How to dispose of rat infested furniture

Rats can always sneak into your house whether it is summer, winter, autumn, or spring. They move so quickly and silently that you do not even know that there are rats in your house. But once they have sneaked into your house, you know what’s coming next? Rat-infested furniture!

If you have rat-infested furniture at your home or office then there is no use in keeping that used furniture anymore and you should dispose of it immediately. Why? It is because it can be devastating for the general hygiene of your place. However, here you must keep in mind that you cannot just pick up rat-infested furniture and throw it away. The whole process needs to be done with extreme care because the remains of a rat can be hazardous for your health as they contain deadly diseases like Hanta Virus, etc. 

How to dispose of rat infested furniture

If you don’t know how to clean rat droppings, don’t worry because, in this article, we are going to teach you how to clean rat-infested furniture and dispose of it properly. From cleaning mouse poop to rodent urine, we will explain everything to you.

How to clean rat droppings?

Here are a few steps you should follow to clean rat droppings:                                                                 

1. Ventilate the Area

Before starting to clean the rat droppings, first, wear a mask and open the door and windows of the place you are going to clean for at least. It will allow the fresh air to come in and take away any hazardous smell. Therefore, ventilating the place before removing rat droppings is always a good idea.

2. Never Vacuum or Sweep Rat Droppings

Many people tend to clean the rat droppings by sweeping or using a vacuum. However, you should always keep in mind that vacuuming or sweeping is not the right way to clean rat droppings because it can disperse the germs into the air and surroundings that can be dangerous for your health. Instead, use a chlorine bleach solution as it is 100% safe and possesses the ability to kill the germs immediately.

3. Create a Chlorine Bleach Solution

Before creating a chlorine bleach solution, first of all, wear a mask for your safety because its powerful smell can be allergic and hazardous. Start with mixing 1.5cups of chlorine bleach and one gallon of hot water. Stir the mixture properly until you have a nice smooth solution. Next, put that chlorine bleach solution inside a spray bottle. 

4. Spray the Chlorine Bleach Solution on Rat Droppings

Before spraying the solution on droppings, make sure to wear a safety mask and rubber gloves. Why? Because when you will spray the solution, the chlorine bleach droplets can damage your hands or get inside your lungs and cause trouble. Spray the chlorine bleach solution on the rat droppings and saturate them with the solution. Next, wait for at least five minutes and let them dry. 

5. Remove the Droppings

Next, take a paper towel and pick up the droppings of the rat from the furniture. Once you have picked the droppings, put that paper towel inside a plastic bag and secure it properly. Write “Rat Droppings, Be Careful!” on a paper or cardboard and attach it with that plastic bag and throw it in the garbage bin outside your house that is emptied regularly. Doing this will also alert others to be alert of the droppings and dispose of them properly. 

6. Clean and Disinfect the Area

Once you have picked up the droppings, do not forget to clean the patch of the furniture from where you collected those droppings. It will eliminate the germs present on the surface and make it safe to dispose of that furniture item. To clean the infested area, thoroughly spray the same chlorine bleach on the infested part of the furniture.

7. Wash your Hands

Once the process has been completed, wash your hands with clean water and soap to ensure no germs or traces of bleach stay on your hands. 

How to prevent further rat infestation? 

The next question coming into your mind would be “How to prevent the rats from infesting other furniture items in your house?” Because rats can keep coming back and damage other furniture items in your house but you don’t need to worry about it because we got a very effective plan for you.

1. Seal all the entry & exit points

Block all the entry and exit points of rats into your house. Usually, there are a lot of points through which rats can enter and exit your house. All they need is a small hole and boom! There they go inside. So look for holes around your doors or anywhere else you think a rat can enter or leave. If you find a hole then make sure to seal it appropriately so the rats cannot enter inside by any means.

2. Set Traps

The next step is to set traps to kill the rodents already present in your house because that is the only thing they deserve if they have ruined your expensive furniture. There are a lot of rat traps available in the market that you can strategically place at various locations in your house. Continue trapping for at least one week and if no rat falls in the trap then it is a symbol that there is no active infestation going on right now.

3. Clean Up the Dead Rats and Disinfect the Area

If there is any rat killed in the trap then, wear rubber or latex gloves and disinfect the rat with the same chlorine bleach spray. Let the rat dry for a few minutes and then pick it up with a paper towel. Put the paper towel and rat in a plastic bag and wrap it with another plastic bag. Dispose of it in a garbage bin that is emptied regularly. Later, make sure to disinfect and wash the spot from where you picked the rat by following the same safety protocols and procedures mentioned above in the article.

Final Thoughts:

While cleaning rat droppings or rodent urine from infested furniture, make sure to follow the safety protocols like wearing a mask, gloves, and disinfecting the droppings, dead rodents, urine, and blood with chlorine bleach before removing them. Also, remember to disinfect the infested furniture spot before disposing of it. 

CONTACT HONG
CONTACT CHUAH