How to Clean a Couch After Mice

Mice are small creatures that can cause a lot of damage. They get into your food, they chew on electrical wires, and they leave their feces everywhere. If mice have been in your home or …

Mice are small creatures that can cause a lot of damage. They get into your food, they chew on electrical wires, and they leave their feces everywhere. If mice have been in your home or business, then you need to clean them out as soon as possible. There’s no denying that mice will make a mess anywhere they go – especially if it is a place where you sit down! In this post we’re going to show you how to clean safely a couch after mice!

Why Mice Droppings and Urina are Dangerous?

Mice can seek shelter in almost any area of a home, but most mice tend to gravitate towards the kitchen and living room areas. If mice have found their way into your couch, you will need to clean it along with all other items like cushions and furniture items.

Mice are known to carry over 35 diseases that affect humans and animals, mice droppings, mice urine and mice nests are all associated with diseases.

  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: a serious lung disease if humans come in contact with mice droppings or mice nest.
  • Salmonella: harmful to children and the elderly as well as those who have compromised immune systems.
  • Encephalitis: caused by tiny mites that feed on human blood found in mice nest.

So it is important to clean up any mice droppings or mice nests as soon as possible!

Steps To Disinfect The Couch From The Mice

1. Get Rid Of  The Mice 

If mice have found inside your home, you are going to call mice desinfaction services. Once the mice have been removed from the area, you can clean up any items they may have touched. Allow fresh air to enter after sealing the area. Then you’re ready to disinfect.

2. Wash The Couch

Put on protective clothing, such as a face mask and latex or rubber protective gloves. Remove the mouse droppings by picking them up with a damp towel.

Dilute chlorine bleach in water using one part of bleach for every ten parts of water, then pour it onto the couch. Blot with paper towels to remove excess liquid.

Allow solution to sit for 30 minutes or more before rinsing away using warm water. This will kill any germs left behind after mice caused damage to your furniture items.

Couches with removable covers should be cleaned using hot water and laundry detergent, liquid or packs

The soap will break down the lipid protection around the virus, and a high heat setting on your washing machine will ensure that all bacteria is killed. You should also wash couchins, head bolsters, throws, whatever you and your family have used on this couch.

Amazon Basics Laundry Detergent Pacs

Wash and throw away the gloves you’ve used before washing your hands with soap and water.

3. Let The Couches Dry

After cleaning, make sure to let the couches dry completely. This will help prevent any mold or mildew from growing.

4. Wash All Other Parts Of the Sofa

Make sure you wipe down all plastic parts of your sofa with chlorine solution. If the sofa has wooden or other natural materials surfaces, consult the manufacturer’s website how they can be processed so as not to lose the color of staining, etc.

How to Clean Different Couch Materials

At our house, we have different types of couches – a leather couch, fabric couch, synthetic couch, natural wool couches, etc.

Leather Couch

To clean a leather couch and kill germs, mix half a cup of olive oil with ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle. Use a clean cloth to wipe down the couch, and then use another dry cloth to buff it.

A good choice is to use some commercial leather cleaning products like

Chemical Guys SPI_109_16 Leather Cleaner

Fabric Couch

To clean a fabric couch, make a vinegar solution by mixing ¼ cup of vinegar with one cup of warm water, then adding one spoonful of dishwashing soap. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle and mist your fabric couch. Use a second clean cloth to wipe the couch down and remove any soap residue.

Synthetic Couch

To clean a synthetic couch, mix up a half cup of vinegar, one cup of warm water, and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Pour this solution into the spray bottle, then spritz the entire area to clean it. In addition, you will need a cloth dampened in water to remove any soap residue.

Natural Wool Couch

To clean a natural wool couch, you can use a combination of vinegar, water, and dishwashing soap. Simply mix up a quarter cup of vinegar, one cup of warm water, and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Pour this solution into a spray bottle, then spray the whole couch. Let it dry throughly.

BISSELL® Woolite® Advantage Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

Common Washing And Drying Recommendations

The virus’s lipid envelope is broken down by laundry detergent, rendering it noninfectious. Additionally, the clothes dryer’s heat will ensure that the virus is non-infectious. However, using a clothes dryer alone as a sole therapy is not suggested because not all dryers are capable of maintaining the required temperature.

Use Commercial Disinfectant

Use commercial disinfectant or commercial-grade steam cleaner to clean rugs and upholstered furniture. The Cleaning solutions like

CloroxPro Total 360 Disinfectant Cleaner

are effective for breaking up complex organic proteins, pet smells and stains, grease, oils. They can attack grease, fats and other organic matter that cause slow drains and unpleasant odors.

The water must be hot, at least 140°F (60°C), to work. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application and ventilation.

Wear Gloves

Wear rubber, latex, vinyl, or nitrile gloves and wipe the items with a cloth moistened with disinfectant.

Use A Dryer

It will help to kill the bacteria. If it has seeped through your cushion covers and onto your couch cushions, you will need to clean them as well.

Use Ultraviolet Rays

The UV light will show areas the mouse has dirtied so that you can clean them effectively. In fact, certain viruses become deactivated when they are combined with sunlight and UV rays. Once excreted into the environment by the rodent, hantaviruses can survive in the environment and remain infectious for a period of 2-3 days. Ultraviolet rays in sunlight inactivate hantaviruses.

Video: Hotel uses UV lights to clean up

Never Vacuum Mice Droppings And Nestings!

Never sweep or vacuumi mouse droppings since this might spread hantavirus infection. The virus is primarily spread by rodents, and a deadly respiratory illness can result from it. By vacuuming mouse dropping, including their urine and nest, you run the danger of dispersing the virus particles, which may become airborne.

Conclusion

We hope you’ve learned a few things about mice and how to clean after them! There’s no denying that if they make their way into your home, it can be quite the ordeal. It is important for you as well as those who use the space to not only know what to do but also how to do it safely. With these tips in mind, we’re confident that any future encounter with rodents will go much smoother than before. If you have questions or would like more information on our services, please contact us today!