Raccoons are messy tenants with one oddly tidy habit: they pick a toilet and keep using it. So when you find raccoon feces in the attic, you rarely find a few scattered droppings. You find a latrine, a pile in one corner that has been building for weeks or months, with the insulation underneath soaked and flattened.
That latrine is the most hazardous thing in the attic, because raccoon feces can carry the eggs of raccoon roundworm, and most disinfectants won't kill them. The job is physical removal: the feces, the insulation under and around the latrine, and anything else the animals have soiled, followed by washing the surfaces underneath.
A raccoon latrine is hard to mistake
The CDC describes raccoon feces as dark and tubular with a pungent odor, and lists attics among the places raccoons set up latrines. Individual droppings are thick, roughly the diameter of a thumb, often blunt-ended and frequently studded with undigested seeds, berries or bits of shell. In an attic, you'll usually see:
- One or a few concentrated piles, often in a corner, near the entry hole or on a flat surface such as a plank walkway or the top of a stored box.
- Flattened, matted insulation and urine staining spreading out from the pile.
- Old, dried feces at the bottom with fresher material on top.
- A den area nearby where the insulation has been pulled into a bed.
Scattered droppings along a run, rather than a pile, point to a different animal, so look at the whole attic before you plan the job.
Raccoon roundworm is why latrines get special treatment
Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) lives in the raccoon's gut and sheds eggs in its feces. People are infected by accidentally swallowing the eggs, which is why anything that carries latrine dust (gloves, tools, sleeves) matters, and you can't tell from a raccoon's behavior whether it's infected. Two details from the CDC's raccoon roundworm prevention guidance shape how latrines are cleaned:
- Old latrines are the dangerous ones. Newly deposited eggs aren't infective; they need at least 2 to 4 weeks to develop. A latrine that has been building all season is full of eggs that are ready to infect, which is why prompt removal is the recommendation.
- Most chemicals don't kill the eggs. Spraying a latrine with disinfectant and walking away does very little. Heat kills the eggs instantly, which is why the CDC suggests boiling water or a propane torch for soiled decks and patios, after checking the local fire department's rules. Nobody should take a flame into an attic full of dry insulation and framing, so up there the eggs are dealt with by getting them out of the building, not by treating them where they lie.
Removing the latrine and cleaning what's underneath
The CDC's advice is to remove the feces and anything they've soiled and send it to be burned, buried or landfilled, lightly misting the latrine from a spray bottle first so dust stays down. For indoor latrines where a torch isn't an option, it suggests wiping the area with hot soapy water and a damp (not wet) sponge, rinsing the sponge often and bagging it for the trash afterward.
On an attic job, that translates to:
- Mist the latrine lightly to keep dust down. Don't soak it; you want damp, not runoff into the ceiling below.
- Lift the feces into a bag with a scoop or an inverted bag, keeping the pile intact as far as possible.
- Remove the insulation under the latrine and for a generous margin around it, along with the den and any urine-soaked travel paths.
- Wash the exposed drywall paper, joists and decking the same way, and bag the sponges with the waste.
- Inspect for a second or third latrine before calling the attic clean.
Protective gear follows the CDC's list: disposable gloves, rubber boots that can be scrubbed or disposable booties, and an N95-rated respirator in confined spaces such as attics. We'd add disposable coveralls, because roundworm eggs on your clothes go wherever you go next. Our Microvek coveralls are a microporous barrier against hazardous dusts with elastic wrists and ankles, so nothing works its way in at the cuffs. Peel them off inside out at the hatch and bag them with the waste.
Raccoons wreck more of the attic than smaller animals
A raccoon is a heavy animal, and the attic shows it. Beyond the latrine, expect insulation crushed flat along their routes, insulation dragged into a den, torn or flattened ductwork, damaged soffits and roof edges at the entry point and urine staining around both the den and latrine. That's why raccoon jobs usually end up with more insulation coming out than the homeowner expected.
A rough guide to scope:
|
What you find |
What usually comes out
|
|---|---|
|
One latrine, little travel through the rest of the attic |
The latrine zone, the den and the path between them |
|
Several latrines or heavy travel across the attic |
Most or all of the insulation |
|
Torn ducts or soaked insulation over a ceiling stain |
Full removal in that area, plus repairs before reinsulation |
Raccoon-soiled insulation is wet, packed and heavy, so it needs a bag rated for weight. Our PRO-450 Super Duty bag is the one we recommend: 75 cubic feet, a 450 pound rating and our highest filtration and lowest dust. For small latrine-only jobs, our PRO-200 small bags are easier to fill in the attic and carry down through a 22 inch hatch.
Spring kits change the timing
Female raccoons often den in attics to raise their young in spring. Sealing the entry while kits are inside means trapped animals, frantic damage and, eventually, a dead-animal smell on top of everything else. Confirm the attic is empty before exclusion and before any cleanup starts, and listen for kits. Rules on trapping, relocating and handling raccoons vary from state to state, so check with your state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife professional before anyone removes an animal.
Stock the truck for latrine jobs
Raccoon attics reward crews who show up with the right gear: heavy-duty bags, a few small ones for the latrine itself and a box of disposable suits. You'll find the full lineup on our insulation vacuum bags page, RAM ships free the same day to anywhere in the US, and we answer 404-354-6268 day and night if you need help sizing an order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do raccoons use more than one latrine in an attic?
They can. A single attic may have a main latrine plus smaller secondary sites, especially if more than one raccoon has been using the space or a mother has moved her kits around. Check every corner and along the eaves before deciding the job is done.
Can I bleach a raccoon latrine and leave the insulation?
No. Bleach and most other chemicals don't kill raccoon roundworm eggs, so treating the latrine in place leaves the eggs behind. The feces and the insulation under them have to be physically removed and bagged.
How should I clean my clothes and skin after a raccoon cleanup?
The CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and warm running water and laundering clothes in hot water with detergent. Disposable coveralls make this easier, because the outer layer goes straight into the waste bag and never enters the house.
Can raccoon feces contaminate the ductwork?
If raccoons have torn or crushed ducts in the attic, debris and dust from the latrine area can get into the system. Have an HVAC contractor inspect and repair any damaged runs as part of the restoration, and keep the system off while the latrine and insulation are removed.
How do I know the raccoons are really gone before cleanup?
A wildlife professional will usually use a one-way exit device or monitoring at the entry point to confirm no animals are coming and going. Look and listen for kits, especially in spring, and check that no fresh feces appear on the latrine after it has been cleared.