- The work
- Removal and decontamination
- Found
- Rat droppings through the insulation
- Disinfectant
- Virkon S at 1%
- Mix
- Two tablets per litre
- Waste
- Bagged damp, double-bagged
- Rats and proofing
- Left to a pest controller
The Job
This loft was booked in for an insulation removal, but the old insulation had rat droppings through it. That makes it a different job: the insulation has to come out without spreading the dust, and the loft has to be disinfected and dried before anything new goes in. There is more on this kind of work on our rodent-damaged loft insulation page.
Why rodent lofts are handled differently: dried droppings and urine break down into dust, and rat urine can carry leptospirosis (Weil's disease). Dry-sweeping or ripping the insulation out disturbs exactly that dust, so the clear-out is done damp and slowly, in FFP3 masks, disposable coveralls, nitrile gloves and goggles.
What We Did
- Damped the droppings and insulation down before disturbing anything, instead of dry-sweeping.
- Bagged the insulation while it was still damp, and double-bagged it.
- Vacuumed the loft with an industrial M-class or H-class extractor, not a household vacuum.
- Misted the joists, the felt and the top of the ceiling with Virkon S at a 1% solution, giving the worst areas a heavier wetting and around ten minutes' contact time.
- Left the loft to dry fully before any new insulation went in.
Why Virkon S
Virkon S is a Defra-approved disinfectant used on farms and in animal housing, and it is widely used for rodent decontamination. The tablets make it easy to mix accurately on site: one 5g tablet in 500ml of water gives a 1% solution, so two tablets per litre. Applied as a light mist from a pump sprayer, an average loft takes 5 to 10 litres, and the solution turns pink so you can see where you have been.
Pest Control Comes First
We clear, clean and refill. We don't treat rats or proof entry points ourselves: that is a pest controller's job, and rats getting in through broken drains are a job for a drainage firm. Disinfectant cleans the loft but does nothing to keep rats out, so if they are not dealt with first, new insulation just becomes new bedding. We will point you to a pest controller if you don't already have one.
The Result
The rat-soiled insulation came out damp and double-bagged, and the loft was disinfected and left to dry, ready for new insulation once the pest controller has dealt with the rats. If you have found droppings in your loft, send a couple of photos through the quote form.
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