Bat Guano Cleanup in An Attic

03.31.2006 - Today was the cleanup of bat droppings (guano) from the attic of a home. The cleanup is the final step after all of the bats are safely removed and all of the entry points through which the bats could enter the home are permanently sealed. This was a very simple cleanup case, and not at all bad contamination. First of all, the effected area was above a garage, so I didn't have to deal with any insulation removal. The droppings were all on the sheetrock. Furthermore, the colony was small, and hadn't been in the attic for long, so the droppings had not accumulated yet. It was easy to simply vacuum out all of the droppings and fog the area with an enzyme based biohazard decontaminant and deodorizer. I didn't even bother to suit up in a protective suit, because the situation was small and simple. In a case like this, the droppings are like brown grains of rice. When in small numbers like this, the smell is not strong, there's certainly no structural damage, and there's really not much of a biohazard risk. However, I still believe that it's important to remove the droppings, because they did smell, and it's possible that they could harbor fungus growth over time - though I'd say the risk is small in a case like this. For a simple job like this, I use a contractors Shop-Vac with a 50' hose that leads down the attic hatch and outside. I wear a head lamp so that I can see, and a HEPA filter mask, because I don't want to breathe in any harmful agents or spores of any kind. I always wear such a mask in any attic, even if just for dust. Once all of the droppings are gone and I fog the attic, the job is complete. I bring the guano home and sprinkle it in my garden, where it helps my beets and radishes grow nice and plump.