Whether your mousetrap caught it or the cat just dragged it in, there’s no getting around the truth. You have a dead rodent on your hands, and it’s up to you to deal with the remains. Do you know how to do it safely?

Avoiding Contamination

Wild animals often spread disease, and mice are no exception. Many carry hantaviruses, and most have a close acquaintance with fleas. For your own protection, it’s best to keep your hands off the carcass.

If you simply found the mouse lying there, the plastic bag approach can work quite well. Just slip your hand inside and pick up the varmint. You can now turn the bag inside out, knot the open end and throw it into the garbage.

If the creature met its end in a mousetrap, it’s perfectly permissible to bag what you found, mouse and all, and toss it into the trash. Otherwise, to save the trap, you’ll have to remove the carcass, but don some rubber gloves before you do. After you’ve bagged and discarded the remains, disinfect the trap with bleach.

Cleaning Up

It’s important to wash your hands when you’re through, and if you wore gloves to dispose of the body, you’ll need to do it twice: once while you’re still wearing them, then a second time after taking them off. 

Preventing Future Trouble

When a mouse expires inside your home, chances are good that he wasn’t living solo. If you later encounter the rest of his clan, don’t try to fight it yourself. It takes just one rodent to repopulate an area, so you need the help of a pest control expert who has the equipment to clear your home thoroughly, leaving not a single mouse behind.