Do you think raccoons are just cute, cuddly little critters with distinctive masked faces? If so, you may be one of the lucky ones who have never had to deal with an invasion of raccoons moving into the attic. Not so lucky homeowners who have had to deal with these unwanted house guests often tell horrific tales of spending thousands of dollars to repair damage to the roof, wiring, rafters, insulation and vents. Sometimes, however the worst part of having a raccoon invasion is the unpleasant task of cleaning up after the raccoons have finally been evicted.
Although most homeowners don’t spend a lot of time up there, the condition of the attic space makes a huge impact on the health of the whole home environment. Attics are filled with electrical wiring and cable connections which raccoons like to chew on, creating a fire risk for the human occupants. Vents are electric kettle guide located in your attic, to regulate air flow helping keep your home comfortable through changing seasons. Ducting for your heating and cooling systems are there, as well as the rafters, and roof sheeting which all create a veritable playground for a family of raccoons. Insulation, which is so important in keeping homes comfortable and keeping heating and cooling bills affordable, is often seriously damaged by these pests. Insulation is often compressed by their travel patterns, nesting and play habits and soon becomes boom beach hack tool soaked with urine and feces. This leads to odors and stains, and a shocking amount of feces deposits which can contain a type of roundworm and other pathogens.
If raccoons have damaged your attic and you choose to do the clean up yourself, here are some tips to make it as safe and pleasant as possible. Remember, safe working conditions are very important, so make sure to wear an effective face mask, (preferably one with a good HEPA filter), so that you are not breathing in any contaminants, insulation dust, or pathogens. You will be handling irritants like insulation, so it is advised that you wear gloves, and some type of body covering such as coveralls to protect your skin. Look over your attic itself and make sure that you can safely work there, as some attics have no established walkways in place. If you cannot insure a safe walking surface in your attic, it may be time to contact a professional.
The next step will be to remove the damaged insulation, feces and any debris that the Check our website raccoons may have brought in for nest building. Bag these items securely and dispose of them per the guidelines of your refuse removal company. Once the large items have been removed, you will need to either sweep or vacuum up the dust and smaller bits and dispose of them also. A heavy duty shop type vacuum with filter can be helpful for this.
It is important to sanitize the pest ridden areas to inhibit smells and kill any germs that may linger there. A bleach water solution, misted uniformly on all exposed surfaces that need sanitizing can be applied with an ordinary spray bottle, or you can purchase a product from any home improvement store which is rated to both kill germs and deodorize. Once the area is thoroughly sanitized, allow it to dry thoroughly before adding new insulation to these areas.
