How to Clean Up Rat Droppings and Nesting in a Florida Attic
The short answer: air the space out, put on gloves, and soak droppings, urine and nesting material with disinfectant or a bleach mix before you touch them. Wipe them up with paper towels, bag the waste, then mop. Never sweep or vacuum. For a heavy infestation, full protective gear is needed. Call (844) 264-6254 for help.
Why you can't just sweep it up
The CDC says rodent diseases mainly reach people through the air they breathe, and that sweeping or vacuuming droppings, urine or nests can put tiny droplets carrying viruses into the air (CDC). Florida DOH gives the same warning about hantavirus: keep the area well ventilated and avoid anything that raises dust, including sweeping and vacuuming (Florida DOH).
Before you start
- Find out what you're dealing with. The CDC says rodent droppings are pointed at one end and often contain hair (CDC). Our guide to what rat poop looks like helps tell rats from other animals.
- Make sure the rats are gone, or you'll be cleaning again next month. Seal the entry points and trap any rats still inside first (CDC).
- Air it out. For homes and sheds, the CDC says to open doors and windows for half an hour and stay out while it airs (CDC).
- Gear up: rubber or plastic gloves at a minimum. Wash any clothing that may be soiled in hot water with detergent afterward.
Step by step
- Mix fresh bleach solution: 1½ cups of household bleach in a gallon of water, which the CDC gives as 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. A household cleaner labeled "disinfectant" also works (CDC).
- Spray until everything is very wet and leave it for 5 minutes, or as long as the label says.
- Pick it up with paper towels, not a broom, and drop them in a covered trash can that gets emptied often.
- Nests: soak the nesting material the same way, then seal it in a plastic bag inside a second bag.
- Mop or sponge the area with disinfectant once the droppings are gone.
- Wash your gloved hands with soap and water or disinfectant before taking the gloves off, then wash your bare hands with warm water and soap.
Insulation, ducts and fabrics
The CDC's advice on insulation is short: if exposed insulation is soiled with urine and droppings, bag it for removal. If rats have been in your heating and cooling system, it says to bring in a professional rodent service. Soiled bedding and clothes go in hot water with detergent, and rugs and upholstery can be shampooed with a commercial disinfectant or steam cleaner (CDC).
How much insulation has to come out depends on how far the nesting and droppings have spread.
When it's too big to do yourself
The CDC calls for extra precautions in homes with a heavy rodent infestation: coveralls, rubber boots or shoe covers, gloves, goggles, and a respirator. It names a half-mask air-purifying respirator with a HEPA filter, or a powered one with HEPA filters (CDC). A packed attic in Florida heat, in that gear, is hard work. That's usually the point to call for help.
The health risks in Florida
- Hantavirus: the CDC says the virus can get into the air when fresh urine, droppings or nesting material from an infected rodent is stirred up (CDC). Florida DOH says it has been found in cotton rats in Florida, though most human cases have been in the western U.S. (Florida DOH).
- Leptospirosis: Florida DOH says people catch it through water, soil or plants contaminated with the urine of infected animals, or by touching an infected animal's body fluids (Florida DOH).
- Food: the CDC says disease can also spread through food contaminated with rodent waste (CDC).
If you get sick with fever and aches in the weeks after a cleanup, tell your doctor about the rodent exposure (Florida DOH). See also rats in the attic and rat removal, and if the smell is a dead rat, our dead animal smell guide.