What you need to know about rat urine

Everyone thinks that rats are dirty rodents, that can mess up anywhere they reside. They probably think this… because it’s true. Rats especially can leave a sign of their presence pretty much anywhere that they go, leaving marks along the walls where they are, and droppings in a trail of their pathways. Wherever they reside, you can find these dead giveaways. Even if you have already dealt with the rats themselves, another process entirely is combing the area for any cleaning you’ll have to do. This has to be done properly, and we can advise you on how to do this.

You’re most likely to come across the spots of waste around the location of their entrances and exits to wherever they were residing. This can create a giveaway as to where they were and can help lead to further spots of contamination. There are three markers to different rat waste, in terms of rat droppings, urine, and rat-grease. Droppings are very easy to spot, and can often show a path of their travelling. Rat urine is, on the other hand, near impossible to spot, but is usually around the droppings, so if you clean that area well, you’ll get the urine too. Rat grease is different though. What is rat grease then? It’s practically a thick brown ‘goo’-like substance, typically similar to literal grease. 

Rat Urine

It’s made of several substances that the rats themselves have come across, so it can be quite disgusting, comprising of possible things like sewage, dirt, and filth, wherever they’ve travelled from. It’s important that this is cleaned up well and quickly, as this grease can act as a scent and pheromone attractor to other rats around the area.

Rat urine and grease can be quite dangerous, as it can hold the many viruses that rats carry. Leptospirosis, Hantavirus, Salmonella, and a few more can be contracted through rat waste, and these can even be fatal if they aren’t diagnosed early.

Because of this, it’s vital that you wear long-sleeved clothes, gloves, a mask, and some eyewear while managing the waste. Cleaning rat urine, there can also be spores or bacteria that spreads through the air as you clean it up, so the mask and eyewear is especially important in this case, preventing any entry into the body. If you cannot remove the urine from the surface, for example, if its porous wood, and it cannot be replaced with other components (like insulation), you’ll need to use a strong disinfectant in order to neutralize the threat instead. Fabrics that can be removed should be washed on a hot wash, and then sprayed with a disinfectant afterwards to make sure all bacteria types are eliminated.

Cleaning rat grease is also tough, as the grease can become very sturdy onto surfaces. It is important that it’s removed though, as it is an effective attractor to other rats to come into the area, and the infestation could prolong. You should first use an enzyme cleaner. What these do is act as a catalyst to the cleaning process, and it will ease up the particles on the surface for removal. Follow this up with bleach, and scrub the surface quite hard in order to get the grease from its location. The bleach is also important as it kills off any unwanted and harmful particles. Remove as much as possible, and look for areas of the walls that aren’t immediately visible in order to make sure that you have it all.

After all of this has been cleaned up to the best of your ability, do an extra once-over check to make sure there aren’t any areas you didn’t initially consider that could be dirty. Then, you should make sure that you have prevented any entrance points for other rats. After all, if one could get in, then another could. Carry out a check of your basement spaces, attic spaces, and the exterior of your house for any entrance points. Rats can enter through very small holes, so you should take your time doing this. 

It could be useful to fit grates over your piping and vents in order to prevent any entrances this way and look at your soffit and eaves to make sure there aren’t any broken or weak points for rodents to claw into.  If you can make a mental note of any damage and get it fixed, and you keep your property in good standing, you can vastly eliminate the potential for any future infestations and the health risks that they cause.

Humane Mouse Trap

Wildlife control and animal handling services can provide vast advice on this, so if you’re not too sure on what to do, or feel overwhelmed, reach out to local experts for comprehensive guidance if you feel unsure on what to do, but most importantly, you shouldn’t panic, as that can lead to mistakes. Work efficiently and you should get the job done right.

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