What's in Your Attic?^®

Wild animals and attics do not combine well, and any amount of wildlife or pest traffic may require removal and replacement of attic insulation. It is always important to consider some level of biohazard clean-up where animals, bats, and birds have occupied an attic, including removing contamination from remote areas or the entire attic.

The purpose of an attic cleaning and restoration is to revive and replace damage caused by an invasion of bats, birds, raccoons, squirrels, and other vermin. When a raccoon, opossum, squirrel, bird, or bat takes up residence in an attic, they don't come alone—they also bring parasites and insects with them. Getting your attic back to a healthy state involves getting rid of everything brought in with your unwanted attic guests, and performing an attic restoration.

If attic animal cleanup is left unaddressed, your attic can become a dangerous breeding ground for various wildlife diseases that can affect the health and the welfare of every member of your home. Spores of respiratory diseases such as raccoon roundworm and histoplasmosis can be airborne and easily contracted accidentally.

Insulation provides a warm place for rodents to have their nests, and other animals like raccoons and squirrels will rip it apart. If animals crawl through your insulation, they will urinate and defecate which soils the insulation. This causes a couple of big issues for your home.

The first issue is that the insulation is no longer effective in protecting your home from temperature changes if it is damaged. Insulation keeps warm air in when it’s cold outside and keeps cool air in when it’s hot out. If your insulation isn’t working correctly, your home isn’t operating efficiently, which costs you a lot of money over the year.

Rodents have teeth that do not stop growing. To keep themselves comfortable, they will chew on anything that they can find, including the pipes and wires in your home. The result is bare wires which is a fire hazard. Eventually, if the issue is not addressed with proper wildlife attic cleanup and attic restoration, heating and cooling ducts often become destroyed or filled with feces and/or can circulate these contaminants throughout your home.

Getting Rid Of Animals In The Attic

One of the first steps to getting your attic back to normal is getting rid of animals in the attic. If your attic has been invaded by wildlife, it's important to exclude the animals before we can implement any other steps! A wildlife specialist will perform a complete exclusive Wildlife Inspection Report® to determine any wildlife problems. If you have bats in the attic, or raccoons living upstairs, it's likely you have a rodent problem as well. Once we determine the problems you're facing, we can make an exclusion plan, then start the attic clean up process. 

How Do You Restore an Attic?

Learn more about getting rid of animals in the attic and complete attic restoration, step-by-step!

• Exclusion—The first step in attic restoration after any wildlife removal is the exclusion of said pests. 
• Clean-Up—After exclusion, the first step to attic restoration is the removal of contaminants from dead animals, their feces, and getting all the old soiled and matted insulation out and disposed of properly.
• Insect Treatment—Treat for any insect infestation which is common with most vermin.
• Disinfect/Deodorize—Disinfect and deodorize the attic before any new insulation is added to the attic.
• Replace Insulation—Re-installing the insulation back to its original R rating or better. Having quality insulation will save you an unbelievable amount of money on your energy bills.

Why is it Important to Clean Up Dead Animals & Feces?

• ​Dead animals and feces are important to clean up immediately to avoid other pests from being drawn into your home. However, before you remove the droppings or carcasses from your house yourself, you should know the dangers that come along with them. Dead carcasses are a playground for viruses and diseases that can seriously harm or even kill. Just like dead bodies, animal feces can be a host for a wide range of harmful things. Parasites, viruses, bacteria, and fungi can be transferred from fecal matter to humans even if you are careful. It is best to save the removal to the professionals with the proper equipment and know-how. 

What Happens After You Replace Insulation in the Attic?

• After we install insulation in your attic, allow our team to check your home for proper ventilation. A well-ventilated attic will prevent heat build-up, keeping your attic at a cooler temperature in the summer and removing harmful moist air from your attic in the winter. 
• Proper insulation also directly correlates to how well your insulation performs. Appropriate levels of insulation can result in decreased energy consumption throughout the year, as well as helping to prevent damage and maintain a comfortable temperature all year.
• To ensure proper ventilation, we'll restore your attic by removing contaminated insulation and installing new, higher-quality insulation in its place. Our insulation outperforms traditional insulation in nearly every category. We also incorporate a borate-based pest control product into the insulation, which helps control attic pests such as ants, termites, and cockroaches.

Attic Restoration Costs

The cost of attic restoration will depend on the state of your attic and how long the animals have been living up there. If wildlife has been left unattended in your attic, they will soil the insulation with urine and droppings. They will also chew wires and wood beams. If wildlife problems are caught early in your home, the attic restoration costs will be much lower than if the problem has been lingering. However, no matter what level of attic cleaning and restoration you're in need of, our team can help! Some insurance companies will also cover attic restoration. Give our team a call to get started. (817) 431-3007

Benefits of Attic Restoration

Energy Efficiency

When you replace your insulation or add to what you already have, you’re increasing the energy efficiency of your home. Your home will be able to retain its heat in the cold months better and keep the heat out during the warm ones. This will reduce your heating and cooling bill, saving you money over the long term!

Potential Increased Home Value

Your property value may increase when you update your insulation. If it does, this could get you more money when you sell it, or if you would like to take a line of credit out on your home in the future, it could help increase that amount.

Peace of Mind

Knowing your insulation is clean from animal droppings and keeping your home insulated properly gives you peace of mind. Knowing things are in working order and are safe for your family is invaluable.

Our insulation can also help control your energy costs by eliminating air infiltration, sound transmission, and controlling heat loss/gain. Contact Wildlife X Team® today for professional attic insulation!