This article was co-authored by James Sears. James Sears leads the customer happiness team at Neatly, a group of cleaning gurus based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. James and the team have nine years of experience and offer green cleaning, interior and exterior window washing, and general apartment cleaning services. He provides transformative cleaning experiences by reducing clutter and renewing your home environment. James is a Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California.
There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 94% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.
This article has been viewed 71,988 times.
If you find rat droppings in your home, you must clean them immediately. Rat droppings can carry deadly diseases, like the hantavirus, which humans can contract by breathing it in from rat droppings, urine, and saliva. Before cleaning, be sure that you have trapped any rats in your home and prevented their re-entry. Next, carefully clean and disinfect the areas where you have found their droppings. For very serious infestations, call in professional help.[1]
Steps
Removing Rat Droppings
-
1Ventilate the space where you will clean. Open the doors and windows of the area where you need to clean the droppings. Ventilate this space for at least 30 minutes before you begin cleaning. If you are dealing with a very large number of droppings, wear a face mask or ventilator while cleaning.[2]
- Consider wearing an eye mask when cleaning after large infestations of rats.
-
2Don’t sweep or vacuum up rat droppings. This will release any pathogens into the air and can also trap pathogens in your vacuum or on your broom. Instead, only clean up the droppings with a commercial disinfectant or a 10% chlorine bleach solution. Use paper towels to pick up droppings soaked in this solution.Advertisement
-
3
-
4Spray the solution on the droppings. Put on rubber or latex gloves that you can dispose of or wash in very hot water. Spray the droppings with the bleach solution until they are saturated. Let the solution soak into the droppings for about five minutes.[5]
-
5Pick up the droppings with a paper towel. Next, put the paper towel in a plastic bag and secure the bag. Put the plastic bag with the droppings in a covered trash can that is emptied frequently. Ideally take the plastic bag to a trash receptacle outside your home.[6]
-
6Clean the insulation in your attic. Rats often nest in attics. Remove the droppings in the attic as described above. Use this technique on any hard surfaces and in the insulation. Remove any insulation that has a large number of rat droppings, especially if these droppings are below the top surface of the insulation. Put heavily soiled insulation in a plastic bag and dispose of it immediately.[7]
- You’ll have to replace the insulation.
Cleaning Up After Removing the Droppings
-
1Wipe all floors and surfaces. Mop the floors where you’ve removed the droppings and wipe down counters with the 10% chlorine bleach solution. Use a paper towel to wipe surfaces. If bleach will ruin your floor or counters, spray the floor or counters with 3% hydrogen peroxide.[8]
-
2Follow up with vinegar. After mopping and wiping the counters, spray pure white vinegar on the hydrogen peroxide and wipe the floors and counters clean. Next, soak your mop in commercial disinfectant or the 10% chlorine bleach solution and rinse it in hot water. Immediately dispose of all paper towels you used to wipe surfaces and dispose of your plastic or latex gloves. Alternatively, wash your gloves thoroughly with soap and hot water.
-
3Wash your furniture and clothing. Steam clean or shampoo any furniture that had droppings on it. Put any clothing you wore to clean the rat droppings in a washing machine and clean them with laundry detergent and hot water. Put the shoes you wore to clean the droppings in the washing machine with your clothes.[9]
- Hand wash clothing or shoes that can’t go in the washing machine. Use hot water and laundry detergent to clean them.
-
4Wash your hands. Use hot water and a disinfecting hand soap to clean your hands. Scrub them thoroughly, including under your nails and around your wrists. Don’t rely on alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands.[10]
Ridding Your Home of Rats
-
1Trap the rats. Use industrial strength traps to remove the rats from your home. Avoid poisons, because the rats might die in walls or other hard to reach areas where you won’t find them. Continue trapping rats for a week or until you no longer have any rodents.[11]
-
2Remove dead rats. Wear rubber or latex gloves. Spray the dead rat with a disinfectant or a combination of one part bleach and ten parts hot water. Allow this to remain on the dead rat for five minutes.[12]
-
3Scoop up the dead rat with a paper towel. Seal the rat with the paper towel in a plastic bag. For safety, put this bag in a second bag. Dispose of the rat in a covered garbage receptacle that is emptied regularly.
-
4Clean up after rat removal. Spray the area of your floor where the rat was with a solution of 1.5 cups (360 mL) of chlorine bleach and one gallon (5.678 L) of hot water. Wipe the floor down thoroughly with a paper towel and dispose of the paper towel immediately. Also dispose of the gloves you wear for cleaning up the rat and the floor or wash them well in soap and hot water.[13]
- Carefully wash your hands with plenty of disinfecting soap and hot water.
Community Q&A
-
QuestionWill the bacteria die in the heat?
Community AnswerDefinitely not! The area will need to be cleaned properly. Bleach and disinfectant are a must.
References
- ↑ southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/health-topics/hantavirus.php
- ↑ www.aschq.army.mil/.../ASC%20Hantavirus%20Procedures%20(Encl%201). pdf
- ↑ James Sears. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 12 September 2020.
- ↑ http://texashelp.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hantavirus.pdf
- ↑ James Sears. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 12 September 2020.
- ↑ James Sears. House Cleaning Professional. Expert Interview. 12 September 2020.
- ↑ http://www.attic-rat.com/decontamination.html
- ↑ http://commonsensehome.com/get-rid-of-mice/
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/
About This Article
Rat droppings can carry deadly diseases, so it’s important that you clean them up immediately. Before you start cleaning, open up the doors or windows so you avoid breathing in any airborne diseases. You might also want to wear a face mask or ventilator as you clean. Don’t sweep or vacuum up the rat droppings, as this can release more pathogens into the air. Instead, make a solution of 1 ½ cups chlorine bleach and 1 gallon of hot water, which will kill any bacteria. Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands and spray the solution onto the rat droppings. Let the solution sit for about 5 minutes, then clean up the droppings with a paper towel. To learn how to get rid of rats from your home, read on.
