How do I clean bat feces out of my attic?

The Problem with Bats

Bats cause a lot of problems when they enter your home, especially since they can infect you with rabies.

While in your attic, these animals will leave a lot of droppings and feces around. This may not seem that bad at first, but the droppings will slowly accumulate. They'll then cause awful stenches to spread throughout the home, and they'll leave behind unflattering brown stains on your floors and walls.

Bat droppings are also slightly acidic, so they'll eat at your floorboards over time. If you don't step in to solve the problem quickly, your floors might actually collapse, destroying a large part of your home.

Removing Bats

When faced with such a predicament, you have no choice but to immediately remove the bats. This gets rid of the source of all the droppings, and it makes it easier for you to clean the bat feces without being attacked by the animals.

The best way to remove bats is through a technique called exclusion. This involves sealing all the entries into your home, save one. You'll then have to install an exclusion funnel or net to allow the bats to leave. Once that's done, you can remove the exclusion device and seal up the final hole.

If that sounds complicated or you don't have the time for it, you should just call a professional. Many experts use exclusion themselves, and they have all the equipment and knowledge to remove bats quickly.

Removing Droppings

With the bats gone, it's time to start removing their droppings.

Step 1: Use Protective Equipment

What many don't realize is that bat guano contains a dangerous disease called histoplasmosis. It's a fungus that gets into the air, making you inadvertently breathe it, which can cause a lot of damage to your lungs.

That's why you should put on a filtration mask to stop you from breathing in the spores. You should also put on gloves and protective clothing to prevent the particles from getting on your hands and clothes.

Step 2: Spray Water

You now have all the necessary safety equipment, but there's one last protective measure you should take.

It's time to spray the area with water. This may seem a little silly, but there's a very good reason for doing this.

Bat guano naturally dries quickly. This may not seem that bad, but it makes the bats' droppings very sensitive. Even the slightest touch could turn their droppings into dust, making it spread everywhere and helping histoplasmosis get into the air.

By spraying the area with water, you keep the droppings moist enough to work with, without having it all turn into dust.

Step 3: Vacuum the Droppings

To actually remove the droppings, you should use a vacuum. This helps speed up the process, as there's usually far too much guano to remove manually. It's also much safer than removing so many droppings with your hands or with a shovel.

Make sure you vacuum every nook and cranny, as you wouldn't want to leave any droppings in the attic. At times, you may have to manually remove small droppings if they're in hard-to-reach spots, so be careful and take the proper precautions.

Step 4: Disinfect the Area

Once you've vacuumed all the droppings, it's time to disinfect the area. This step aims to kill off all the bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the attic.

It's recommended you use an enzymatic disinfectant. These are able to eat up and destroy any pathogens, and they even dissolve all fur and droppings that are too small to be seen. Enzymatic cleaners are also said to seep into your floorboards, helping them remove stains.

Professional Help

Removing bat droppings from your attic is a long process, and there are a lot of risks involved. That's why it's recommended you call a professional.

Experts will be able to remove the bats from your attic and clean things up afterward. They have all the gear needed, so it's much safer for them to take on this challenge.