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andrea_san_diego

Cleaning Nightmare

18 years ago

I have an 8'x10' garden shed in my backyard on a conrete pad. Last fall I closed it up for the winter and a mother skunk (pregnant of course) moved in to have her babies, making a cozy nest for her brood. I don't know how many babies she had but the result was a disaster because the family continued to use my shed as their personal toilet. In some areas the feces and urine was a solid disgusting mass and I had to scrap it all out with a flat shovel. I've also repaired the hole they were using to squeeze inside.

I've emptied the shed and removed the solid waste but need advise on how to sanitize the shed short of bringing in a hazmat team. I set off a bug bomb to kill all of the fleas and am ready to clean. My first thought is to pour bleach over the floor full strength but thought it better to ask the experts in the cleaning forum.

Thanks,

Andrea

Comments (8)

  • 18 years ago

    I would use a diluted bleach/water mix. Before you use the mixture spray the floor with water to remove any flea bomb residue- it could be dangerous to mix the two.

  • 18 years ago

    I saw a product advertized on the web that looks pretty good and am wondering if anyone has tried it?

    Here is a link that might be useful: SCOE 10X

  • 18 years ago

    I would not use bleach unless you have a good respirator - the off-gassing will be bad.

    Any strong enzyme-based cleaner will work. You should be able to find one at a janitorial supply. The product you linked to sounds good if it does what it says. I have no experience with the product.

  • 18 years ago

    Bleach may mix with the urine on the ground and become a toxic cloud. I too would use an enzyme cleaner.
    Baby skunks are so cute.LOL

  • 18 years ago

    I agree with the enzyme cleaner suggestion, mixing bleach with other chemicals is hazardous and the bleach might not be good for your walls. You don't say what material you used to enclose the area, make sure what you get is safe for wood, vinyl, or whatever you used for the walls. They would require different kinds of solutions, I would think.

    Good luck!

  • 18 years ago

    It's a white plastic shed from Home Depot on an 8x10 concrete pad. It has a 2x4 foundation anchoring it to the pad made of pressure treated wood. It's been airing out for the past 4 days and I've found a concoction on the web that claims to be cheap and effective.

    1 qt. hydrogen peroxide
    1.4 C. baking soda
    2 tsp. dishwashing liquid

    That should clean up and deodorize the mess. Then I'll see about a disenfectant. I hope this works. I'll let you know. Thanks for all the suggestions.

  • 18 years ago

    Bleach mixed with urine will not create toxic fumes. Many kennels and vet offices use a bleach/water mixture for disinfecting purposes. We mix a 10% bleach and 90% water solution for cleaning out kennels- and we rinse them when finished. We have used this solution on concrete, wood, grass, metal, plastic, and vinyl and never had any issues with it ruining materials.

    The hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dish soap- is also used on pets that have been skunked. The most effective way to use this is not to clean the area with any other cleaners first- not even water.

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks groomingal! So far I have just scraped out the shed and am getting organized to do the scrubbing. I'll get my kneepads and I'll be ready to go.