Before you clean them up, photograph them. Droppings are dateable, and in a rented property that date is worth money.
Photograph them first, then clean safely, then find where they are coming from.
Do not sweep or vacuum dry droppings. Dampen the area first — disturbing dried rodent droppings puts particles into the air, which is the one real health risk in this job.
Tenants routinely clean up, then report it, then find the conversation has become about whether it happened at all.
| Dropping | Size | Shape | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | 12–18mm | Tapered at one or both ends, spindle-shaped | Brown rat |
| Mouse | 3–6mm | Small, thin, pointed, very numerous | House mouse |
| Squirrel | Larger, rounded | Blunt, scattered | Grey squirrel |
| Cockroach | 1–2mm | Ridged, blunt-ended | Cockroach |
| Bat | Similar to mouse | Crumbles to shiny fragments | Bat — protected, do not disturb |
Rat droppings are notably larger than mouse droppings and fewer in number. Mice produce dozens a night; rats produce a smaller number of much bigger ones.
£240 for a house, £190 for a flat, proofing from £180. Published before anyone visits.
View Rat Control Rayners Lane →The reason for dampening is straightforward: dried rodent droppings can release particles when disturbed, and a vacuum cleaner distributes them very efficiently.
They can carry organisms harmful to people, which is why the damp-clean method and gloves matter. Handled sensibly, the risk is low.
Any fresh rat droppings indoors mean a rat indoors. There is no acceptable number.
Compare the size. Under about 6mm and very numerous is a mouse, which is a different job at the same price.
Nothing to do with droppings — but wasp nests are £90 fixed in Rayners Lane, guaranteed for 30 days.
Photograph them with the date before you clean anything, especially if you rent. Cleaning first and reporting afterwards loses you the evidence.
Rat droppings are 12 to 18mm and tapered; mouse droppings are 3 to 6mm and very numerous. Mice produce dozens a night, rats fewer but much bigger.
Fresh droppings are dark, soft and shiny. Weeks-old ones are grey, dry and crumble when pressed. A mix of both means it is ongoing.
No. Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings. Dampen them with disinfectant first, let it sit, then lift with kitchen paper and bag it.
Dried rodent droppings can release particles when disturbed, and a vacuum cleaner distributes them very efficiently.
Clear all the droppings, then check the same spot after 48 hours. New droppings on a cleared surface is the clearest confirmation there is.
Report it in writing the same day with photographs, ask for a professional inspection rather than a box of poison, and keep every message.
Grey, dry, crumbling droppings predate you. Report it immediately with photographs, which protects your deposit at the other end of the tenancy.
Photograph them, then damp-clean them. Treatment is £190 for a flat and £240 for a house.
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