Knowledgebase

Mice dropping cleanup inside a house #764808

Asked July 30, 2021, 1:01 PM EDT

We found a dark grey mouse in our house after some electricians spent the day working on a project for us. (They had our crawl space hatch open about 5 hours that day, while they were performing their installations.) We have since contacted a pest control company to seal up the access points and trap any others under the house. I found and killed the mouse that was roaming inside. Now I am left with some mice droppings on our carpet and floors. I understand that you are not to sweep or vacuum mouse droppings to avoid pathogens becoming airborne and potentially spreading disease, so I am at a loss as to how to actually clean up safely and effectively--especially for our brand new carpets. What is the recommended way to remove the droppings & any urine from carpets?

Deschutes County Oregon

Expert Response

Greetings, 

Here are recommendations that can help: 

Precautions When Cleaning up Small
Amounts of Rodent Droppings

1. Do not sweep up or vacuum feces because
this can cause the excrement residues to
become airborne and be inhaled.

2. Wear rubber or disposable plastic gloves.
3. Spray the droppings and affected area with
disinfectant until wet.
4. Use a wet paper towel to pick up the
disinfected droppings.
5. Place the droppings and paper towel into a
resealable plastic bag and seal the bag.
6. Place bag in a dumpster or garbage can.
7. Dispose of the gloves in the trash, or for
reusable gloves spray the outside of the
gloves with disinfectant, then remove the
gloves and wash hands with soap and water.

This information came from Integrated Pest Management of the House Mouse in Schools, by OSU Extension Service.

If cleaning rugs you'll want to get a disinfectant labeled for use on rugs and fabric to keep from discoloring the rug. Avoid products with bleach. 

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