To want to keep some things from a rat infested loft?

[RatInfestedHell]

You can tell me if I am.

The situation is this. We live in a semi detached house. There has been a fairly sizeable rat infestation in the loft. It´s pretty disgusting up there. We have been away from February to July. We know the loft was free of rats when we left. The neighbours say the ratty noises they had been hearing stopped in the Spring.

ALL of our belongings were put in the loft for work to be done in the house. All our clothes, all our kids toys all the remaining momentoes belonging to dead relatives. Everything.

Some of it is in plastic bokes, some in cardboard boxes, some in plastic bags, some in open supermarket typ bags. We are using sheets, clothes and towels etc from there that have been washed hot.

We started trying to clear it ourselves but the job is too big and we have employed a company. Everything needs stripping oout including flooring and insulation. All our belongings will be taken out and put in our garden for us to decide what to keep and what to throw.

My problem is this. DH and I decided on a criteria of what we could keep: essentially anything sealed in plastic witha special say for me over things belonging to my relatives. He is getting increasingly wound up about the whole situation and now says he just wants to throw everything away apart from my personal stuff.

I think this is unreasonable. I don´t see a good reason why we have to trow, for example, dishes or toys that are in their original wrapping inside a cardboard box, inside a plastic box if it is clear the rats haven´t disturbed it. As long as we throw away all the outsdie wrapping and boxes I think this is enough. I have no problem throwing away the open bags, things inside cardboard boxes, all the boxes etc.

He thinks I IABU. I think he is.

I am currently envisaging a row on the lawn in front of the neighbours so if AIBU please tell me now. And if you have any tips on how to avoid the row, please tell me!

To minimize conflict, don't approach the stuff together. You just go on your own while he is elsewhere, and swiftly isolate the stuff you want to keep. Don't enter dialogue. Just do your thing, then present it as a done deal.

Sympathies on the rat infestation. Grim!

Hope it gets sorted.

Surely anything inside a plastic box (assuming the rats a haven't knawed through into the box, or rat wee hasn't got in via the lid) is fine. Is your husband worried about any particular risk, or is it just the general yuk factor that is bothering him?

He has never had so much as a pet in the house in all his life. He is bordering on phobic about pests and is getting more so by the hour.

Cao - I think he is going to be watching me like a hawk!

Do you think giving him a list of my criteria in advance would help (seeing as I think it is quite sensible)? He is the sort of person who reacts and then stops and thinks about things and gets more reasonable.

Presuming you're getting from Pest Control to sort it do you think you DH having words from them would help? Or even, maybe, your GP? I'm just thinking that if someone 'in the know', either pest-wise or health / hygiene-wise, could tell him things would be ok he might believe it more?

PEst control won´t come as the rats are no longer there and they say it is pointless charging us fifty pounds for nothing. Unfortunately, it was DH who spoke to them on the phone when I wasn´t there.

Apparently they said to chuck everything but as that is what DH wants to do I am not sure this is an accurate interpretation of the conversation.

DH says he doesn´t care what anyone says: he wants the stuff gone. He says I can of course ignore him if I choose.

I'd say anything that isn't obviously "ratted" can be kept (ie in plastic box), along with anything that has been as long as it can go in dishwasher or washing machine.
Anything sentimental also, to be honest there's not much I'd throw away, unless chewed and not useable, or smells of rat urine and can't be washed.

However I did used to have rats as pets, so my cut off may be higher than other people's!

Can you afford to get a salvage company to help. They can spend a couple of hours going through it and advise what is ok, what is beyond help and what can be saved by steam cleaning/dry cleaning etc. They can then also organise the necessary services if you instruct.
I work for a law firm that deals with a lot of insurance type claims and insurers never want to pay if stuff can be salvaged cost effectively. I've seen smoke damaged clothing for well known department stores get cleaned, relabelled and put into store for sale good as new.
It also means someone else takes the tortuous job out of your hands.
Have you tried to claim on your household insurance by the way? Not sure rodent infestation would be covered but worth asking your broker.

The cleaning company we have booked are going to do the whole job, including taking up the floor boards and insulation and dumping them, which environmental health have suggested we do. They are also going to sanitise it.

I think I am just going to have to stand my ground and fight it out. DH knows he is being hysterical but knowing that isn´t changing his attitude.

We have decided not to claim on the house insurance. We have been planning to convert the loft so we would have had to pay for the floor etc eventually anyway.

Anyone think that the idea of presenting a list of the criteria I think are reasonable in advance is likely to avoid problems?

Surely anything thats well wrapped (i.e. its clear the rats can't have touched) or is washable doesn't need to be chucked - unless I am misunderstanding it sounds like he's being a bit hysterical over it.

So things that I would definitely keep (assuming no other damage from wee, chewing etc):
all kitchen stuff except anything made of wood - all the rest can be sterilised
clothes and soft furnishings - you can wash them all
anything in intact wrapping

You're not mistaken and he recognises it himself.

Many thanks for your help. It seems I am not being unreasonable!

I think your DH wants the whole thing sorted and done with, as quickly as possible.
Is there any way to speed up the process? By getting everything that you don't want to keep in one place, ready to chuck, maybe? By planning when and how to get all the stuff you are keeping washed and/or sterilised?

Everything will be on the front lawn early next week - which is one of the principal reasons I want to avoid conflict (the other one being I don't want it).