Safe way to clean up mouse droppings

September 7, 2005 9:07 PM

Mousepoop/HantavirusFilter: I have a beat up old shed in my backyard I want to demolish and replace. I've emptied it out but I noticed a lot of mouse droppings. What's the best way to clean it out?

Everyone I talk to is freaking out about hantavirus. How concerned should I be? Someone mentioned spraying the floor with bleach first. Will that neutralize any potential hantavirus or do I still have to be careful afterwards?

posted by friarjohn to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

All the information you need here.
posted by tellurian at 9:41 PM on September 7, 2005

How concerned should I be?

Your profile indicates that you live in Montana, as such it is probably best to be careful, since the deer mouse is prevalent in Montana. About 6% of the confirmed cases of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) have been in Montana.

Someone mentioned spraying the floor with bleach first.

The CDC has some simple and straightforward instructions on how to safely clean rodent-infested areas. They recommend a 10% solution of bleach and water.
posted by RichardP at 10:00 PM on September 7, 2005

Oops, tellurian already posted the CDC link. I should have previewed.
posted by RichardP at 10:02 PM on September 7, 2005

Response by poster: Sounds like I need to be careful but I certainly don't have a "large infestation." I'll hit the floor and shelves with the bleach mixture and follow the other recommendations.

Thanks.
posted by friarjohn at 9:06 PM on September 8, 2005