Suburban Raccoons

Finding out that you have raccoons in the attic can be one of the most depressing as well as frustrating things. Not only can you not get rid of them, you know they are making a mess in the attic. They are probably tearing things apart to make a nice warm den for themselves. In addition, both they and their babies are leaving their scat or poop all over the place.  Raccoon Scat in the Attic can be a significant problem. This post is focused on the raccoon scat that will be left in your attic. However, first, you must get rid of these pesky animals. Before you can even think about what to about the mess. There is a right way to get rid of raccoons and a whole bunch of wrong ways. Don’t waste your time, get rid of them in the right long term manner.

Check out several of our posts about how to get rid of them properly and permanently. This is important. You do not want to get rid of this particular family of raccoons only to have another family move into the vacant den.  Read up on this subject and do it right or you will continue to have more raccoon families inside your attic making a mess. They might even get into your home as well which would be even worse!  Read our post about how to get rid of raccoons!

What to do about Raccoon Scat in the Attic?

The first thing you need to do is to make sure they are out of your attic and that they are not coming back.  Now that they are out you need to take several precautions to ensure that no harm comes to yourself or the people removing the material. Most people will just hire professionals to remove all of the existing insulation and then install brand new insulation. Make sure they know what they are dealing with and have the proper tools to protect themselves and your family while removing the raccoon’s scat and the insulation from your attic.

Raccoon scat contains small organisms that can be harmful to humans if ingested through your nose or mouth as you are breathing. These organisms can cause blindness and even death over time so it is important to take precautions. Typically what happens is that the raccoon scat will dry in the heat of the attic. When it is disturbed, it will break down into a powder form. Many small particles will float into the air. If you breathe this or somehow get some in your mouth, you could end up with it in your lungs which is not a good thing.

Always were a proper mask when you are in the attic and especially if you have had raccoons in the attic to protect yourself.  Professionals may even use air breathers with good filters and they also may negatively pressure the attic so that all of the insulation and raccoon scat is sucked out through a large vacuum and packed in sealed bags for this purpose.

New Insulation in the Attic

Once everything is removed, make sure all of the proper weather barriers are in place. Check the soffits are where they should be before blowing new insulation into the attic. This is a good time to increase the level of insulation in the attic as well. It makes your home somewhat warmer in the wintertime and conserves energy. Also, make sure that all potential entrances to your attic that raccoons or squirrels might use are sealed. Use heavy gauge chicken wire and that it is screw nailed and sealed to your roof. Sealing each screw nail will make sure that your roof does not begin to leak around the screw nails.

This may seem extreme, however, it is your life you are dealing with and why take the risk. In preparing this post we came across lots of situations where people are going into their attic where raccoons have spent some time. They had no protection at all. They could also have been dealing with hostile raccoons who are only trying to protect their babies and their dens!

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