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OT: need info for cleaning mouse pee and droppings out of CNC cabinet

jackal

Titanium
Joined
May 4, 2006
Location
northwest ARK
My buddy was showing us a CNC retrofit he did a few years ago.
It operates ok.
When he opened the cabinet, there were mouse droppings, sticky looking pee, and a paper nest.
He vacuumed the nest,& droppings.
When he started it up, it stunk so bad!!!

I told him to try the CRC brand electronics cleaner, and let it drip down to paper towels in bottom of cabinet.

This is truly awful.
They have a spray that can be used on energized electronics.
He talked about using this ( with power off), and soaking it down, then use air hose. Let it dry for a week before using.

His wife thinks he can put baking soda on a tray in the bottom, to soak up the smell.

A computer site fold him go take all boards out and wash with some kind of soap, and rinse with distilled water.
That's too much labor, and we think it would ruin everything.


He can't find where the mice get in.
He'll have to fix that, or it will happen again.

I think they came in thru the fan\ cabinet filters.
When I go back, I'll check.

Thanks for the info
 
Mouse poop can be dangerous to breath. i would wear a face mask if doing any spraying... likely I would would not use the air pressure hose..use a damp wash rag with dish washing solution,could add a coupe table spoons of washing soda so to avoid rusting.. perhaps an old tooth brush if possible..wash you hands after the cleaning.

you can go on youtube and see all kinds of bucket home made mouse traps..
 
Would it be ok to use soap and water for printed circuit boards?

This is what had us concerned.

I have no idea I cant see them from here.
In the post that I read it only said fan..not printed circuit boards.
guess then I would use a paint brush and a small plastic scraper.
likely i said damp as i have used on most everything with no harm,,dripping or wet i would never use..
still for print circuit boards I don't know.
 
I have no idea I cant see them from here.
In the pose that I read it only said fan..not printed circuit boards.
guess then I would use a paint brush and a small plastic scraper.
likely i said damp as i have used on most everything with no harm,,dripping or wet i would never use..
still for print circuit boards I don't know.

My original post said " I think they are coming in thru the fan".

And, " A computer site told him to take out the boards and wash them"

If you click on the pics they enlarge.
 
My original post said " I think they are coming in thru the fan".

And, " A computer site told him to take out the boards and wash them"

If you click on the pics they enlarge.
RE:
A computer site told him go take all boards out and wash with some kind of soap, and rinse with distilled water.
That's too much labor, and we think it would ruin everything.

You should do what you think is best.
Buck
 
I have a machine that I bought with mouse damage. I soaked everything with simple green and wiped out all I could with paper towels and q-tips. Then I used a siphon feed air gun with alcohol to wash the boards down. It still stunk like hell so I put an open box of baking soda in the cabinet and that stopped the stink immediately.

You can clean the boards in soap and water, but you must flush well and dry very well. I've just set them in the sun on a hot dry day or laid them in front of my shop's furnace discharge vent and all was fine. I've heard you should bake them at low temp in an oven, but never tried.

Just be careful not to damage them by scrubbing.
 
Also- put a tray of mothballs in the bottom of the cabinet- mice don't like the smell.

Dan,
Just wondering, do you know if the mothbballs are corrosive?

Maybe he can put a few in a salt shaker, so that just a little bit of scent comes out.
Right now, the smell of moth balls would be better than pee.
I can't stay in his shop with it running.
Like Michigan buck said, those mice fumes are bad.

Thanks
 
Vinegar wash will neutralize the pee smell but it is conductive and may cause corrosion. He should have used a HEPA filter on the vac. At the very least dump the vac in to the trash can(outside) and clean the filter. Disinfect the hose and inside of the collection can. Watch for signs of HANTA virus.
Bil lD
 
Denatured alcohol will clean everything and will absorb and moisture.

Brush and bowl to scrub and pack rags to catch what falls.

Any plug in boards should be removed and cleaned then let dry for a day or 2

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
I had a tractor cab that was full of mouse dung, I used Zep brand pine cleaner same stuff as pine sol. I love that stuff it cleans good and kills all the smell.
I use a 1/2 gallon garden sprayer and soak every thing down. Let it sit and wash it off clean enough to eat off, well almost.
I don’t know about cleaning the electronics, if it would be bad for them. But its my favorite cleaner for non greasy surfaces.
Years ago I borrowed a 24’ horse trailer to move furniture in, it stunk I sprayed it with pine sol and pressure washed it no oder at all.
 
And, " A computer site told him to take out the boards and wash them"

Fifty years at it, yazz.

First, what with Hanta virus and other s**t mice traffic in, yah power-OFF, Lysol, Pinesol, or Eucalyptol, Gingerol, 409, or Windex (quaternary Ammonia, but not harsh) to get all that s**t WET. Come back in half an hour. Repeat.

Mask up, glove up, pull the boards and aside. Clean out the cabinet. Disinfectant / antiseptic as important as detergents.

As to the boards:

- mild detergent, soft brush, WARM water.

- now yah need Ethanol that is NOT denatured with Methanol - which wants to take the colour-codes off the components. Isopropanol can sub, but it needs to be DRY, not 20% plus WATER as what the pharmacies carry as "rubbing" Alcohol. Lithography printing supply houses used to carry it "anhydrous", technical grade, not USP, 5 gallon cans.

Flush the washed boards in alcohol.

Air blow-dry, minimal heat, but a LOT longer than you THINK you need to get them BONE dry. Aside to a warm, dry place overnight, should be good to go, next day.

There are other ways. This has worked for me - late 1950's to present-day.

Openings need to be sealed.

Old Skewl Mothballs in the cabinet (as also used under my kitchen cabinet bases) won't hurt the 'tronics, will "discourage" rodents.

Rodents do their heavy thinking with their nose. Cripple it, they shy away from that area to reduce risk of becoming dead whilst handicapped, same as if they were blinded.

Just because they are tiny, doesn't mean they are stupid.

Glue traps work. Trail of popcorn, nuts, or seeds TO them gulls the rodents into appetite over-riding good sense. Cheese or Peanut butter are not on their natural menu. Seed grains and - would you believe - high-protein insects are.

Put a salvaged water-bottle cap in some of them traps as a cup. Refill with a dropper. The little devils - most-recent litter - want water as much as food, sometimes more so once Momma has died in a trap. Caught a pair about a month back, same glue trap. Pup got hungry, went in to latch onto Momma's teat.

Just because they are clever don't make 'em geniuses, either.
 
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Mice can get in through the smallest of openings, and squeeze past cables that are bundled. Bleach and hot water will cut the pee residue and remove the smell. Be careful and do this with the power off, some CNC equipment have open contacts and will knock you on your...ear. The bleach has an added benefit of being painful to mice when they smell it.
 
Some good advice here

Don't worry about water, as long as it is dry when you fire it up

Paper capacitors from the 50's hate water, but pretty much everything CNC can deal

Electronics went water wash in the early 80's

I use simple green.

if you are smelling it, it is probably on things that get warm, I would focus my attention there
 








 
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