How Do I Disinfect My Attic After Squirrels Infested It?

To disinfect your attic after squirrels, make sure every squirrel is out and every entry point is sealed first. Then remove the nest material and any attic insulation soaked with droppings and urine, wet down the remaining droppings and urine with an EPA-registered disinfectant or a bleach solution and let it soak before wiping it up, clean the affected surfaces, deodorize the space and replace the attic insulation that was taken out. Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings.

Get the Squirrels Out and the House Sealed First

Cleaning an attic that squirrels can still get into just gives them a fresh space to move back into. Every squirrel has to be removed, including any young, and every entry point has to be sealed before cleanup starts. The order matters for another reason too. A squirrel sealed inside the attic will chew its way out, and the ceiling is often where it comes through.

Remove the Nest and Soiled Attic Insulation

Squirrels crush and tunnel through attic insulation and build nests from it, and the areas around the nest collect the most droppings and urine. That attic insulation doesn’t clean up well and doesn’t do its job anymore, so it needs to come out. The CDC’s guidance on how to clean up after rodents recommends bagging attic insulation that’s contaminated with urine and droppings for removal.

Disinfect Without Stirring Up Dust

The same CDC guidance lays out the basic steps. Don’t sweep or vacuum droppings, urine or nest material while they’re dry, because that puts dust in the air. Wear rubber or plastic gloves. Spray the droppings and urine with a bleach solution or an EPA-registered disinfectant until they’re very wet, let it soak for five minutes or as long as the label says, then wipe it up with paper towels and bag it. After that, disinfect the surrounding surfaces.

Deodorize and Reinsulate

Once the waste is gone and the surfaces are disinfected, the attic gets deodorized so the odor doesn’t hang around. Then new attic insulation goes in to replace what was removed, so the attic can do its job again.

How We Clean an Attic After Squirrels

The Critter Team provides squirrel removal services that include attic cleanup and restoration once the squirrels are out and the house is sealed. Our crew wears masks, respirators and eye protection, and we use attic vacuums built for removing attic insulation. Whenever possible, we run the vacuum hose through a soffit or take a vent off the roof and go directly into the attic, so nothing gets pulled through your house. When the hose has to come through the house, we plastic off the hallway and cover the floor to keep everything contained. Then we sanitize and deodorize the attic and install new attic insulation.

So How Do You Disinfect an Attic After Squirrels?

Get every squirrel out and seal the house first. Then remove the nest and soiled attic insulation, soak the remaining droppings and urine with disinfectant before wiping them up, disinfect the surfaces, deodorize and reinsulate. Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings, and if you’re pulling out a lot of attic insulation, keep that debris from passing through your living space.