We’re cleaning out a really disgusting room. We’re not keeping anything from in there. It’s mostly garbage.
Seriously, I’m not risking my life and future health to hold onto some crap I don’t even want. I don’t know how much my life is worth to me, but it’s a lot more than some old ratty Barbie Dolls and the Kid’s precious tub of legos. (Which wouldn’t have been in storage for so long if he really wanted them.)
When I went in that room to clean it, there were all the signs that rats had been in there. All the stuffed animals had been torn into and there were old traces of urine.
I closed the door and didn’t go back.
Rats are serious business. Breathing their dried up poop can make a person really and permanently sick.
I saw that episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where Hodges was full on geared up to deal with that rat garbage. He listed some really horrible things you can catch from rat feces and urine. NO, THANK YOU.
It was the first time I’d seen someone from the show all dressed up in protective gear like that. The other CSIs walk in to find Hodges treating the rat mess like it’s a super plague, while they’re wearing everyday clothes. He wasn’t about to change just to fit the cool attitude of his co-workers and he told them so. That was cool to me.
In CSI and other police procedural shows, the actors and actresses leave their hair hanging around their faces and sometimes don’t put their gloves all the way on. Meanwhile, in the real world, professionals tie their hair back if it’s needed, wear sensible clothes, and do their own paperwork.
Take the forensic techs in Hot Fuzz for instance. They were covered head to toe in their clean suits. They were so well-covered that people watching the movie didn’t realize that Cate Blanchett was the girlfriend. (Which puts everything that he lost in perspective. Life in the city, beautiful girlfriend, and the place that he lived. Oh yeah, and he got stabbed by a crazed Santa, which is the universal sign for winning at life.)
TL;DR, I want protective gear when we clean that room. At the very least a respirator, boots, and a good pair of gloves. An apron would not go too far amiss.
Rats are dangerous to humans. They carry diseases and can infect you in numerous ways. Unless it’s a pet, you don’t want even a single rat in your home.
