Safe Mouse Nest Removal

M

Mitch Newman

Member
I am in the restoration process on a Model A that was stored for many years. I have discovered more than one nest tucked away in the seat springs. Normally I would just reach in and pull out and/or vacuum out to remove as much as possible. Also, the upholstery will be removed anyway since it is so old. My question is, and I have recently heard that this could be dangerous or make you sick from the mouse urine residue and droppings. Is there a procedure that you all have used to safely handle the removal and disinfect for the future to reuse seat wood, springs, etc.?
 
Vacuum with a filter is just fine.. This next part most will say is not needed, as did I until I ended up with a fungus in my lungs...... Wear a N95 mask that is properly fitted anytime you are around this type of dust.
 
Thank You. As usual, I have already done one seat cushion without any protection. Learned of the warning after the fact. It has been a couple of months with no apparent issues. Hopefully, everything is OK.
 
When I removed the mouse stained headliner from my Victoria project, I dressed like one of the folks from the movie ET.
I had a full Tyvek suit, respirator, booties and heavy rubber gloves, taped to my sleeves.
I draped sheet plastic across the interior of the car, seats were all out, and began pulling the fabric & cotton down, dropping it onto the plastic.
I sprayed everything, and I do mean everything, with a bleach/water solution using a pump-up garden sprayer. The tedious part was plucking the cotton pieces out of the chicken wire. Once that mess was all pulled lout, I rolled it all up in the sheet plastic and threw it away. I then sprayed the bleach solution all over the metal & wood of the floor and wiped it up.

The worst thing you can do is vacuum it or sweep it as that gets the dust flying so you can inhale it.
 
Vern said:
When I removed the mouse stained headliner from my Victoria project, I dressed like one of the folks from the movie ET.
I had a full Tyvek suit, respirator, booties and heavy rubber gloves, taped to my sleeves.
I draped sheet plastic across the interior of the car, seats were all out, and began pulling the fabric & cotton down, dropping it onto the plastic.
I sprayed everything, and I do mean everything, with a bleach/water solution using a pump-up garden sprayer. The tedious part was plucking the cotton pieces out of the chicken wire. Once that mess was all pulled lout, I rolled it all up in the sheet plastic and threw it away. I then sprayed the bleach solution all over the metal & wood of the floor and wiped it up.

The worst thing you can do is vacuum it or sweep it as that gets the dust flying so you can inhale it.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a very reasonable way to tackle that job.
 
Ok Tom.. .I have to admit your mouse piss being worse than road salt made me laugh... Post that make us laugh once in a while are the best.
Larry Shepard
 
Young friend from our church died from a fungus in his lungs this past January. Got it from breathing dust from bird feces in an attic. He worked with an HVAC company. He was only 22 an left a young bride and a daughter less than a year old. I have a new respect for this old dust now.
 
larrys40 said:
Ok Tom.. .I have to admit your mouse piss being worse than road salt made me laugh... Post that make us laugh once in a while are the best.
Larry Shepard
Click to expand...


It's true-you should see what 30 years of mice nests did to the inside of my '30 sedan-especially the doors. One rear door was filled all the way up to the sill with a nest-the urine turned the wood frame to balsa wood, and rusted out the door skin completely. Fortunately I was able to find some replacement doors.
I also dressed in a "moon suit" when I tore out all the old upholstery. The headliner was sagging with nests, and the seat springs were packed,too. I filled up a couple of those big black trash bags with all the stuff I pulled out of there-even a possum skeleton.
 
This post made me laugh, espcially the corrosive nature of mouse piss. It is awful. When I was a kid we had farm trucks that sat for long periods of time in barns. It was amazing how much material the mice could gather / deposit and or remove from a truck seat over the winter. Occationally after a bad infestation, the cabs smelled so bad it was impossible to drive without the windows down. All the above tricks work and are a good idea. Good thing I guess I never got sick. Many of my friends, not involved with old cars or agriculture have no idea what we go through with these critters.
 
Thanks guys for all the information. The crazy thing is that I have cleaned stuff up like this for years and never knew the dangers.
 
Also check the wiring tunnel under the gas tank. I had a mouse chew through all the wiring going through a nest under there.
 
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