Record amount of mouse turds?

[Campy]

I thought that the 1960 kombi that I had to cut up had a lot of mouse/rat turds in it until I got this 1960 double cab. There had been a mouse hotel beneath the front bench seat in the cavity, and behind it where the spare tire would normally go.
Since this was going to be a dirty operation, I donned my surgical mask, and used my tube-shaped Electrolux vacuum cleaner to suck up the little suckers. Every so often, the metal tube on the end of the vacuum cleaner's hose would clog up with those little peckers, and I would ram one of those long refrigerator coil-cleaning brushes down it. There were so many turds rushing up the hose, it sounded like a slot machine when someone has hit a jackpot, but it was music to my ears.
It went on and on, taking parts of two afternoons until the final tally was taken: over two and one-half vacuum cleaner bags full of mouse turds. They were all in just those two areas. Is that a record or what? I bet that nobody could ever beat that.
Now, about sterilizing the vacuum cleaner...

[glutamodo]

hmmm, I'd have to ask, has the hantavirus made it to your part of the country yet?

From this site - http://www.hantavirus.net/info3.html

If you need to clean out a part of your residence -- such as your toolshed or your vacation home -- where there is a heavy rodent infestation and your risk factor is high, here are some safety precautions:

-If possible, open up all doors and windows in advance, to air it out.
-Wear latex or heavy rubber gloves. If possible, wear disposable coveralls, rubber boots, and safety goggles.
-If the hantavirus occurs naturally in your area, you should wear a respirator mask with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter, and be trained on how to use it.
-Don't use a broom or vaccum cleaner to clean up dust and dirt. This will only stir up the infected particles.
-Wet down shelves, floors, and other potentially contaminated areas with a liquid disinfectant or a 10% bleach solution.
-Once wet, remove all waste material with a wet towel. Once finished, mop and sponge down the area again with disinfectant.
-If you find any dead rodents or rodent droppings, spray them liberally with disinfectant before removing them.
-Dispose of all cleaning materials in a double bag, and then burn or bury them. If neither of these methods are feasible, contact your state health department for direction.
-Hey, you're still wearing gloves, remember? Disinfect them before taking them off, and then wash your hands when finished. Dispose of the gloves, too.

[miscreantgnomie]

Sorry the record book requires a screen shot picture time stamped as proof


I vacumed out 2 shop vac buckets of rust out of my sc so far


No turds !! I feel cheated
_________________
62 sc, 62 SO 34, 61 mango, (2) 67 deluxe in crappy shape, 73 thing, 64 ghia,
and some embarassing bays. shhh, I just use them for storage. (hides)
San Antonio (SAAC/VOSA)

[Campy]

I forgot that the first vacuum cleaner bag had some stuff already in it, so it would be more like under two bags.
I screwed up. How much longer before I could get sick? Can the virus stay in the doppings for very long? These were old ones.
How would I go about disenfecting thw vacuum cleaner?

[jazzed]

How much longer before I could get sick?<<<<

Well, let's just say you need to finish your bus project in the next couple of days.........

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I ran into the same thing yesterday stripping an old rear seat; it was full of mouse turds and it came from Arkansas, so I'm not sure if I could get the virus or not. Its been about 36 hours for me and I feel fine.

[glutamodo]

Well, I'd first find out if hantavirus has been known to be present in your county, (or in whatever county/region the Bus was in when infested, of course) Not sure if older droppings are "better" than fresh ones. Dried out and dusty is bad though, as far as exposure goes.

That http://www.hantavirus.net/ website has this page with more info about the disease itself:

http://www.hantavirus.net/info2.html

(It says 5 days to 3 weeks after infection for symptoms to show up.)

[k29349@yahoo]

I think you will have to burn the vaccum cleaner.

[Captoaster]

The virus is shed in saliva, urine and feces of infected rodents.
Human infection may occur when infective saliva or excreta is inhaled by humans. It has been stated that the active virus lives only a week or so after being excreted. Hope this information has been helpful.
Rob

[Campy]

They are probably not much better than el cheapo nuisance dust masks but I do have a box of the type of masks that they wear in hospitals. Bastardbus is right: a proper respirator would be better, though the viruses are pretty small. The turds were confined to the two small areas and there was very little dust.
I may be living on borrowed time but that free 1960 bus that I got over a year ago was full of mouse turds and, in this case, they were scattered all over the bus. One day, I am hoping to get a bus that isn't full of turds.

[amishman]

Man, all this talk about the Hantavirus has me freaked. I have a garage full of mice poos. Some in my Thing also. Always just sweep them up. Just repaired washer and dryer today and all sorts of poos in it I cleaned up. No mask. argh... We have always had mice. Winter we get them in the walls and such. Put out bait and the ones in the wall seem to go away. We live in the sticks so have all sorts of wildlife. Found dead mice in the garage all the time. Shovel them up and chuck them. I guess I need to empty the whole garage out and disenfect everything. My pooches live out in the garage and we keep them from the sides of walls and corners where mice poos show up.

Now I gotta figure out how to get the poos out of the Thing.

tj
_________________
tj (the Amishman)

Come visit my web site!
http://www.vwhippie.com

[BurtReynoldsIsBald]

As the owner and propietor of Burt's Mouse Turd Museum (exit 79 in Lake Worth), I can assure you that that's not a record. And let's stop the mouse turd disease hysteria before it takes hold and starts to rob people of the joy of handling mouse turds.

[crukab]

This '66 Singlecab I've been waiting on has abig nest in the storage area under the bed, the nest is as long as a tire width.( that is the nest on the right)

When I opened the treasure chest door, the stink was brutal..........
_________________
Tom

My Pops:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604100&highlight=
I know you will always be with me, rest in peace with no more pain. 8/13/14.....

In the yard right now:
'51 Dodge 5 window truck
'65 Bug
'66 Singlecab
'82 Rabbit Truck Diesel from CALI
'86 Doublecab W/T
'91 Vanagon carat/wolfsbrg.Tiico
'88 Dodge Ram pickup
'11 Jetta Wagon

[miscreantgnomie]

[Stanagon]

This is what I found in the overhead air vent of my '61 Mango.

I removed most of it by hand, wearing rubber gloves, a long sleeve jacket and a mask. I did not get the Hanta virus, but did get all the crap out.
_________________
Stan's Classic Service, specializing in air-cooled VWs:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=614073

www.stanagon.com


My '61 Mango bus thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110367
My '64 vert thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=386344
My '71 squareback thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637709

[Campy]

So, is the consensus that I will not get ill or die and I don't have to figure out who to leave my buses and bus parts to?
Straighten me out if I am wrong but old mouse turds are alright; it's the fresher ones that we have to worry about? Are there any mouse "turdologists" out there? and can there be a problem with mouse or rat urine?
Stanagon, was that overhead vent filled up with crap or was that the front cover? That is really disturbing. That should get a "picture of the year" award. I suggest that you submit a copy of it to the academy.
What is the record for largest amount of mouse turds in one bus at Burt's Mouse Turd Museum and whose bus holds it?
It will be interesting to see how many bags of mouse turds come out of crukab's truck. My double cab totaled about one and three-fourths vacuum cleaner bags (tube type vacuum cleaner; bag about the size of a large lunch bag) so that will be tough to beat.
Should it be submitted to the people at Guiness Book of Records? I would have to send them the evidence.

[stymie]

[SkooobaSteve]