If you find rat droppings in the house, then it should be removed immediately. Rats are carriers of many diseases, including fatal ones. For example, a person can become infected with hantavirus by inhaling the virus from rat droppings, urine, or saliva. Before removing the droppings, be sure to take care to catch all the rats in the house and prevent them from reappearing. Then, carefully clean up and disinfect the areas where the droppings were found. In the event of a serious rat infestation, seek professional help.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Clean up rat droppings
Step 1. Ventilate the area to be cleaned
Open doors and windows in the room where you want to remove the droppings. Before starting cleaning, be sure to ventilate the room for at least half an hour. If there is a lot of litter in the room, then clean with a medical face mask or respirator.
It is best to wear protective goggles when cleaning large accumulations of droppings
Step 2. Do not sweep or vacuum rat droppings
This will only lead to the fact that pathogens are in the air, as well as on the broom and inside the vacuum cleaner. Use only commercially available disinfectants or 10% chlorine bleach to remove droppings. Collect the droppings with paper towels soaked in this solution.
Step 3. Prepare a 10% chlorine solution
Mix one and a half cups (360 ml) of chlorine bleach with 4 liters of hot water. Wear a medical mask or respirator to protect your throat and lungs. Pour the solution into a spray bottle.
Step 4. Spray the droppings with chlorine solution
Wear rubber or latex gloves that you don't mind throwing away or that can be washed in hot water. Spray the droppings liberally with chlorine solution. Wait about five minutes for the droppings to absorb the solution.
Step 5. Collect the droppings with paper towels
Then put a paper towel in a plastic bag and close it. Throw the bag of droppings into a lidded bin that is emptied regularly. Ideally, the bag should be thrown into the trash can outside the house.
Step 6. Clean the insulation in the attic
Rats often live in attics. Remove the droppings in the attic using the method already mentioned. Use it to clean up droppings on all hard surfaces and insulating material. Remove insulating material that has been found to have a lot of debris, especially if it is located below the surface of the insulation. Place the damaged insulation in a plastic bag and discard it immediately.
Replace insulation material
Part 2 of 3: Clean Up After Removing the Litter
Step 1. Wipe down all floors and surfaces
Wipe the floors with a mop where the droppings were, and wipe the shelves with 10% chlorine solution. Dry the surfaces with paper towels. If you're worried that bleach might ruin your floor or shelves, spray it with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.
Step 2. Wipe the floor and shelves with vinegar
Spray the peroxide with clean white vinegar and wipe floors and shelves clean. Then soak the mop in a commercially available disinfectant or 10% chlorine solution and rinse with hot water. After that, immediately dispose of all used paper towels and don't forget to throw away your rubber or latex gloves. Gloves can also be washed thoroughly in hot water and soap.
Step 3. Clean furniture and wash clothes
Furniture that has been littered should be steam cleaned or washed with shampoo. Place all work clothes in the washing machine and wash with detergent and hot water. Place the shoes you used to remove the droppings in the washing machine along with your clothes.
Hand wash clothes and shoes that are not machine washable. Wash them in hot water and detergent
Step 4. Wash your hands
Lather your hands with hand sanitizer soap and wash them under hot water. Rub the soap thoroughly and remember to brush under your nails and around your wrists. Do not rely on an alcohol-based hand rub.
Part 3 of 3: Get Rid of the Rats
Step 1. Capture the rats
Get rid of rats with industrial traps. Do not use poison, as rats can die in walls or other hard-to-reach places where you will no longer find them. Continue setting traps for a week or until you have caught all the rodents.
Step 2. Remove dead rats
Wear rubber or latex gloves. Spray a dead rat with disinfectant or a 1:10 mixture of bleach and water. Let the solution sit on the dead rat for five minutes.
Step 3. Remove the dead rat with a paper towel
Wrap the rat in a paper towel, put it in a plastic bag and close it. For security, put this package in another package. Throw the rat into a trash bin that is emptied regularly.
Step 4. Clean up after yourself
Spray the floor where the rat was with chlorine solution. To do this, mix one and a half cups (360 ml) of chlorine bleach with 4 liters of hot water. Dry the floor thoroughly with paper towels, then dispose of them immediately. Also, throw away the gloves you used to throw out the rat and mop the floor, or wash them in hot, soapy water.