You Dirty Rat: Cleaning Tips to Protect Your Home From Filthy Rodents

Seven steps to properly remove rodent waste from your home

READING, Pa. , Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the arrival of cooler temperatures across the country, rodents will begin to seek shelter from the elements – often in people's homes. Rodents invade an estimated 21 million U.S. homes each winter, bringing threats to human health and property.

Mice and rats can spread many diseases, including salmonella, murine typhus, infectious jaundice, rat-bite fever and the deadly hantavirus. A buildup of rodent droppings can cause indoor allergies. Since mice tend to urinate constantly, the risk of contamination of food surfaces and equipment is high. A small rodent problem can quickly grow into a full-blown infestation. Additionally, mice can drop up to 18,000 fecal pellets annually – an estimated 50 times daily.

"The house mouse is most likely to cause problems this time of year, so it's important for homeowners to take steps to keep them out before they become an issue," said Emory Matts, Board Certified Entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control. Matts also recommends following CDC guidelines for proper cleaning and disposal steps.

• Step 1: Put on rubber or plastic gloves along with eye protection.
• Step 2: Spray urine and droppings with a bleach solution or disinfectant until very wet. Let it soak for five minutes.
• Step 3: Use paper towels to wipe up the urine or droppings and cleaning product.
• Step 4: Throw the paper towels in a covered garbage can that is regularly emptied.
• Step 5: Mop or sponge the area with a disinfectant.
• Clean all hard surfaces including floors, countertops, cabinets and drawers.
• Step 6: Wash gloved hands with soap and water or a disinfectant before removing gloves.
• Step 7: Wash hands with soap and warm water after removing gloves or use a waterless alcohol-based hand rub when soap is unavailable and hands are not visibly soiled.

For more information on rodent control and prevention, please visit www.jcehrlich.com.

For nearly a century, customers have trusted Ehrlich Pest Control to protect their families, homes and businesses from pests and the health threats and damages they can cause.

Since its founding in Reading, PA in 1928, Ehrlich has expanded to serve across the United States, with more than 50 offices serving nearly 20 states and the District of Columbia. With its team of highly trained, local experts, Ehrlich provides proactive pest control solutions through monitoring, prevention, and maintenance. Those solutions include general pest control, rodent, termite, bed bug, mosquito, wildlife management, and TAP (thermal, acoustical, pest control) insulation services, and more. Ehrlich is part of Rentokil, the world's largest pest control company. Rentokil and its companies, including Florida Pest Control, Western Exterminator and Presto-X Pest Control, provide commercial and residential pest control to customers in the United States and Canada.

For more information, visit Ehrlich at jcehrlich.com and connect on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Contact
Brandon Allums
[email protected]

SOURCE Ehrlich Pest Control