Have you detected a few chewed-up yummies in your kitchen or a strange hole in your living room couch? It looks like mice have invaded your home. Naturally, if these furry troublemakers eat your food, they poop on your floors. Alas! You should take mouse feces seriously. Why? Because rodent infestation is a potential danger to you. In this piece, you’ll learn how to clean mice droppings the smartest way possible and find answers to most of your questions related to the topic. What do mice stools look like? How big is mouse poop? Is mouse poop dangerous? How to eliminate it in the safest way possible? Keep reading for answers.
- Put on protective clothing.
- Apply disinfectant onto mouse waste.
- Pick up the stuff with a paper towel.
- Put it inside a plastic bag and then throw it into the trash bin.
- Shampoo the affected surfaces.
- Throw out your defensive gear.
- Wash yourself properly when you finish.
- Organize proper room ventilation.
The Complete Guide to Cleaning Mouse Poop
While finding rat or mouse waste where you and your kids live is not a life-threatening event, it can still become health-threatening. Did you know that rodents transmit an array of diseases to people? Yep, that’s a long-proven fact. Leptospirosis, rat-bite fever, and salmonellosis are among them. With that said, always wear specific gloves when handling rodents or their waste. Remove your hands from your face or ears after dealing with mouse waste. And don’t neglect washing your hands when you’re done.
What Do Mouse Droppings Look Like?
Are there tiny, grain-of-rice-like pellets with pointed edges along the edges of your kitchen counter or in the corner of your garage? Mouse poop measures up to ½ an inch in length and is spindle-shaped. It’s either blackish brown or grayish, depending on what ‘your’ rodent invaders eat and — yuck! — whether you’re dealing with fresh or old mouse poop.
What looks like mouse poop but isn’t mouse poop? Rat waste! Are you wondering about the main distinction between these two rodents’ feces? The former rodent’s feces is significantly larger than the latter one’s. There’s a distinction in terms of texture, as well. Mice body waste is crunchy, while rat poop has a shiny and soft disposition. Charming, isn’t it? So, let’s say you have identified mouse feces where you live or work. Now, what to do when you find mice droppings? Stay tuned to get more details.
What to Do If You Find Mouse Droppings
Mouse waste is something you don’t want to find anywhere near you unless you’re planning to get a pet rat, of course. However, these things happen, and being prepared is a must. You may have discovered mouse or rat excrement in your dwelling before. If you did, feel free to let us know about your course of action in the comments below. If you merely swept them away or vacuumed them, you made the wrong choice.
The thing is, mice are disease transmitters. Therefore, if you breathe in the dust with particles of mice waste or urine, your chances of poisoning or catching a hazardous disease increase significantly. Below, we’ll dwell upon what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to removing mouse waste from your home.
What to Do:
- contact your local rodent control company;
- put on protective clothes and find a multi-purpose household disinfectant;
- apply it where mouse waste is;
- shampoo the affected surfaces and areas;
- wash anything that has been affected by mouse waste;
- wash your shielding apparel;
- wash your ungloved hands extremely thoroughly;
- have proper room ventilation: this will aid you in eliminating potentially contaminated particles in the air.
What NOT to Do:
- touch mouse waste with your bare hands: did that even occur to you?
- vacuum or sweep up mouse feces: this may push the disease that ‘your’ mice transmit into the air that you and your loved ones breathe;
- store the apparel utilized to dispose of mouse waste: throw it all away instead;
- ignore the symptoms of rodent-spread diseases such as hantavirus: high temperature, headache, nausea, and coughing.
Vacuuming Mouse Droppings: A Definite NO
We’ve already mentioned that you are free to engage in cleaning and disinfecting the spaces that have been contaminated by mouse waste. However, sweeping and vacuuming is something you should avoid doing at all costs. Instead, gently pick up the feces you’ve disinfected using a paper towel and throw them out after previously placing them in a plastic bag. Keep on spraying and wiping down the affected spots.
How to Clean Mouse Droppings From Carpet
The answer depends on the amount of waste you come across. If you need to eradicate several droppings:
- Use an adhesive cardboard pad and paper towels to remove them.
- When you’re done, don’t forget to dispose of those touch-the-poop items and the droppings themselves.
- At the final stages of your carpet cleaning endeavor, shampoo the surfaces with a reliable, carpet-friendly disinfectant.
How to Clean Rodent Droppings from Hardwood Floors
In this case, the procedure requires similar items: a sticky pad or a wet paper towel. Before utilizing a disinfectant, make sure that the label says it’s wood-friendly. If you need to remove mouse urine from wooden surfaces, opt for either an enzymatic cleaner or white vinegar. Apply either of the solutions to the affected spots of the wooden floors. Then scrub them into the surface with a good scrub brush.
How to Clean Mouse Droppings From Clothing
Eradicate mouse waste from your clothing with sticky pads or paper towels. Then throw them away into several plastic bags. Wash the affected clothes in hot water. Take off your protective apparel, dispose of it, and wash yourself properly. That’s how you remove rodent urine from clothing, as well.
How to Clean Mouse Droppings From Bedding
In case you’ve detected mouse poop on your bedding or even your kiddo’s favorite Teddy Bear toy, wash the affected item in hot water using your preferred laundry detergent. Wear your sturdy anti-germ gloves when approaching the issue, and program your dryer to a minimum temperature of 113°F to kill the hantaviruses.
How to Clean Mouse Waste From Books or Paper Docs
As for contaminated books or essential paper files, wipe the feces off using a cloth and disinfectant. After that, leave the previously contaminated paper items in direct sunlight for a day. You’ve probably already guessed why you must do the latter: prevent hantaviruses from remaining active on the affected surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions left on handling rodent waste? You’re welcome to explore our answers to your most frequently asked questions below. You’ll likely find everything you’re interested in there.
What Do You Do if You Find Mouse Droppings?
You have two options. First, turn to professional help. Second, remove the stuff on your own. If you opt for the latter option, make sure you follow the steps above to make sure you’re doing everything in the smartest way possible.
Does Hantavirus Live in Old Droppings?
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, often shortened to HPS, is another hazardous disease spread by mice to people. The virus dies relatively fast when outside of its host: in about seven days outdoors and a few hours in the sun. So basically, no, hantavirus doesn’t live in old rodent waste.
What Happens if You Breathe in Mouse Poop?
Piles of mouse poop spread bacteria, poison your pet’s food sources, and cause allergies in people. When the feces dries, it can become potentially poisonous to people who breathe it in. So, getting rid of this filthy stuff should be among your utmost priorities.
Conclusion: Target the Poopers
When it comes to eradicating the mouse waste problem, your best bet is to target the source. The logic is simple: no mice means no poop. With all that said, if you’re on the prowl for the most hassle-free and time-saving way to eliminate rodent waste, order professional rodent control company services. It will solve your problem in the fastest and most effective way possible.
So, do you have anything to add to the topic of this post? Have your say in the comment section below and get the discussion started. We appreciate your feedback immensely.
Also read:
- The Different Stages of Termite Life Cycle
- The Importance of Understanding Termite Feeding Habits for Effective Control
- What Do Termites Eat? Understanding a Termite’s Diet is Key to Effective Termite Control
- Exploring the Diet of Subterranean Termites
- The Complete Guide to Understanding the Termite Life Cycle
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