Attic Restoration | How to Clean Up Raccoon Poop
Attic Restoration: Attic clean up and sanitization, an important part of a complete raccoon control solution if any raccoons have taken up residence in the attic of your home or building. The meaning of attic restoration is to restore your attic back to the good health, clean condition it was in before the raccoons have decided to inhabit your attic. Raccoons in your attic can cause such following problems:
- Lots of raccoon nesting materials and food debris found throughout the attic.
- Plenty of raccoon poop and urine in the attic insulation.
- Odor issues are seeping through the ceiling into your home.
- Pheromone scents that can potentially attract other wildlife.
- Mold will begin to grow in contaminated attic areas.
- Parasites, roundworms, and other pathogens.
Lots of people ask me, how do I clean up raccoon poop. These problems should be addressed by cleaning, decontaminating, and restoring your attic back to its original condition. Depending on what extent needs to be cleaned, attic restoration can be a quick and cheap, or an intensive and expensive process. It will require several steps, proper training, and equipment, such as a HEPA filter mask and biohazard suit. Some homeowners insurance may cover the cost of your attic restoration.
Supplies Needed for Attic Restoration:
- Safety Gear: Goggles, Gloves, Hard Hat, HEPA mask, and Tyvek Suit
- Equipment: Vacuum, Pooper Scooper😂 (dustpan), Lights, Extension Cords and Atomizer Machine
- Materials: 5mm Heavy Duty Trash Bags, Enzyme-based Disinfectant Cleaner
Don’t Have These Things?
Step 1:
Remove Raccoon Poop. Go into the attic and physically remove the raccoon feces by hand or vacuum. If vacuums are being used, make sure a HEPA filter is inside the vacuum. Raccoons carry the roundworm disease that passes through their poop. (Learn more about Raccoon Feces Here). In that case, the HEPA filter must be used to decrease any chances of transmitting the roundworm disease anywhere else the vacuum may be used in the future. If raccoon feces are being removed by hand, the raccoon poop must be placed into a 5mm heavy duty trash bags. Double bagging is highly recommended, that way you don’t have to worry about catching a tear into the bag and making a big mess of what has already been cleaned up. If you have insulation that is contaminated with raccoon urine and feces, the insulation must be removed. There are two types of insulation, blown-in (loose insulation) and batted insulation (rolled insulation). The blown-in insulation would have to be scooped by hand and placed into bags. Removing batted insulation is a little easier. The best way to do it would be to roll up the batted insulation tightly and placed into bags.
Step 2:
Attic Sanitation. Sanitizing your attic would be a really important step. After removing as much raccoon poop as possible, there are the other stuff not visible to the naked eye that can be removed without sanitizing the attic. Raccoons nesting in an attic can leave behind oils and grease from their fur. Parasites such as ticks and fleas, urine and pheromones that can attract new animals towards your attic as well are also left behind. The areas of raccoon poop that has been removed can create mold. Use an atomizing mist machine that dispenses an enzyme- based disinfectant cleaner to fog the attic. The fog saturates areas of the attic space that can’t be reached without affecting the structure. This is to ensure full coverage of the attic. The enzyme- based disinfectant should destroy organic matter and pathogens. It will effectively break down any raccoon urine and feces, body grease and oils. Raccoon pheromone odors left behind will be eliminated which is important so that no other animals will be attracted to nesting in your attic. Now that the attic has been cleaned and sanitized, it would be best to make sure all entry points have been sealed off and secured before taking the next step in replacing any insulation.
Some wildlife companies offer attic restoration services.