Cleaning, Sanitizing And Disinfecting Guano Waste
Having bats in your home is already dangerous enough. Having those bats leave their hazardous droppings all over the place can put your family’s health and well-being in jeopardy. As a result, bat guano cleanup must be taken very seriously. A little soap and water won’t quite get the job done. You may destroy the bacteria and clean up the mess with bleach or other household cleaners, but you could still overlook something that could make your family sick simply by breathing the air in your home.
When people think of bats, they often think of rabies. It’s critical to be vigilant and take every precaution to avoid contracting the rabies virus. Bats are frequently rabies carriers, yet they seldom succumb to the disease. Because a regular person won’t be able to identify if a bat has rabies, it’s best to avoid close contact with bats.
Another disease that bats are susceptible to is histoplasmosis. The spores of Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus that thrives in soil polluted with bat or bird droppings, produce histoplasmosis, an airborne disease. Histoplasmosis can wreak havoc on your lungs, creating symptoms that are similar to tuberculosis. Always take measures while dealing with bats and bat droppings, regardless of where they are found. Guano (bat excrement) in any concentration is hazardous to one’s health, especially when disturbed, as during a clean-up attempt. That’s just another reason to call a professional if bats have made their way inside your home.
What Is The Most Effective Way To Clean Bat Guano?
The most effective intervention is by a professional. When you hire a bat removal service or a professional wildlife removal service, the cleanup process is usually included in their package of services. If the company does charge for it as an extra service, they will let you know ahead of time so you can weigh your options. When it comes to your family’s health and safety, though, you may not be able to place a price on doing the right thing for them.
Because the biggest disease caused by bat guano is breathing the spores, cleaning up bat guano should always be done wearing a mask or other protective covering. Histoplasmosis is a dangerous infection that, if not treated promptly, can be fatal. The worst part is that your family members can contract it without even realizing it simply by breathing your home’s air. This illness can cause major lung problems in those who contract it, which is why bat guano removal is so important.
Inhaling spores in bat guano can cause histoplasmosis, which is extremely dangerous. It can cause problems with the eyes, liver, skin, and intestines, as well as the bone marrow and adrenal glands. It can cause vision loss as a result of growing into an eye disease at any stage. Anemia, pneumonia, meningitis, mouth ulcers, and a slew of other problems can affect a disease’s general health and well-being. When you consider all of the dangers that this one illness might bring, you’ll probably want to make sure it doesn’t affect your family. The best thing you can do is keep your family away from the guano and get professionals to help you clean up the bat guano.
Professional Bat Guano Removal
Professional bat cleanup employs specialized equipment to keep both those doing the sanitization and people within the house safe from inhaling dangerous dust. This is accomplished by:
- Personal Protection – Respirator masks that keep particulates out, as well as disposable garments and coverings, keep technicians from coming into close touch with droppings. While commercially available equipment is available, professional sanitization uses equipment and training that technicians are already familiar with in order to provide a more efficient cleaning.
- Containment – Moving in the surrounding area and collecting the droppings for disposal will surely release some particles into the air. Professionals will take efforts to block off the damaged area and minimize air transfer to keep these from spreading throughout the house.
- Dust Control – Additional techniques are used to reduce the amount of dust in the air. Bat droppings are moistened and collected using misters, special filter vacuums, and other instruments.
After putting in place control measures to keep organic material from spreading, professional sanitization is used to clean any contaminated insulation. Unless the colony was tiny, many infestations in attics or walls result in insulation that cannot be reclaimed. In these cases, the insulation is removed, discarded securely, and reinstalled.
Droppings on hard surfaces are cleaned up, and the underlying area is sterilized using a bacteria-killing substance. All waste from a cleanup is disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.
After an infestation, removing bats and sanitizing takes many days and can seem slow as you wait for your home to be pest-free once more. Professional bat control, on the other hand, is still one of the safest ways to get rid of bats and the threats they provide.