Mouse droppings, urine and nests can carry hantavirus. The danger is in the dust, so how you clean matters.
Cleaning a small area safely
Washington's Department of Health says (hantavirus1):
- Wear rubber, latex, vinyl or nitrile gloves.
- Do not stir up dust by vacuuming, sweeping or any other way.
- Soak droppings, nests and dead mice with a bleach solution: 1½ cups of household bleach in 1 gallon of water.
- After 10 minutes, wipe everything up with a damp towel, then mop or sponge the area with the bleach solution.
When to call a company
Call for a large area, an attic or crawl space, a cabin or shed that has been closed up, or if you would rather not do it yourself. A cleanup company can tell you what it will do, and the price, before it starts.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- County medical examiners and coroners After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until the county's office is done.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.