Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS DEC Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator C1825832. Updated September 23, 2026.
Short answer
Don't sweep or vacuum them. The CDC's method is to open the windows for 30 minutes, put on rubber gloves, spray the droppings and nesting material with a disinfectant or a bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, let it soak 5 minutes, wipe it up with paper towels, disinfect the surfaces, bag everything, and wash your hands.
Because of what's in the dust. The CDC's warning is specific: don't vacuum or sweep rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials, because that can put tiny droplets containing viruses into the air. Hantavirus, which the CDC says spreads when fresh urine, droppings or nesting material from an infected rodent is stirred up and the virus gets into the air, is rare, but the cleanup rules exist because of it, and the same rules cover the bacteria and allergens mice leave behind. A broom or a vacuum turns a cabinet floor into an aerosol.
Ventilate first: open doors and windows for 30 minutes and leave the area. Put on rubber or plastic gloves. Spray the droppings, urine spots and nesting material with a commercial disinfectant or a mix of 1.5 cups of household bleach in a gallon of water, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Wipe it all up with paper towels and put them in a bag. Then mop or sponge the whole area, floors, countertops, cabinets and drawers, with disinfectant. Dead mice and nests get sprayed the same way, double-bagged, and put in the outside trash; the CDC suggests insect repellent when handling them because of fleas. Take the gloves off, and wash your hands with soap and warm water.
Closed spaces with a lot of it. The CDC notes people who clean up after rodents are at higher risk, and the situations that matter are the ones where droppings have piled up in an enclosed area: a shed, a garage, a crawlspace, a cabin or basement that was closed all winter, or an attic with nesting in the insulation. For those, ventilate longer, wear a mask rated for particles along with the gloves, wet everything down before touching it, and if the insulation is soaked with urine and droppings, it comes out, it doesn't get cleaned.
The worst cleanups we see are seasonal houses and garages: a Hamptons house opened for Memorial Day, a Long Beach bungalow after winter, a Suffolk garage where the birdseed bag was left open. A kitchen cabinet with a week of droppings is a ten-minute job with gloves and bleach water. An attic where mice have been nesting in the insulation since last fall is a job for someone with a respirator, and it's usually part of the exclusion work.
Related
Yes, which is why the CDC has a cleanup protocol. Mouse urine and droppings carry bacteria that contaminate food and surfaces, and stirred-up dust from infected rodents can carry hantavirus, which is rare but serious. Gloves, ventilation, wetting everything down and no sweeping are the protections.
Empty it, spray the droppings and the surfaces with disinfectant or bleach water, wait 5 minutes, wipe with paper towels, then wash the drawer and anything that was in it that can be washed. Throw away food packages the mice touched, even sealed-looking boxes, because they chew through cardboard and plastic film.
Gloves on, spray the mouse and trap with disinfectant, drop both into a bag, seal it, put it in a second bag, and put it in the outdoor trash. Wash your hands afterward. Snap traps are cheap enough to throw away with the mouse; if you reuse one, disinfect it.
Still not sure? Call (516) 509-6001 and we'll tell you what you're dealing with.