One of the main problems of raccoons invading your attic is what comes next: cleaning the attic. Raccoons are not only very loud and dangerous, but they can also be destructive. They can damage the wooden structures of the attic, destroy the insulation, chew wires, leave dung and urine everywhere and there is also the risk that they will die and begin to rot inside your attic. We offer professional raccoon removal services in Kitchener, call us now.
In short, once you have removed the raccoon, or raccoons, from your attic, the job will not be finished. Your attic will be in poor condition and you will need to clean and restore it in order to use it again. Also to avoid risks to your health.
But how to clean an attic after the invasion of raccoons?
The first thing you will need to do is to clean the attic of raccoons’ faces and urine. Keep in mind that you should never touch or breathe raccoon stool or urine, they are very dangerous. If you do it yourself, wear gloves and a mask. A professional will have all the equipment to avoid stool bacteria and raccoon urine.
Raccoon urine will greatly damage your insulation, as it will tend to crystallize and harden on it. Consequently, all damaged insulation must be replaced with new insulation. As far as feces are concerned, however, they are very dangerous because they carry numerous bacteria and can cause various diseases and parasites such as roundworm, campylobacter infection or leptospirosis.
In this case, although there are DIY ways, to clean up an attic after the invasion of a raccoon, the best thing is to rely on professionals.
First, the management of excrement will take place in a professional manner. A vacuum cleaner will be used for the small droppings, the large ones will be removed by hand and disposed of and also the dirty insulators will be replaced and disposed of. All traces of nesting will be eliminated and, finally, an anti-microbe spray will be applied to the attic so as to kill all the bacteria and fungi produced by the raccoons’ waste. A professional cleaning service, then, will not only eliminate feces, urine and traces of nesting, but also other: the damaged insulation, as we have already said, the food brought and preserved by the raccoon and every type of garbage present in the attic.
Secondly, a professional will also be able to seriously evaluate the damage caused by the raccoon in your attic and explain exactly what there is to do to restore it.
In any case, if you really want to clean your attic yourself, remember to:
- Use a mask, gloves and coveralls to protect yourself.
- Be very careful not to touch with bare hands, ingest or inhale stool or urine.
- Search thoroughly.
- Disinfect everything.
- Wash clothes after cleaning the attic.
- Wash yourself after cleaning the attic.
- Make sure to repair any damage caused by raccoons and close any open entrances.