Tips for Safe Cleanup After Rodents

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Rodents are known to carry a wide variety of infectious viruses. Since the beginning of the 20th century, rodents have spawned infections that have taken the lives of more than 10 million people. Any time you think you may have a rodent problem, it’s important to contact a rodent control specialist. The sooner you have the issue addressed, the easier it is to get rid of the problem.

Getting rid of the problem as quickly as possible is essential to your health and safety when rodents are involved. Remember learning about the Black Plague that killed more than 200 million people in Europe? It was a rodent-borne disease that resulted in a plague that spread at a rapid rate due to fleas on rats.

There are a number of rodent-spawned diseases that are known to be very infectious to humans, including:

  • Lyme disease
  • Hantavirus
  • Typhus
  • Salmonella

You should never attempt to treat a rodent infestation yourself but rodent cleanup is crucial to your health. When cleaning up any type of rodent infestation, you should always wear the right type of protective gear and use a proper disinfectant system. Here’s a close look at helpful tips you can use during a rodent infestation cleanup process.

Supplies You’ll Need for Rodent Cleanup

Some of the most important supplies that you’ll need while performing rodent infestation cleanup are:

  • Latex or rubber gloves
  • Paper towels
  • Plastic garbage bags
  • Disinfectant
  • Rodent traps/killer
  • Spray bottle

Always Make Sure the Rodents Are Gone

You first have to make sure the rodents are gone before you can start the cleanup process. No matter the type of rodent, there will be some type of rodent trap you can use to get rid of them. Take mice, for example. In this case, you will use mouse traps. If you have a flea infestation, you will use some type of flea killer. It’s important to check your traps daily, disposing of any rodents you catch, and then resetting the traps.

Wait a Week Before Cleaning

Once the rodents have been completely gone for a week, you can then start the actual cleanup process. It’s important to make sure a week passes in time as this helps ensure any rodent droppings are no longer infectious.

Ventilate the Infested Area

If possible, open any windows in the areas of the house or building where there was a rodent infestation. Keeping the areas well ventilated is important because it reduces the chances of breathing in an infectious disease carried by rodents. Before opening windows in these areas, however, make sure it is not windy outside. You don’t want any of the rodent infestation evidence getting blown around. If it does blow, this can expose you to the very pathogens you’re trying to remove.

Moisten Infestation Evidence

To keep the rodent infestation evidence from blowing around, you’ll want to moisten it with a mixture of 90% water and 10% bleach. Let it sit for five minutes, and then and only when wearing gloves, you can wipe up the areas you moistened and open the windows.

Heavily Disinfect All Infested Areas

Even though you’ve wiped up all rodent droppings, you still need to go back over the infested areas and spray disinfectant spray on them again. Any areas you think the rodents traveled throughout the house or building need to be sprayed with disinfectant as well.

Cleaning Various Parts of the Home

You may have noticed different areas in your home marked by critters. If you notice streaks or rodent prints in the kitchen, make sure to scrub them away. In the bedroom, you may notice rodent nibblings on bedsheets. If so, it’s important to machine-wash them. Carpets or upholstery marked by critters should be steam-cleaned. If you’re performing rodent cleanup and control in an attic or basement, it’s all the more important to make sure the areas are well-ventilated. Any boxes or storage containers that may have been infested should be sat out in the sun for several hours to allow the UV rays to kill any bacteria or viruses. Any cardboard contaminated or touched by the rodents should be thrown away.

For professional help to ensure you get the job done right and get it done safely, give us a call today.