It’s safe to say that nobody eagerly anticipates the sight of animal poop around their home. It’s unpleasant, and it may be your initial instinct to sweep up the droppings and get rid of them as soon as possible. But stop, take a moment and ask yourself – where did this poop come from? If it’s from a rodent like a rat or mouse, improperly disposing of their waste can potentially result in the spread of serious illnesses. If you know what to look for, you can dispose of these rat or mouse droppings in a way that’s safer for everyone. And if you need to remove rodents from the home and keep more from coming back, you can count on Terminix Anderson Pest Control.
Mouse vs Rat Droppings
How can you tell the difference between mouse and rat poop? The main indicator is size: mouse poop is pointed and roughly 1/4″ long, while rat poop can be 1/2″ or greater. Rat droppings are rounded and tapered at the ends, like a raisin or coffee bean, and mouse droppings are shaped more akin to a grain of rice.
Location is another indicator in determining the kind of rodent that may be infesting your home. Mice tend to stick to one particular location to use as a “toilet” of sorts. Compare this to rats, that will defecate anywhere and everywhere that the urge strikes them.
Regardless of whether it’s rats or mice, rodent poop in your home is not something that should be ignored. At the same time, you also need to handle clean-up and disposal very carefully. If the rodent is infected with Hantavirus, a severe respiratory illness, it can be passed via their poop. If you sweep or vacuum the droppings, you could release the virus into the air and run the risk of exposure. So how should you clean mouse poop or rat poop?
How to Clean Mouse Poop
To properly sanitize and dispose of rodent droppings, you’ll first need to don a pair of rubber or plastic gloves. Spray the area, urine and feces, with a bleach solution and let it rest for about five minutes. Then wipe everything up with a paper towel and throw it away in a bin that gets emptied on a regular basis. From that point on you should mop or sponge the area with a disinfectant, and after that you can wash your gloves before taking them off and thoroughly washing your hands.
Cleaning mouse and rat poop will limit the spread of sickness and parasites around your property, but if you’ve found rodent droppings you need to do more than that. Rat poop isn’t rat poop without a rat nearby to make it. If you’ve found multiple piles of droppings around the house it likely means that you have a rodent infestation of some kind. If you just clean and do nothing else, the rodent infestation in your home will continue and grow in intensity.
The Consequences of Rat and Mouse Droppings
Consider rodent poop to be a rather smelly warning flag of an infestation you might not have otherwise been able to notice. Rats and mice like to nest in undisturbed parts of your home, like in attics, garages and wall voids. You might hear them scratching and chittering as they move about, and if you let them roam uninhibited, they can cause structural damage. They may tunnel through insulation or chew on wires, which could cause a potential electrical fire. And whatever you have stored in the area near their nest could soon be soiled and damaged beyond repair. So, if you find rodent droppings in your home you need more than bleach and gloves – you need the contact of a quality pest control company like Terminix Anderson Pest Control Solutions.
Rodent Control from Terminix Anderson
For homes in Illinois and Indiana, you need more than a one-off pest treatment. You should aim for full-service removal and exclusion, the kind of service that gets pests out and keeps them out. At Terminix Anderson Pest Control Solutions we offer comprehensive rodent extermination that covers all the major rodent species in the area. With our help, you can rest easy knowing all the little gaps and cracks around your home are thoroughly sealed to keep out all kinds of pests. So if you’re done with piles of droppings, cut them off at the source with Terminix Anderson. Contact us today to get started!
