Remove mouse droppings: remove them safely and easily

Mouse droppings can make people sick because rodents are among the carriers of hantaviruses. In order not to contract the disease, you should take special precautions during cleaning work.

Ventilate thoroughly

Before you deal with the mouse droppings in attics, basements or garden sheds, you should ventilate such locked rooms thoroughly. Open windows and doors for at least 30 minutes so that there is a draft. This means that any viruses and bacteria in the room air are transported outside. Leave the room during ventilation so as not to inhale dust particles.

Put on protective equipment

In order not to get infected with the hantavirus during cleaning work, which spreads through mouse feces on the People should make skin contact by wearing rubber gloves avoid. Disposable gloves are completely sufficient and can then be disposed of. Protect your airways with a suitable mask while it fits tightly and prevents fine dust from being inhaled. Hantaviruses can enter the body through the air we breathe. When buying a mask, use the specified values ​​as a guide:

• FFP1 protects against non-toxic and non-fibrogenic dusts
• FFP2 offers protection against harmful dusts, smoke and aerosols
• FFP3 ideal for toxic dusts, enzymes and microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria or fungi

Note: All of these fine dust masks hold particles up to a size of 0.6 µm in the fibers. FFP1 masks filter up to 80 percent of such particles, while FFP3 masks guarantee 99 percent protection.

Moisten feces

The hantavirus can survive for a long time on dried mouse droppings. In order to prevent the formation of dust and thus the spread of possible viruses in the room air, you should moisten the residue. Dust development is particularly high when sweeping and can therefore increase the risk of damage to health. Follow these steps:

• Pour water into a spray bottle
• add a few tropics disinfecting detergent
• Shake vigorously so that the agent mixes with the water
• Carefully spray the solution on the droppings

Correctly remove mouse droppings

You should not remove mouse droppings with a vacuum cleaner, because viruses can be distributed in the room via the exhaust air, especially with simple vacuum cleaners. If your vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter, you can remove the residue without hesitation. Otherwise, simple utensils are sufficient:

• Sweep up moistened mouse droppings with a broom and shovel
• alternatively, wipe up the excrement with a sturdy kitchen towel
• Put waste in a plastic bag
• Tie tightly and dispose of with household waste

Clean thoroughly afterwards

After removing the residue, you should clean the area thoroughly to remove traces of urine. Use a sponge and clean the surface with a disinfectant. If the odor source caused by urine is already deeply drawn into the ground, you should resort to this remedy:

• Sprinkle sachets of baking powder or baking soda on the spot
• alternatively use corn starch
• moisten with an atomizer
• Leave on for 24 hours
• Soak up powder crumbs
• Wipe with a damp cloth

Note: After cleaning, you should dispose of used sponges or rags. Also, think about thorough hand hygiene and washing your clothes after major cleaning jobs.

Prevent mouse droppings

The best way to protect yourself from the hantavirus is to avoid mice in the house and garden. Mainly that applies Bank vole as a carrier of this pathogen. It prefers to live in deciduous and mixed forests, but also feels at home in gardens near the forest. In order not to attract the rodents, you should take the following precautionary measures:

• Keep food hermetically sealed
• Seal rubbish well and store in the garage or basement
• do not dispose of leftover food on the compost heap
• do not leave animal feed overnight
• close possible entry gates
• Do not leave bulky waste standing too long
• Eliminate shelter and nesting opportunities