Once bats enter your home and roost in the attic, that's when you face the issue of strong smells from the area.
This is primarily due to the bat droppings that emit an unpleasant odor that usually does not go away as quickly. Today, I'll demonstrate how to get rid of bat smell from your house easily and effectively.
Before you actually begin cleaning, I highly recommend gearing up for two reasons. First of all, you'll be working with corrosive chemicals like bleach, and you wouldn't want to splash any onto the skin. The other reason is directly related to bat droppings and a fungus it contains called Histoplasma capsulatum.
Essentially, this fungus can infect humans and cause histoplasmosis that causes inflammation of the skin, bones, and other symptoms like rashes. Thus, wear a respirator and protective gloves at all times while cleaning.
Check your attic or the area infested with bats for droppings and lightly spray with water. Scoop up the fecal matter using a broom and dustpan and place in plastic bags for disposing of later. Make sure to use an old broom for this purpose because I recommend throwing it out after this cleaning session.
Next, you need to check the room or attic for any fabric covered in droppings. If any insulation or material like curtains, mats, and throws are contaminated by bat waste, remove them from the floor or furniture while wearing gloves. You will need to discard them, so prepare a separate plastic bag for the fabrics.
Now that the droppings are out of the way, you can finally get down to cleaning. In a container, mix one-part bleach with 20 parts of water and stir gently. Transfer this bleach solution to a spray bottle and apply it to all the areas for decontamination.
The bleach should kill any microbes that remain behind, and the room should be sufficiently sanitized once you are done with this step.
There might still be some lingering smell that you can eliminate by applying air fresheners or a vinegar and water solution. Personally, I'm not too fond of the smell of bleach, and its odor gives me a headache.
Spraying a deodorizer or a vinegar solution masks any remaining bat odors while also reducing the pungent stench of bleach.
With these steps, it should be easy enough for you to get rid of bat smells in the attic. Just don't forget to wear protective clothing to stay safe from infections or bleach burns.
Lastly, you should seal any openings in your house to prevent bats from entering again. But if you do find an opening, shut it close using plywood, sheet metal, net, or hardware cloth.
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