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Repair Bat Damage

How to repair Bat damage and clean up their mess?

 

When bats take shelter inside your home or building, they can be a nuisance. They leave behind a huge mess of their droppings, cause property damages, urine saturation, and even bat bugs. Bat droppings, also known as guano, present a number of serious health risks to both humans and pets. It is therefore very important to clean up and repair after the bats have been removed. There are several ways of doing this which are included below.

Bats have a keen sense of smell and can sniff out the hint of a prior roosting spot from miles away, so all droppings must be carefully removed. Inhaling the fungal spores present in bat droppings can cause respiratory infections in humans. Before starting the clean-up and
decontamination process, ensure that you have the proper personal protective equipment:

  • Protective N100 (high efficiency) respirator mask approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. These masks filter dust particles and bio aerosols that may enter the lungs.
  • Safety glasses or a visor.
  • Disposable rubber gloves.
  • Disposable suit or old clothes.
  • Rubber boots.

You can get these supplies from stores that specialize in protective clothing and equipment. 

Before beginning the process, you should contain the area that needs decontamination by sealing all openings with heavy-duty polyethylene sheeting and duct tape. You can tear off the dilapidated interior walls and ceiling if they are stained and smell of bat urine, to expose the
beams and supports. Vacuum up the guano using a professional utility vacuum. It’s a good idea to mix the bat droppings with water first to prevent the dust from getting into the air. 

Afterwards, seal the windows, shut the door, and spray the area with an antibacterial and commercial odor eliminator. It is advisable to close off the room for a couple of hours until the spray has dried in order to make the cleaning process more effective. If you have a fairly small and accessible space, the alternative is to scrub all surfaces with a solution of 1 cup of bleach per gallon of water. You can also use an atomizing mist machine that produces a fog of enzyme-based hazardous waste cleaner to ensure 100% decontamination.

Bat waste may damage the insulation in your attic, leaving your house exposed to the elements which can raise your heating and air conditioning bills if left unfixed. By scurrying around your attic, these creatures may flatten the insulation or tear it apart entirely to make nests with. It is therefore important to check your insulation or any loose wires when cleaning up bat damage. You can get assistance from professional attic restoration services to re-install insulation where need be. This is a very important step in the cleaning process because live wires may trigger fires and insulation issues may cause your bills to shoot through the roof. Once you have finished cleaning up the mess, it is important to seal all access points to prevent the bats from re-entering your home.