The CDC offers three easy-to-recall steps on hantavirus, namely seal up, trap up and clean up. Seal the gaps rodents use, trap the ones already inside and clean droppings with a wet method that keeps dust down. This guide describes each step for a home in Katy, TX.
Step one: seal up.
The best protection is a house rodents cannot enter. A mouse needs a gap about as wide as a ballpoint pen, so the list of places to check is long.
- Corners of the garage door and its bottom seal.
- Vent covers, dryer vents and soffit screens.
- Openings around pipes, cables and gas lines.
- Foundation vents and crawl space screens.
- Doors and windows that do not close fully.
Use metal, steel mesh and sealant. Foam alone is chewed through. Our exclusion page describes the materials.
Step two: trap up.
If animals are already inside, trap them. Snap traps along walls work for mice, and larger traps or stations for rats. Poison can send animals into walls to die, where they smell and can be hard to reach.
Check traps often, wear gloves when handling them and wash your hands afterward. We describe how we place traps on our trapping page.
Step three: clean up.
This is where care matters. Per the CDC, a closed space should be aired for roughly thirty minutes first. Then you put on gloves, drench droppings and nests in disinfectant, let it work for around five minutes and blot with paper towels, sealing it all in a bag.
| Do. | Do not. | Why. |
|---|---|---|
| Ventilate for about thirty minutes. | Walk into a sealed space and start sweeping. | Stale air may hold fine dust. |
| Wear rubber gloves. | Touch droppings with bare hands. | Germs are too small to see. |
| Wet with disinfectant and wait. | Dry-sweep or vacuum. | Dry methods raise dust. |
| Bag and tie waste. | Leave debris in an open bin. | Contains the waste. |
| Wash hands well. | Skip the wash because gloves were worn. | Gloves can carry germs. |
Where risk is higher.
Spaces that have been closed for a while are the main concern: garages, sheds, crawl spaces, attics and stored vehicles. Rodent waste dries, and dust can rise when you disturb it. Open the space, wait, and use the wet method.
If a space has heavy droppings or many nests, hire professional help. Attic and crawl space decontamination uses protective gear and sealed bags.
Wall noises seldom fade by themselves. One quick conversation shows where you stand.
Ring (888) 686-4821Make it a routine.
Seal in spring and again before fall, trap whenever signs appear and clean with care after the animals leave. A calendar reminder keeps the routine going, and over time it becomes a habit that cuts contact with waste.
Health questions.
We deal with pests, not medicine. If you feel ill after contact with droppings or nests, particularly with fever, aches or trouble breathing, see a doctor soon and mention the contact. The CDC pages linked below give the official guidance.
Sheds, vehicles and seasonal spaces.
The places that sit closed for weeks deserve extra care: a backyard shed, a stored camper, a seldom-used garage corner. Before entering, swing the door open and let the space breathe for around half an hour. Look from the doorway for droppings or nests before you step inside.
If you find them, do not stir anything up. Use the wet method from the checklist below, or call us. A vehicle with a nest under the hood follows the same rule, and our vehicle page explains what to look for.
When to call.
Call if you find fresh droppings, nests or damage, or if you want an inspection to see whether entries are open. We start with a look, and then give you a plan.
Safety checklist for rodent droppings
Return to this routine each time you find pellets, urine marks or torn nesting inside the house.
- Get dry waste damp before anything contacts it, and put the broom down.
- Leave a closed-up area with its doors wide for half an hour prior to starting.
- Gloves guard you while you work, and soap guards you once you stop.
- Soak the waste thoroughly, let five minutes go by, then take it up with towels.
- Everything you collected goes into a closed bag ahead of the bin, and a carcass needs gloves.
- Fever, aches or breathlessness following contact with waste belong with a clinic rather than an exterminator.
Sources behind the safety tips
Every cleanup or bait statement above traces back to one of the pages underneath.
- CDC page on cleaning up rodent waste: The CDC's explanation of why dry rodent waste must not be swept or run through a vacuum.
- CDC hantavirus prevention page: Shut the entries first, then deal with old droppings and nests carefully.