Mice droppings and their effects on the home environment
Homeowners should understand that in addition to just ‘being in your face’ and annoying you, mice leave biologic materials that can harm you. If well fed, a mouse will leave 70 -90 droppings each day. As their movements are uncontrollable, they leave droppings and urine as they run along walls, over countertops, and move through cabinets (they seem to love the silverware drawers). Mouse droppings carry a number of viruses, some of which are debilitating for years, and Hantavirus which can be fatal. The urine of mice is a trigger for those with Asthma.
They invade most homes annually, and each time they invade they do damage to insulation, leave viruses, and build higher and higher levels of particles in the air inside homes. The CDC has determined that, because of a combination of dander, dust, and insect or animal dropping and urine, the air inside the average home in 3-5 times as dirty as outside air. In the Chicago suburbs, 9% of children and 8% of adults suffer from asthma.
Exterminating the mice does not rid the home of viruses and mice droppings
Several problems exist in many homes after they have invaded several times or have infested in great numbers.
- Infestation… Mice living and breeding inside
- Invasion… Re-invading year after year
- Insulation Damage… Mice love to live in fiberglass insulation, and after an infestation, the Insulation no longer protects the way it should, and is saturated with filth
- Contamination… droppings and urine need to be removed, and surfaces cleaned and disinfected
These problems need to be addressed in the proper order, as if you seal them out first… then you also will seal in those mice still living inside. And, if you clean and disinfect before sealing, then the home may be reinvaded, and your efforts will be for naught. So, the proper order of problem elimination should be done in this order. First eliminate the infestation. Shortly after, (wait typically 2 weeks). Next Remove and dispose of basement insulation. Clean the basement of mice droppings, disinfect, the basement. Then seal all entry points and reinsulate.
Services provided by Fox Valley Environmental Pest Control
- Extermination
- Hazardous Waste Removal of mice droppings
- Disinfection
- Basement and foundation sealing
- Basement Weatherproofing
- Basement Insulation
