Case Study: Crawl Space Cleaning and Disinfection in Toronto

Exterior Inspection 

Previously, a customer complained of a dead rat smell in the basement whereafter a technician was deployed and successfully excluded the rats. The case last time was a success. This time the homeowners called the technicians back to decontaminate and clean out the crawl space since that is where the rats were found last time as well. Technicians headed out to the area to start the crawl space and decontamination process which was quite demanding.

Initial Measures Taken 

To even start the process, technicians had to get rid of all the debris that the crawl space was packed with. This debris gives rats the optimal condition to thrive in since they love to hide and build nests in these conditions. Most rats reach the crawl space by finding their way through utility pipes that are out of service yet still connected to the house. Once they reach their destination, they make use of their digging ability and dig out from there on.

Other ways rats, enter a crawl space is to take advantage of structural weaknesses around the perimeter called foundation gaps. These gaps form from wear and tear and exposure to the elements for a prolonged time which causes structural deterioration that leads to cracks, holes, and crevices which the rat uses to get to the inside of the property.

To fully decontaminate the crawl space, the technicians used specialized equipment called the fogger. The fogger disperses concentrated botanical disinfectants that will spread throughout the crawl space and will get rid of pathogens. Foggers are crucial in order to make sure that spaces are thoroughly and fully decontaminated. Foggers will take our botanical disinfectants and turn them into tiny droplets so they can disperse and cover wide areas in the form of fog.

Wherever there are rats active in space, there are feces. Rat feces are highly dangerous because they can spread diseases. Rats can carry 35 diseases with them and are for this reason known as a vector of disease. To clear out the rat feces, the technician made use of a specialized vacuum called a HEPA-Vacuum. HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Absorbing Filter. The reason why this filter is so special is that it is able to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns. This means it can capture airborne particles that induce allergic reactions. This is especially efficient for rat droppings that contain infection-causing particles that can be inhaled. To put this into perspective, a strand of human hair is about 70 microns.

Conclusion

The rat case was a success. It is very important to know as a property owner to be able to recognize the signs of a rat infestation and what to do against it. Over-the-counter measures have little effect because of the lack of active ingredients and lack of knowledge that is needed to deploy these rat poisons effectively. Need to get rid of pests so they won’t come back? Call The Exterminators at 647-496-2211