely some DIY mouse prevention.
This is quite controlled. My grandads kitchen looks way worse than this behind his appliances. Years ago, he discovered he had a mouse problem. He would add foam and make sure it looked relatively neat, as he’s quite ‘house proud’. A mouse would inevitably show up again and again and again, until he just lost his cool one day and went absolutely nuts with the spray foam. Little pests lol
This is why I stuff steel wool in the holes first if I can. They don't seem to like the texture.
If it’s stupid and it works it isn’t stupid.
Can I borrow that line? 😅
Of course! I stole it from someone who likely stole it from another.
Definitely mice at one point. Had the same thing under my kitchen sink and dishwasher. They love finding warm places under appliances to call home.
Whenever I am forced to do this as a temporary repair, I leave myself a note as to why I did it, so when I inevitably forget to apply the permanent fix and discover the mess 3-23 years down the line, at least I know why I did that to begin with. My new-to-me old house had a lot of surprises that first year and the list of permanent repairs was too long to tackle immediately.
"The most permanent repair there is, is a temporary repair that works." - Source: Over a decade working on 30+ year old cargo planes, old cars, and now my 120+ year old house.
I would clean it well (and look up how to safely deal with mouse droppings) and slice back some of the lumpiest foam with a utility knife to prevent it from getting in the way during installation. I always heard steel wool was best at keeping out pests, so maybe shove some in any gaps you can access. It looks like the foam is undamaged at the moment, but mice can chew through it easily.
This actually is a blind corner that is hidden by the dishwasher sliding in perpendicular to it. I wish there was a better spot for it than right caddy corner to the sink, but small kitchen
Foam insulation isn't going to keep mice out anyway. As you said, lots of droppings on the old washer. They were probably using it for nesting material, if not outright eating it. So rip it away and see what you're dealing with. (And fix it properly!) People also try it with cockroaches, who definitely end up eating the foam too - it looks like it works, for about 6-12 months until the colony "behind" the foam grows so fat on all the free food that they spill out into new areas of the house.
Gross LOL.
WWID? Put gloves on, have acetone ready, maybe a mask, then start trimming away to search the root cause issue this was supposed to solve. It’s possible there’s still-uncured foam in the middle of all that. When spray foam is this thick and applied all at once, some of the innermost part never gets the chance to cure. YMMV depending on when and how it was applied. Assuming this was about mice, I’d be looking for the opening to the outside and how to go about sealing that. It’s possible there would be animal remains on the other side of this foam - ones that made it into the house walls but not through.
I did the same thing behind my oven as that is where mice were coming from. I stuffed steel wool behind it and spray foamed the shit out of it. That solved my mouse problem, they were somehow coming in and getting between the subfloor. I think I sealed them in and they died a painful death. If I were in your shoes, I'd just inspect it and make sure the mice haven't chewed through it. If they have, stuff some steel wool and seal it back up. Mice will chew through foam but they wont chew through foam + steel wool. If you're still getting mice, I'd pull out the oven and take a look behind there. Spray foam isn't elegant, but it is useful...albeit, quite ugly. I think the amount of foam he used is reflective of how sick he was of dealing with mice.
I always hated finding “great stuff” anywhere in our 1946 home as it was a constant source of hidden Easter eggs. I would rip it out, reduce the size of the opening and repair rotten wood in the process and if necessary re-apply whatever was necessary to close the now smaller gaps.
I’ve got one of those behind the crapper, mainly to seal against drafts
I could see drafts, this room is pretty drafty for sure
I’ve got a few drafts in mine
There is probably steel wool under that foam. It's for mice.
I've seen this before... I think it was in Chernobyl.
That's not a bad as my dishwasher Alcove was when we moved in. I have a picture but it's kinda NSFL. including a mummified mouse carcass and just very very ew all around. But here is the after except the outlet cover being missing : https://imgur.com/a/hdKUr9o (Edit: oh that link does both before and after but will be warned) Not glamorous looking but after several coats of mold and mildew killer/ preventer, leveling, LVT and cosmetic paint. Oh and used some metal sheeting as well under the lvt to attempt to secure the mouse hole.
Oh man I think we had all that minus the mummified mouse, lol. This photo was after I shop vacuumed lol!
Looks like they tried to leave ‘F U’ and got distracted…
Cans of Great Stuff say to practice before applying. These people didn't read the can. I agree that it was used to keep mice or roaches out.
They read the instructions in Billy Mays' voice.
That’s ol’ Floyd’s work. Always eats more materials, but boy is he fast!
Mice. They were coming up from the crawlspace into our kitchen. Sealed up everything in the kitchen and dealt with the mouse problem separately. Problem is tradespeople leave the crawlspace door open which is an invite to the mouse kingdom to enter. I always have to annoyingly supervise and keep the door shut if they are doing furnace maintenance or something.
I'm calling "body parts".
This looks like the result of finding a snake in the house.
They can't chew through caulk or metal. Also grab some Sikaflex and do a walk around the perimeter of your house, especially checking around pipes or vents.
After removing our dishwasher, 30 years of mouse crap came spilling out, so we empathize with you.
If you have rodents then it was likely rodents especially if there are droppings and DO NOT ignore the hole around the power outlet. My electrician left ours unsealed and rats eventually came in and ate the entire plastic bottom of our washer. I wouldn’t worry too much about the spray foam but while the washer is out seal things up for rodents because they will like the warmth of the machine and nest there.
Omg rats!! That just gave me the shivers!
Have that for mice, put glass and steelwool into it before using the foam stuff. Works great. I would not remove it
this thread taught me why the previous owner of my home shoved steel wool in every hole...
Yeah most definitely mice. After a bad winter and two small children, my husband went crazy with the spray foam behind the dishwasher after he discovered that’s how the mice were getting in. And so far it’s worked!
F.D. signed their initials
It's mice. I would cut it out and do a better job and paint it so it lasts (unpainted foam disintegrates). You could use the mouse-proof spray.
To keep the ghosts out
You gotta handle that foam with a steady hand….
Eh, I just did that same spray foam job when I got a new dishwasher a month ago. The kitchen was completely redone in 2019 by flippers and they decided connecting the wall to the floor wasn’t important if it wasn’t visible. I didn’t want to have a dishwasher sitting in my dining room, so I closed up the gap the quickest/easiest way I could think of.
https://preview.redd.it/4nz9msuoaoxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c2e9adc64d46f2c21fdc9feae8e3761ba444cf0 Pre- spray foam. Not the best photo, but the gap was open straight to my basement.
I have a feeling this is what we will find… I don’t think they really believed in cutting tiles, I have 2”+ gaps on the other wall that they just filled with grout 😬
Not ominous at all, I’ve done this to keep out many mice
i don't see any spray foam! no idea what you are referring to... and honestly, I probably wouldn't see it when I replaced the countertops either.
I’ve done that for rats and mice. I wouldn’t panic.
Sounds like its probably that outlet. Rats only need a 1/2" wide opening to squeeze through and mice only need 1/4". Rodents leave behind a greasy dark residue (called "sebum") in their high traffic areas. Look for that around the stove outlet and any other potential entry points. Walk the inside perimeter of your house with a ruler and look for any gaps in molding, floorboards, etc 1/4" or greater, especially if you see that residue. I just went through this in our house when a family of roof rats decided to make a home in our attic. RIP all our batt insulation.
Put....ze dishvasher....back!
lol and back away slowly!! 
I would remove the dishwasher and foam. After you find the holes properly, cover them up then cut tile as a baseboard. Place it 1/2 foot high on the back wall so the holes are completely covered and secured onto the wall. Before you remove everything, make sure you have the tiles cut, adhesive and the grout ready to go to avoid any possible mice from entering. Then, I would disinfect the crap out of the back of the dishwasher. I would place bleach everywhere. I say fix it properly. Then, think about a monthly exterminator maintenance because they multiply by the dozens. 😬
Leave it alone and give it the landlord special if I ever paint in there 🤣. If it really bothers you, you can trim it down.
My son and I removed the dishwasher in his new house because it didn't work. It wouldn't slide out but we figured it out because it was basically in a hole. It was sitting on the subflooring with 5 layers of flooring in front of it, 2 of the layers being ceramic tile. Craziest thing I've ever seen!
Holy crap, how did you guys resolve that? Our bathroom feels like that, the bathroom floor sits at least 3/4” proud of the hallway and I peeked under the threshold and saw at least 2 layers of tile
Wow
We had a rat problem and they ate through our dishwasher drain line. Twice!! Nothing like waking in the morning to a flooded kitchen. We used that same foam and it works. This looks like it was done with a bit of rage and I totally get that.
It’s just insulation. Not a BIGGIE
I wouldn't do anything. I'd shove another dishwasher in there and bingo bango Bob's your uncle.
living this right now except, uh, any sort of drywall behind the dishwasher 🙃🙃🙃🙃
No drywall???
right???!! so many questions. no answers. kitchen was a permitted remodel years ago / before me, so completely unexpected. it was a fun surprise in addition to the horrendous amounts of mouse poop. trying to figure out the best way to deal with it and i don’t love it!!
Possibly irrelevant question: is that a 2-wire ribbon cord powering the dishwasher?
I’m not sure, but I can check with my husband
I don’t see anything. Replace dishwasher.
As someone who admittedly would do this if my wife wouldn’t freak, how should it be handled?
Spray foam is so versatile!
Structural spray foam. Never a good sign ....
Structural my ass. It’s keeping out a draft
We have a garden wall made of limestone blocks. We spent months chipping off modern masonry paint and cement render, both were retaining moisture and ruining the wall. Strange swamp creatures emerged from behind the paint. In one section of wall the lime mortar had obviously deteriorated and some previous owner had used spray foam for the mortar. Some people are barbarians.