Arriving at a house you have not seen since October is a pleasant moment. You open the door, stretch, carry in the bags, and start planning the season. This article asks you to slow down for ten minutes first.
A shut house is quiet, and rodents love quiet. If anything moved in over the winter, the evidence is easiest to see right now, before foot traffic and cleaning scatter it.
The first ten minutes.
Before you carry in luggage, walk through each room with the lights on. Look at floors, corners, counters and shelves. Open cabinets under sinks and the pantry. Listen for scratching or movement in walls and ceilings. Sniff for a musty, sharp or sweet smell.
- Open the attic hatch and look at the insulation and any stored items.
- Check the kitchen cabinets, drawers and pantry shelves.
- Look behind and under appliances.
- Inspect the garage corners, the water heater closet and any storage rooms.
- Lift the covers on boats, furniture and equipment before moving them.
If you find signs.
A few pellets in a corner can come from a single visitor months ago. Many pellets, shredded fabric or paper, or a nest in a drawer suggest a longer stay. Whichever it is, do not reach for the broom. Dried pellets disintegrate, and inhaling that dust is exactly what the CDC cautions against.
| What you see. | Likely meaning. | Next step. |
|---|---|---|
| A few dry, gray pellets. | A past visitor. | Wet-clean with disinfectant using the CDC steps. |
| Fresh, dark pellets. | Recent activity. | Call for an inspection. |
| Shredded paper or fabric. | A nest, possibly active. | Leave it, close the room and call. |
| Chewed wire or hose. | Damage that could be hazardous. | Do not run the system and call. |
| A strong smell with no source. | A dead animal in a wall or duct. | See the odor article and call. |
Systems before comforts.
Resist the urge to flip every switch. Rodents sometimes nest in air handlers, dryer vents and around water heaters. Check filters, vent covers and exhaust ducts before running anything. If you see chewed insulation or nesting material, leave the system off until it is cleared.
Look at the electrical panel, too. Wires with exposed copper are a fire risk. If you see chewing, stay away and call an electrician.
Seeing signs like these? A phone call gets someone out to look.
(888) 686-4821Airing and wet cleaning.
Let outside air flow through for thirty minutes or so before cleaning, and keep out of the room during that time. Put on gloves, spray droppings with disinfectant until wet, wait several minutes and wipe with paper towels. Bag the waste. Details are in the CDC box below.
Unpacking without feeding anything.
Once you have checked and cleaned, unpack with a plan. Store food in lidded containers from day one. Keep bags and boxes off the floor, and break down cardboard rather than stacking it. Pet food belongs in a sealed tub.
When to call.
- You find a nest, or many fresh droppings in more than one room.
- You hear activity in walls or ceilings.
- You see chewed wiring, insulation or hoses.
- A smell does not fade after airing.
A technician can inspect, trap and seal, and the inspection page describes the first visit. Prompt action in May is far less painful than discovering a colony in July.
Before you call, hold the broom.
You can follow it without ever calling us; agencies hand the very same advice to every household that finds droppings indoors.
- Leave the broom and the shop vacuum in the closet, because dry droppings crumble and the dust goes straight into your lungs.
- Open every opening in the room, then do something else for thirty minutes before you return.
- Gloves go on at the start and soap and water come at the end.
- Treat the surface beneath and around the waste as well, because urine spreads further than the stain shows.
- Drop soiled towels and any dead animal into one plastic bag, using gloves or tongs, then tie it and place it in the household trash.
- Keep tabs on your health across the next few weeks, and see a physician should you develop flu-like illness or labored breathing.
Reference pages for this section.
Full instructions and product limits live on the public pages listed next.
- CDC hantavirus: lowering your exposure: Close the doorways first, then deal gently with old pellets and nests.
- The CDC method for cleaning after mice and rats: Ventilate, soak and bag, in the sequence the CDC publishes.