Tag Archives: raccoons in attic

How to Keep Raccoons Away From Your Home

In this article, we’ll discuss ways to discourage raccoons from coming onto your property.

Raccoons can create big problems on your property. Many homeowners have had to clean up trash that raccoons have spread across their yard. Others have had to call in specialists to clean up raccoon feces in the attic, which can endanger your family because of the diseases raccoons can carry. They will empty your bird feeders and eat your garden vegetables. Raccoons will move into your attic and make themselves at home.

Related: Suburban Raccoon Populations Are Growing and Getting Smarter

With all the raccoons making themselves at home in suburban and urban areas, it becomes very likely that you may have to deal with one of these issues.

It can be much easier to try to keep raccoons off of your property and out of your home then to try and clean and repair your attic from a raccoon infestation.

Below are some ways to discourage raccoons from looking at your property and home as an inviting place to visit.

Remove food sources

raccoons invade the suburbsThe main reason that a raccoon will visit your home is in a search for food. If your property becomes identified as an easy source of food, raccoons will return again and again to get food.

Trash cans are a popular destination for raccoons. You need to make sure that your garbage cans are secure from becoming a picnic for raccoons. Make sure the lids are secure. If a can or lid becomes broken, replace the can.

Keeping them out of cans isn’t always easy though because raccoons have a combination of prying hands, intelligence and the ability to learn.

You need to make sure your bird feeders are secure from raccoons, possibly even bringing them inside at night if it’s the only way to keep them away.

Don’t leave pet food outside overnight.

Clean up fruit that has fallen off of your fruit trees.

Add lighting

Raccoons are generally nocturnal animals and are most active during darkness. Lighting on your property may discourage them from coming onto your property. Motion activated lights on your property can startle raccoons and keep away from your property.

Repellents

People have been using DIY home raccoon repellents for decades. Their effectiveness will vary though. Some people swear by certain methods and other people will say the same ones have not worked for them. It can depend on the particular animal that is coming onto your property. Raccoon repellents people use include cayenne pepper, ammonia, mothballs, human or animal hair and predator urine. These repellants do occasionally work so you may wish to try them.

Seal your roof and home

Beware of raccoon feces in atticMake sure you’re not making raccoons lives easier for them by leaving places where they can enter your home. Check your roof and attic for any openings that may give a raccoon (or other animals) the space they need to get inside. Have a cap on your chimney to make sure they can’t get in through there.

Related: Common animal entry points

In summary

If a raccoon is able to get into your attic and make himself at home it becomes a much more serious issue. It can be a real challenge to remove them humanely. It also requires a nuisance animal removal license in the state of Illinois.

You will also need to clean up raccoon poop from your attic, which can carry diseases that can become airborne, requiring safety procedures to protect yourself.

Your best solution is to discourage those pesky raccoons from hanging out on your property in the first place.


Do you need help getting raccoons or other animals out of your attic?

If you are anywhere in the greater Chicagoland area, we can help!

Phone (847) 464-1861


 

Attic restoration

Why Attic Restoration is Important

Cleanup and restoration of your attic after animals have been living in the space is critical for the health of you and your family. 

Attic restoration means to clean and restore your attic to the condition it was in before unwanted wildlife moved in and created a mess.

You may think getting rid of the animal in your attic is enough, but that is not the end of your problem. Animals living in your attic will make a mess, leaving feces and diseases after they are gone.

For professional attic restoration in the Chicago area, please contact us online or call (847) 464-1861

Problems caused by animals in the attic

  • Animal feces and urine in your insulation
  • Leftover food and food waste
  • Animal and urine odors
  • Mold growing in urine soaked areas
  • Roundworms, parasites and their eggs
  • Animal scents which can attract more pests

Related: Dangers of animal feces in the attic

It’s extremely important to make sure all these issues are taken care of. They are not something that you would want to attempt on your own because you risk becoming infected by some diseases.

Parasites such as roundworm can become airborne, risking infection simply by breathing them in.

A trained professional attic restoration technician will clean, disinfect, and repair the attic using an air filter and protective clothing.

You will also need to make sure that you inspect the home to locate and repair any points where animals have entered your home. This may include roofing, fascia, soffit, siding, and chimneys.

Professional cleanup and attic restoration helps protect you and your family from disease. Animal entry repair will prevent the problem from happening again.

Live animal trapping and attic restoration video

In this video, you can see the Attic Solutions team cleaning and restoring a customer’s attic and returning it to its original state.

For animal removal and attic restoration services in Chicago, the Chicago suburbs and southern Wisconsin, contact us online or phone (847) 464-1861


 

Dangers of Raccoon Feces in Attic

Beware of raccoon feces in attic

Raccoons are a common nuisance in the Chicagoland area. They can knock over your garbage cans, dig in your lawn and enter your shed, garage or attic.

Raccoons in your home are definitely unwanted and an issue you should take care of as soon as possible.

If you end up with raccoons in your attic then you will not only have to deal with potential damages and messes they cause, you can be at risk for diseases raccoons carry such as leptospirosis.

For professional attic restoration services contact us at (847) 464-1861 to get a free estimate.

Raccoon Disease Contamination

Some of the diseases that raccoons carry can be transmitted to humans through contact not just with the raccoon but inadvertent contact with their droppings or areas where they have been active or defecating.

These diseases could also be potentially spread to your household pets as well.

Because of this it’s very important to not only remove raccoons from your property but to perform careful raccoon feces cleanup and attic restoration to remove the dangers of disease.

Identifying Raccoon Feces

Raccoon poop will closely resemble the appearance of feces of a smaller sized dog. It will be brown/dark brown and cylindrical in shape.  Very frequently you will notice undigested berry seeds within it.

Raccoon Latrines

Raccoons will commonly defecraccoon feces in atticate and urinate in the same place. The place where a raccoon continues to return to will begin to form noticeable piles. These areas are commonly referred to as raccoon latrines.

In nature you will find them near trees or tree stumps. Around the home you find them along fences, the corners of garages, under decks, or worst of all inside a shed or an attic.

Raccoon Feces Removal

Never attempt removing raccoon feces without protective clothing and equipment! Because of the diseases raccoons carry, their is a threat of the spread of disease and contamination.

Any insulation that has been urinated on or defecated on will need to be removed and disposed of.

The area will need to be disinfected to remove disease and bacteria. It will also need to be treated in order to kill any pests that the raccoons brought in with them such as ticks or fleas.

Contamination from raccoon pet is a serious threat to you, your family and pets.

We do not recommend that you attempt to clean up raccoon feces in your attic or on your property yourself. 

For a free estimate on raccoon feces removal anywhere in the Chicago area, call us today at (847) 464-1861


Photo credit: Benny Mazur

More info about raccoons on Wikipedia