In films and TV, raccoons are portrayed as lovable little creatures with fuzzy faces. In reality, however, this is far from the truth. Raccoons are disease-carrying and destructive animals that will tear your home or business to shreds. There are numerous ways that these little monsters manage to wreak havoc on structures. This guide will cover a few of the most destructive things these vermin can do to a building.
- Destroy Your Attic Insulation: For insulation to work properly, it relies on air trapped in it, making it fluffy. The air, coupled with the insulation material, creates an effective barrier to keep your energy bill low. Raccoons destroy these air pockets when they trample all over the insulation in your attic. When they walk across the insulation, it compacts it and reduces its ability to control temperature change. The result is spending thousands more than you need to on cooling and heating your business or home.
- Droppings: Trampling the insulation is not the only harm that they do, however. Another way that raccoons manage to destroy a home is by using the lush fields of insulation in your attic as their own personal toilet. This buildup of droppings and urination will eventually lead to horrid smells and nasty stains, especially if it is in an attic where sweltering summer heat can accelerate the smell situation and spread it throughout a structure.
- Create Holes and Expose Building to Outdoors: If a raccoon has ventured into your attic or home, this means that more than likely, they have already caused a massive amount of damage. This is because the critters will enter through a hole that they have torn into your building. This exposed raccoon door is the perfect spot for all sorts of unwanted house guests to come into your home or office and quickly escalate problems. Not to mention that this is yet another way raccoons can cause massive and costly energy losses.
- Chew Up Wiring: The attic is the perfect spot of networks of wiring to deliver power to your house. It provides an unobstructed space where the electricity can be distributed with ease. Unfortunately, when a raccoon inhabits the attic, it is also the perfect opportunity for them to cause massive amounts of damage. When a raccoon decides to chew on wiring running through the attic, it can tear through the vital insulation layers that protect the wires from delivering the electricity to spots that it is not designed to go. This could lead to a deceased raccoon rotting in the attic that may not be noticed until it is too late. Another risk is the fire hazard associated with this problem, as stray electricity provides a more than adequate source for ignition.
These four ways that raccoons destroy a home, office, or any structure are just the tip of the iceberg. The problems associated with these animals taking up residence in your attic, walls, or basement could spell disaster for your living space. The best way to deal with a raccoon problem is to get a professional to remove and then treat an area. This will eliminate the current issue and prevent future pests from making the same mistake.