When cleaning areas that have been infested by mice, it is of utmost importance that all the necessary precautions be taken. Before any
cleaning can commence, one should start by trapping all the mice and sealing all the entryways. This is in an effort to ensure that no
more mice will get in. The trapping phase should be allotted enough time so as to make sure that all mice have been eliminated.
Ventilation
The very first step of cleanup is ventilation. You should open up the windows and the doors leading to the attic if any. You need to allow
enough fresh air into the attic. Cross ventilation is the most preferable option, and during the ventilation phase, you should vacate the
attic.
The cleaning
Mice feces are very sensitive as they may have dangerous parasites and diseases which can be very harmful to us humans. You should be very careful
not to stir up the dust by vacuuming the urine, nesting materials and feces. As a safety measure, you need to use vinyl, latex or rubber gloves when
handling the feces. This greatly reduces your chances of catching any of the diseases that are associated with the mice feces. There are other mice
diseases that can be transmitted through breathing in the fecal dust. To this end, you should wear a face mask.
The cleaning process should start off by spraying the feces and the urine with a mixture of water and bleach. You should then leave the feces to soak
for around five minutes. One part of bleach and ten parts of water is the recommended solution. If you choose a disinfectant acquired commercially, you
need to follow all the instructions that are laid out by the manufacturer. When you are picking up the feces and the urine, a paper towel should be used.
This should then be disposed into the garbage. Even with the feces no longer present, make sure that you disinfect all other items that could have possibly
been contaminated by the mice via urine and droppings.
Dealing with the whole attic
The next very important thing to do is to clean up the whole attic and then disinfect it. The floors need to be mopped. You should then disinfect it using
the bleach solution or a reliable disinfectant. If there are carpets or any kind of furniture in the attic, it is important to shampoo or steam clean them,
especially if there is some evidence that they were exposed to the mice.
If there is any kind of clothing or bedding within the attic, they need to be washed using detergent. Hot water is also highly recommended if the above has been
exposed to the mice feces or urine. After the cleaning has been concluded successfully, you need to remove the gloves and then wash your hands well using water
and soap. You can also use an alcohol based kind of hand rub only when there is no soap and your hands haven’t been soiled.
Go back to the
How to get rid of mice in the attic home page. You might also want to read about
how to kill mice and why the use
of snap traps is better than
mouse poison. Read an analysis of the different types of traps and how to use them on the
how to trap mice page.
Learn why
bait is not as important as trap type, placement and location. Also read a full analysis of
mouse repellent to understand why it
never works. If you see droppings and want to identify them, read the
mouse poop page. If you need to hire professional help, read about
how much does mouse removal cost?
or you can read this site to learn how to do it yourself. Feel free to email me about How do I clean house mouse feces out of my attic?
