Pigeon Droppings & Waste in an Attic

01.21.2007 - Everyone knows that pigeons poo.  You can see lots of their waste in any city in America, particularly under the areas in which they roost.  However, poop outside tends to wash away with the rain.  In this case, pigeons were living inside an attic of a home, and it just doesn't rain as hard inside attics, and thus the poop accumulated.  This pigeon waste buildup happened over only a few months - or so I'm told by the customer, though the birds could have been up there longer than suspected - and I found only five birds in the attic.  I guess pigeons poop a lot!  I flushed the birds out of the attic, and installed a special pigeon-excluder door on the entry hole, which allows them to fly out but not get back in, and then I had to clean this mess.  I simply removed all of the heavily soiled insulation and then fogged the attic with a special enzyme based cleaner to kill all remaining pigeon waste that I missed, and also any parasites and pathogens.  The homeowner will have to call in another company to add new insulation, since that is a service that I don't provide.

The problems with bird or pigeon droppings, or any animal droppings, for that matter in an attic is fourfold.  First of all, the droppings tend to grow fungus or mold over time.  This mold can often release airborne spores that the people inside the home can breathe, leading to lung infections such as histoplasmosis.  The second problem with droppings in the attic is that the scent can actually attract new wildlife into your home.  Whether it's the same species looking for a mate, or to beat the competition, or is simply drawn to a proven bat home, they will be drawn in.  Some animal droppings and urine actually contain pheromones meant to attract more animals.  Droppings can also attract predators.  The third problem is that the droppings are often laced with diseases that humans can catch. For more information, click animal poop diseases.  The fourth problem is that the droppings may make your home smell bad.  However, this is a lesser concern. You may want attic decontamination or even animal insulation replacement if you have animal waste in the attic, especially pigeon droppings.

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Pigeons a pain in the attic? Say no more. These birds are one of the most common nuisance pests that can disturb your peace. Pigeons are messy animals that can cause a lot of damage to your house, make a lot of noise, and carry diseases dangerous to you and your family or other inhabitants of the place. In almost every city we can see the damage done by pigeon droppings and we can all agree that the sight is not pleasant. However, it is different when you see it on the streets, from having direct contact with the droppings in your attic.

Accumulated pigeon droppings
Attics are closed spaces that cannot be cleansed by natural forces such as rain. It means that the droppings will accumulate and that's when the situation becomes even more alarming. Feces also pile up when we are dealing with a large number of birds for a long period of time. Hence why getting rid of the pigeons as soon as possible is absolutely crucial. You should act immediately upon noticing the pest activity in your attic.

Accumulated bird droppings are very encouraging for parasites and insects. Not to mention the bad odor they cause. Even if the feces and nesting material are in your attic, they still pose a threat to you and your family as the air circulates throughout the whole house. This means bacteria and harmful pathogens can spread across the building.

Pigeon droppings can also contaminate food and water supplies, which then can lead to spreading serious diseases and parasites. A pigeon presence in your attic puts everyone in the household at risk. Some of the diseases they can spread are histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, or salmonellosis.

Cleaning bird feces out of an attic
As we mentioned before, pigeon droppings cannot be ignored – not only do they not look or smell nice, but they also can transmit various diseases. If the feces stay in the attic for too long, they become a perfect matter for bacteria to grow and develop. You can clean your attic on your own or call a local wildlife removal service to get help with it.

If you decide to deal with the mess yourself, remember to:
Take all the proper safety measures – your face should be covered properly so that you don't inhale air that may contain harmful pathogens; wear gloves at all times and ideally long clothes so that your skin is never in contact with the droppings

Start with sprinkling water on the feces so that you prevent the creation of dust which can be inhaled. Prepare a bucket of water mixed with disinfectant (or a bleach solution) and then scrub the droppings. You should have a prepared trash bag and even a shovel to help with getting rid of the waste.

Remember to disinfect the whole area after cleaning all the droppings to kill all the bacteria.

All bird feces should be bagged and sealed before being thrown away.