Before

After

Guano

SERVPRO of Columbia, Montour & Sullivan Counties was contacted to provide an estimate for cleanup of bat droppings in a residential property's attic space. The property has been for sale for some time. The access to the attic was via a normal stairway, but the attic itself had only a 5 ft height in the center peak, down to a couple inches at the soffit edge. After providing a detailed estimate, including HEPA vacuuming; gross deposit scooping and cleanup; disposal fees; and Personal Protection equipment (suits, respirators, gloves), the customer gave approval to perform the cleanup of heavier concentrations of the droppings. Bat and pigeon droppings are considered hazardous materials, due to the possibility of fungal spores being present in the droppings, called Histoplasma. When these spores become airborne, possibly through agitation (sweeping the area with a broom, for instance), the result could be a lung infection, called Histoplasmosis. The effects are very similar to pneumonia and is treated with antifungal  medications.The crew was able to remove the heavy concentrations with manual means, then used a HEPA vacuum to remove smaller particles and dust.