West Africa Journal

I filled the clothes dryer with towels and pushed the on button. The drum began to turn then, with a thump, it stopped moving. I shut it off and unplugged it. For half the year, in dry season, the clothes dry faster hanging outside on the clothesline. It was now the midst of the rains during which time it rains day and night and clothes and especially towels will mould before they dry. This is the only time we use the clothes dryer so I thought the belt that turns the drum was probably dried out and broke when I turned it on. I took the towels back out and decided I would take the dryer apart when I had time.

A couple of days later I scolded Brima, my housekeeper, for not taking out the garbage. I told him I could smell it all over the house. He was greatly offended and assured me that he had not slacked off in his duties. Then we both looked at each other and said the dryer! (me)’’’ that machine! (Brima)’

He helped me carry the clothes dryer outside so I could take it apart. Right away I noticed the air vent was plugged with plastic bags. I pulled them out, to discover the entire vent was blocked and as I pulled out papers and bags and even rags, the stench became so bad that I gagged.

Salma, our oldest girl, came by just then to see if she could help. She pulled on rubber gloves and we took turns reaching down into the air vent which was blocked solid. We also took turns gagging from the horrible smell. Finally she pulled out a handful of bits of paper and plastic that included 5 slimy, bloated, baby rats. We were relieved to find the source of the bad smell. Thinking we were done, I tried to spin the drum of the dryer but found it still wouldn’t move. I reached as far as I could into the vent and felt another shape. I tugged on it and saw the belt of the dryer try to move. I tugged harder and part of a very large rat came away in my hand. The partial body, along with the smell, succeeded in making me vomit. Brima took pity on me and said he would help while Salma moved a good distance away, trying to get a breath. I turned the drum back and forth while Brima tugged on the rat until we finally got the entire body out. It appeared that when I turned on the dryer, the mommy rat got caught in the mechanism that turns the drum. Unable to free herself, she died there, the babies probably dying shortly after from starvation.

The smell of dead animal was so overpowering that even bleach would not take the scent away so I decided to leave the dryer outside for a few days to air out. I then tried again to dry some clothes but as soon as the machine heated up, the stench became overpowering again with the clean clothes absorbing it.

I put an old sheet inside it and let it heat for awhile until the smell was gone (a couple hours). Kids that came up to the house said Mummy Judy, what is that awful smell? It is like dead rat! ‘ Ït is’, I told them,’ 6 of them!’ The kids looked at each other in bewilderment and then back at me and said, ‘But Mummy Judy, why are you drying rats??!”

Filed under: Uncategorized on November 2nd, 2009