Hantavirus prevention and safe cleanup

Keep rodents out

• Seal holes and gaps in your home, garage and outbuildings.
• Store food, pet food and garbage in sealed containers.
• Set snap traps in and around buildings.
• Clean up any easy-to-reach food that attracts rodents.

What you need

• Rubber or plastic gloves
• Paper towels
• A household disinfectant (the label must say "disinfectant"), or bleach solution: 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, mixed fresh
• Plastic bags and a covered garbage can

Cleaning a cabin, shed, barn or garage

1. Open all doors and windows and leave the space for 30 minutes.
2. Go back in, find the droppings, nests and any dead rodents. Put on gloves.
3. Spray droppings and urine with disinfectant until very wet. Leave it for 5 minutes.
4. Wipe up with paper towels and put them in a covered garbage can.
5. Mop hard floors, or spray dirt floors with disinfectant. Wipe counters, cabinets and drawers.
6. Move boxes and stored items outside into sunlight before sorting them. Stand upwind.
7. Throw out contaminated cardboard and insulation in plastic bags. Disinfect plastic, glass and metal items.
8. Wash your gloved hands with soap and water, take the gloves off, then wash your hands again.

Dead rodents and nests

1. Spray the rodent or nest and the area around it with disinfectant. Leave 5 minutes.
2. Put it in a plastic bag together with the trap, unless you reuse the trap.
3. Knot the bag, put it in a second bag, knot that too, and put it in a covered garbage can.
4. Wash gloves, remove them, wash hands.

Rodents often carry fleas, so insect repellent on clothes and shoes helps.

Other items

• Clothes and bedding: wash in hot water with detergent, dry on high heat or in the sun.
• Carpets and upholstery: shampoo with a disinfectant or use a commercial steam cleaner.
• Books and papers: leave in sunlight for several hours, or in a rodent-free room for at least 3 weeks (6 is better).
• Vehicles and campers: open doors, hood and trunk for 20 minutes first. Check the air intake and filter for nests. Never use a vacuum or pressure washer until everything is disinfected.
• Air ducts: if rodents have got into heating or cooling ducts, call a professional.

Heavy infestations

For a vacant building or a large number of rodents, the cleanup needs more protection: disposable coveralls, rubber boots, goggles and a respirator with HEPA filters. Consider hiring a professional, and contact your local health department. If you feel unwell after a cleanup, see the symptoms page.

Sources: CDC: How to clean up after rodents, CDC: About hantavirus, WHO fact sheet