Mouse infestations can cause a lot of damage and be costly to homeowners. Whether small or large, a mouse infestation should always be followed by a set of cleaning and decontamination measures. This article shows you how to remove the smell of mouse urine and how to clean mouse droppings. You will also learn what to do with a dead mouse and how to remove its scent.
Why clean and decontaminate after a mouse infestation?
Mice carry a large number of diseases, viruses, and bacteria. Not all pathogens that mice have with them are harmful. But some, like hantavirus, a dreaded virus that causes serious epidemic infections, can cause death.
Usually, mice transmit their diseases, viruses, and bacteria through their urine, feces, or saliva, which they leave everywhere in their path. Thus, a mouse that wanders in your cupboards, on your counters, or elsewhere in the house can easily contaminate your space (coatings, appliances, surfaces, etc.) and your food, forcing you to throw it in the garbage.
Even though they're tiny, it's safe to say that mice are dangerous.
What precautions should be taken to clean and decontaminate your home after a mouse infestation?
You will understand since this rodent represents a threat to human health, it is, therefore, necessary to get rid of mice at the first signs of infestation, either by exterminating them yourself or by contacting a mouse exterminator. Once the infestation has been stopped or controlled, the cleaning and decontamination work can begin.
We recommend three preventive measures if you want to clean and decontaminate your home yourself after a mouse infestation.
Air out space
Before you begin cleaning and decontaminating after the mouse infestation, ventilate the area as best, you can. Open doors and windows to ventilate the area for at least 30 minutes. When you breathe the room, get out, so you don't breathe in the stale air unnecessarily.
Avoid stirring up dust.
As we have just seen, diseases, viruses, and bacteria in mice are transmitted through their urine, feces, or saliva. So, when cleaning, try as much as possible not to stir up dust or mouse droppings. Your health depends on it. Easier said than done, you might say. But a professional exterminator knows exactly what to do. After all, it's his job. And it is for this very reason; we recommend as much as possible that you entrust it with the work of parasite decontamination.
Obtain and wear the required safety equipment
This point is very important. Never clean a room contaminated with mouse urine, droppings or saliva if you are not wearing the required safety equipment.
To protect yourself, wear a respirator with a high-efficiency particulate filter, such as the N100 respirator. Disposable paper dust masks are ineffective and should not be used to clean and decontaminate areas that have been infested with mice.
In addition to wearing a breathing mask, be sure to wear disposable rubber gloves, rubber boots, and disposable shoe covers.
How do you clean mouse urine?
The urine of mice has a foul odor that resembles the smell of ammonia. Therefore, you will most likely want to eliminate it from your home. To clean mouse urine, we recommend this procedure:
- mix one (1) part bleach with nine (9) parts water;
- spray the mixture on urine and mouse droppings using a strong spray;
- leave on for 10 minutes;
- remove mouse urine and feces by collecting them with a paper towel, then throw the soiled paper towels in the trash;
- clean the surface or room a second time with the bleach mixture, then throw away paper towels, mops, or other household equipment in the trash;
- empty the garbage bag, seal it tightly and place it in another garbage bag, which you can dispose of in the garbage;
- wash your hands thoroughly with hot, soapy water.
How to clean mouse droppings?
The reproduction rate of the mice is astounding, and each of them produces 50 to 80 droppings per day. Therefore, a good bet is that you will see a certain amount of droppings and that you will have to carry out the cleaning of the mouse droppings by cleaning and decontaminating the room.
Very important: when cleaning mouse droppings, do not sweep up mouse droppings and do not vacuum them with a vacuum cleaner without having first sprayed them with a disinfectant, such as the bleach solution we have just presented to you. This will prevent harmful particles from being released into the air.
The smell of dead mice: how to spot dead mice and get rid of dead mice?
It's not just mouse urine and droppings that emit a strong, unpleasant odor. When a mouse walks into the house through a window or a drain and dies there, its rotting corpse also gives off a disgusting odor that you are sure to want to get out of your nose ... and your home.
Therefore, it is imperative to locate and dispose of mouse corpses; otherwise, the smell will persist despite cleaning and decontamination.
Locate the location of the dead mouse
The smell of a rotting mouse corpse can spread several feet away. Finding a dead mouse in the house can, therefore, sometimes be a real headache. And often, you have no choice but to trust your sense of smell.
Usually, mice will hide in quiet places. To find mice more easily, concentrate your research on the attic and the basement. Look under floorboards, in insulation material and air ducts, or near plumbing pipes. If you have mice in your home, you will likely find them in these places.
Clean and disinfect the area where the dead mouse is
Once you recover the dead mice, it is now time to clean and disinfect the contaminated area. To decontaminate the area soiled with urine, droppings, and dead mice, you will need:
- Rubber gloves;
- N100 respiratory mask;
- and your bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water).
Then clean and disinfect the area by doing the following:
- put on your rubber gloves;
- spray the corpse of mice liberally with your bleach solution;
- let stand 10 minutes;
- scoop up the dead mouse and the remains of hair with a paper towel, then dispose of the rodent and its accompanying in a garbage bag;
- empty the garbage bag, place it in another bag and dispose of everything in the garbage;
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
Anything that the dead mouse has contaminated should also be cleaned and disinfected: sheets, clothes, pillows, etc.
What to do with a dead mouse?
The big question: what to do with a dead mouse? The answer: it depends. Each municipality has different regulations, and as a good citizen, you will have to comply with them. Generally, there are three ways to get rid of a dead mouse:
- Burn it;
- Bury it 2-3 meters under the ground in a compostable bag placed in a box;
- Throw it in the trash after wrapping it in a newspaper, then in an airtight plastic bag.
How to get rid of mouse urine odor and remove the smell of a dead mouse?
Here you have cleaned up and decontaminated mouse urine, completed cleaning up mouse droppings, and you even got rid of your dead mice. Well done!
Now, there is only one step left: clean up the smell of mouse urine and get rid of the smell of dead mice to freshen the air inside your home after the mouse infestation.
Get rid of mouse urine odor by ventilating the space
Ventilating the room or space after a rodent infestation is very important for freshening the air and removing the smell of mouse urine. To do this, open the windows and place pedestal fans to blow stale air out of the windows.
Deodorize the air with an effective deodorant product
After you have ventilated the room thoroughly to drive the smell of mouse urine out of your home, now is the time to deodorize the space. There are several deodorant products on the market. These products aim to neutralize and eliminate the smell of urine that lingers in the house after cleaning and decontamination.
The following products effectively remove the smell of mouse urine and the smell of a dead, decomposing mouse.
Charcoal
Charcoal is an effective deodorant that easily removes bad odors, such as sweat, cigarettes, and rotting food. Charcoal is also very good at removing the smell of mouse urine and getting rid of the smell of dead mice.
This product has different names: charcoal deodorant, charcoal air freshener bag, and black deodorant.
Ground coffee
Ground coffee is known to absorb the foul odors that plague a home. It's not the strongest remedy for removing odor from mouse urine, but it does a good job nonetheless. To eliminate the smell of mouse urine and dead mice, place it in different places: air conditioning outlets, in the basement, in the cupboards, etc.
Odor elimination bag
Another way to remove the smell of mouse urine is odor removal bags. They are also used successfully to get rid of a dead mouse odor.
These bags typically hang over the crawl space or in any room of the house. The odor elimination bags work quickly: within a few hours, you will notice that the urine smell is already less pronounced.
Ionizer air purifier
In addition to eliminating odors, ionizer air purifiers purify the air, removing allergens, pollen, mold, and dust. They also kill germs, viruses, and bacteria.
An excellent all-in-one product to remove the smell of mouse urine and get rid of the smell of dead mice.
Non-toxic bio-enzymatic deodorants
Non-toxic bio-enzymatic deodorants are probably the most effective way to remove the smell of mouse urine, if not get rid of the smell of a dead mouse.
They are also safe for children and pets, and they are very affordable.
Professional measures
Acetic acid, chlorine, and formalin are other products that neutralize the urine odors of mice and decompose mice.
However, these products are not intended for the general public: they are part of professional disinfectants and are reserved for exterminators.
Freshen up the air differently.
Various other products also do an excellent job of brushing aside the smell of mouse urine and the smell of a dead mouse with the back of their hands:
- over-the-counter aerosols;
- scented candles;
- essential oil diffusers;
- incense;
- solid household deodorants in cartridges or sticks.
Eliminate the smell of mouse urine with prevention
Phew! The smell of mouse urine is finally gone, that of dead mice too. After going through such an ordeal, you will probably want to prevent the situation from happening again at all costs.
If so, here are some quick tips for keeping mice at bay, so they don't have to clean up their urine:
- use rodent-proofing caulk to prevent mouse infestations;
- buy mouse traps and place them in strategic places;
- keep the interior of your house clean and make your food inaccessible;
- remove debris from around the house and trim branches and vegetation that touches the house.
The importance of cleaning and decontaminating your home after a mouse infestation?
In light of this information, you now understand why it is so important to clean and decontaminate your home after a mouse infestation. Of course, the work is not easy, but it is worth it. More so, it is necessary to ensure your health and that of the other occupants of your home.
To learn more about the world of the mouse, we invite you to visit the "Mice" blog section of our website.
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