Rodent Droppings Cleanup in Jacksonville, FL

Why droppings need careful cleanup

CDC says diseases mostly spread to people from rodents when they breathe in contaminated air, and it tells people not to sweep or vacuum rodent urine, droppings or nesting material. Sweeping kicks dust into the air. The CDC method is to air out the space, wear gloves, soak the droppings with a disinfectant or a bleach solution, wait, then wipe them up with paper towels and bag them.

That is manageable for a few droppings under the sink. It gets harder when droppings are spread through a pantry, behind the fridge, across the garage shelves, in a closet full of stored clothes or across a shed. That is when people call for help.

This service focuses on living and storage areas. For attics and crawl spaces with soiled insulation, see attic and crawl space cleanup. Cleanup works best after the rodents are trapped out and the gaps sealed, so you aren't cleaning the same spots again next month.

What a thorough job includes

A thorough droppings cleanup includes:

• Airing out the space before work starts
• Gloves, respirators and protective clothing for the technician
• Soaking droppings, urine stains and nests with disinfectant before removal
• Wiping and bagging droppings and nest material, never sweeping or vacuuming dry
• Disinfecting counters, shelves, floors and the insides of cabinets and drawers
• Advice on which stored items to throw out, such as chewed food packages and soiled fabric
• Notes on any entry points found during cleanup

Step by step

1. Confirm the rodents are gone or being trapped, and the entry points are sealed or scheduled.
2. The technician airs out the space and suits up.
3. Droppings and urine are sprayed with disinfectant and left to soak for the label contact time.
4. Everything is wiped up, bagged and removed.
5. Surfaces are disinfected again, and soft goods are set aside for washing or disposal.
6. You get a list of any damage or entry points found.

Where Jacksonville homes need it most

Garages are the big one. Many Jacksonville homes use the garage as storage, with boxes on the floor, a second fridge, pet food and lawn supplies. Mice and rats move into that clutter, and droppings end up on every shelf. Cleanup often comes with advice to move things into sealed plastic bins and off the floor.

Kitchens come next, especially the space under the dishwasher and behind the range, and pantries with open bags of rice, cereal or pet food.

Sheds and outbuildings get rodent activity too, especially on wooded lots in Mandarin, Fruit Cove and Arlington. Sheds tend to be closed up, so CDC's advice to air the building out for 30 minutes before cleaning matters there.

Humidity adds a twist. Droppings and urine in a damp garage or shed can lead to mildew on stored items, so cleanup sometimes turns up more damage than expected.

What to keep and what to throw out

Cleanup often means deciding what can be saved. Here is how most technicians and CDC's guidance sort it out.

Hard items such as glass jars, metal cans, plastic bins and dishes can be disinfected and kept. Wash dishes and utensils in hot, soapy water after disinfecting the outside of the cabinet or drawer.

Food in chewed bags, boxes or wrappers should go in the trash. So should open bags of pet food or birdseed that have droppings in them.

Fabric that can be washed, like towels, bedding and clothing, can go through a hot wash with detergent. CDC's hantavirus guidance recommends washing potentially contaminated bedding and clothing in hot water. Rugs and upholstery can be shampooed or steam-cleaned.

Cardboard boxes with droppings or urine stains are usually not worth saving. Move the contents into plastic bins with lids, which also keeps the next mouse out.

Droppings Cleanup and Sanitizing questions

Related reading

• Attic and Crawl Space Cleanup
• Mouse Control
• Exclusion and Sealing
• Mouse droppings identification
• Rat droppings identification
• Rodent diseases in Florida