Scratching Sounds Overhead? Complete Attic Rodent Removal, Sanitization & Restoration.
Hearing scurrying above the bedroom, or did a home inspector flag droppings in the attic? Stop calling three separate contractors. One Universal crew traps the rodents, seals how they got in, decontaminates what they left behind, and restores the insulation they ruined.
- Trapping, exclusion & cleanup on one project
- HEPA vacuum & antimicrobial fogging
- Roofline entry points sealed for good
- Fresh Pest Guard Insulation blown back in
Noises Overhead Are Only the Symptom
What you're noticing
- Scratching, gnawing, or scurrying in the ceiling — usually loudest at dusk and dawn.
- Dark, rice-grain droppings or greasy rub marks discovered during a home inspection.
- A sharp ammonia or musty smell drifting down from the attic hatch.
- Insulation that looks flattened, tunneled through, or matted in patches.
What it means for your home
- Rodents are traveling a roofline gap into a warm, undisturbed nesting space.
- Urine and droppings are saturating the insulation and fouling the air pulled through your attic.
- Gnawed wiring and chewed HVAC flex duct are genuine fire and air-quality risks.
- Every night the problem sits, the contamination spreads and the R-value you paid for keeps dropping.
Removal, Decontamination, Restoration — In Order
Each step only works once the one before it is done. That's why we handle the whole sequence as a single project instead of leaving you to coordinate it.
1. Roofline Exclusion
We trap the active rodents, then seal the ridge vents, soffits, fascia gaps, and utility penetrations they used to get in — with rodent-resistant materials so a cleaned attic stays that way.
2. HEPA Vacuum & Antimicrobial Fogging
We extract droppings, nesting debris, and ruined insulation with a HEPA-filtered vacuum, then fog the deck with an antimicrobial to knock down odor and the mess left in the material.
3. Pest Guard Re-Insulation & Duct Repair
We blow in fresh Pest Guard Insulation to re-establish your R-value and inspect the HVAC flex ducts running through the attic, cleaning or repairing any that were chewed or fouled.
Why the Cleanup and the Insulation Should Be the Same Job
Homeowners often line up a trapper, then a cleaning company, then an insulation installer, and end up paying three mobilization fees while the attic sits open between visits. We built this service so the trapping, the sealing, the decontamination, and the re-insulation happen in one coordinated sequence.
That order matters. Sealing before the animals are gone traps them inside. Insulating before the deck is decontaminated buries the odor rather than removing it. Handling it as a single project is what keeps the fix permanent instead of a temporary patch.
This Is Why the Insulation Comes Out
Our technician David Shafer, who has worked here for over ten years, recorded this during an inspection in Rosemont, in Virginia Beach. Several live rats are in the same attic at once, travelling over insulation that is already contaminated.
That is the part of the problem a homeowner never sees. Rodents leave droppings and urine wherever they travel, and in an attic it goes down into the insulation underneath them, which absorbs it and holds the smell. There is no surface to wipe and no spray that reaches it, so the ruined material has to come out, the deck has to be fogged, and fresh insulation has to go back in. That is why this is a cleanup and restoration service rather than a treatment.
The insulation we blow back in
Hampton Roads' only licensed Pest Guard Insulation™ installer, through our sister company Universal Insulation Doctor — insulation manufactured with an EPA-registered pest preventative, so the replacement itself resists the insects that ruined the original.
Book Your Free Attic Assessment
24/7 Immediate Response for all of the 757 — or call (757) 502-0200
Everything This Solution Draws On
Attic restoration pulls together several of our core services. Explore any of them, or let us bundle the whole job into one quote.
Rodent Control
Trapping and removing the mice or rats that are nesting overhead — the first step before any cleanup begins.
Learn morePest Exclusion
Sealing the roofline gaps, vents, and penetrations rodents use so the attic doesn't get re-invaded.
Learn moreDuct Cleaning
Cleaning and decontaminating HVAC flex ducts that rodents chewed or nested in while they were up there.
Learn morePest Guard Insulation
Blown-in attic insulation manufactured with a built-in pest preventative to replace what was ruined.
Learn moreTotal Home Health Plans
The Pro membership tier pairs quarterly pest protection with yearly attic & crawlspace inspections so problems get caught early.
Learn moreRequest a Free Quote
Tell us what you're seeing and hearing and we'll scope the full attic restoration for you.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
Do you trap the rodents before cleaning the attic?
Yes. Removal comes first. Sealing entry points and scrubbing the space is pointless while animals are still coming and going, so we start by locating the runways, setting traps, and confirming the activity has stopped. Only then do we move on to sealing the roofline and decontaminating the insulation.
Why does the soiled insulation need to come out — can't you just spray over it?
Rodent urine and droppings soak into fiberglass and cellulose, and the ammonia odor and airborne particles they leave behind do not disappear under a topcoat. Instead of covering the mess, we remove it in three steps:
- Extract the contaminated material with a HEPA-filtered vacuum.
- Fog the deck with an antimicrobial to neutralize odor and particles.
- Blow in fresh insulation to restore the attic.
That way you are not living beneath the mess that was left up there.
What are the roofline entry points you seal?
Rodents exploit small gaps along the roofline and squeeze in wherever the building envelope is broken. We seal these openings with rodent-resistant materials so a fresh attic does not simply get re-invaded a season later:
- Ridge vents along the peak of the roof.
- Gable and soffit vents.
- Fascia boards and roofline junctions.
- The spots where cables and pipes pass through.
Do you also handle the HVAC flex ducts running through the attic?
We check them. Rodents gnaw and nest in flexible ductwork, which pulls attic contaminants into the air your family breathes. If a run is chewed or fouled, we clean it or coordinate repair with our sister company Universal Duct Cleaning so the whole system is addressed on one visit.
Is the new insulation the same stuff that was up there?
We install Pest Guard Insulation, which is manufactured with an EPA-registered pest preventative built into the material itself. It re-establishes the R-value you lost while giving the replacement a built-in reason to resist the pests that ruined the original.
Service Now, Pay Later with SmartPay
Rodents in the attic won't wait for payday, and neither will the mess they leave in the insulation. SmartPay lets you book the removal and the decontamination now and spread the cost over time, with $0-down options covering the trapping, the sanitizing, and the fresh insulation.
- $0-down payment options
- Simple, predictable monthly payments
- Available on rodent removal, attic sanitization, and insulation
Protect Your Whole Home
For One Monthly Price.
Your attic restoration is delivered by the same family of local companies — Universal Pest & Termite, Universal Insulation Doctor, and Universal Duct Cleaning — so one team owns the trapping, the sealing, the ductwork, and the fresh insulation from start to finish.
What's included:
Quarterly Pest Control — Every Plan
Year-round defense against ants, roaches, rodents, spiders & 20+ other invaders — the foundation of every plan.
Attic & Crawlspace Care — Pro
Pro adds yearly attic & crawlspace inspections plus Sentricon® termite protection around your home.
Air Duct & Dryer Vent Cleaning — Elite
Elite adds yearly duct and dryer vent cleaning for cleaner air and healthier airflow through every room.
Essential (Border-Guard) Pest Control Plan
Quarterly service, paid monthly to keep the cost manageable — no big bill all at once.
Choose your plan — Essential, Pro or Elite — and save.
- Quarterly service for ants, roaches, rodents, spiders & 20+ other general invaders
- Free emergency return visits in between regularly scheduled services — at no additional charge
- Propell rodent repellent exterior treatmentsIncluded now — normally a $75 per-service add-on
- All-natural products at no additional cost (upon request)
- Bed bug monitoring
- Pet-friendly treatments
- Cancel anytime — no long-term contracts
- 4.8★ Google-rated local team
Let's Get the Attic Quiet Again
Book a free assessment and we'll trace the entry points, scope the cleanup, and give you one clear price for the whole restoration — no juggling separate contractors.
Ready to protect your home?
Call now or request a free quote online. Same-day service often available.
Inspection
How We Compare to Other Pest Control Companies
Not every pest control company in Hampton Roads offers the same thing. Here is a straight comparison of what you get with Universal Pest Control and what is common elsewhere in the industry.
| What to compare | Universal Pest Control | Most pest control companies |
|---|---|---|
| UniGuard ProgramExclusive | Universal Pest Control Termite protection and full pest control combined in one membership for one low monthly payment — from $59/month, with the termite warranty and quarterly pest service included together. | Most pest control companies Termite protection and pest control are usually sold as two separate agreements, with two renewals and two bills to keep track of. |
| SmartPay financingExclusive | Universal Pest Control $0-down payment options on termite treatments, baiting systems, and repairs, so the work can start before payday. Simple, predictable monthly payments. | Most pest control companies Financing, where it is offered, is commonly arranged separately through a third-party lender. |
| Pest Guard Attic Insulation™Exclusive | Universal Pest Control Hampton Roads' only licensed Pest Guard Insulation™ installer, through our sister company Universal Insulation Doctor — insulation manufactured with an EPA-registered pest preventative, so the replacement itself resists the insects that ruined the original. | Most pest control companies Attic insulation is typically referred out, and standard fiberglass has no pest deterrent built into the material. |
| Total Home Health Network | Universal Pest Control Pest and termite control, attic insulation, and duct cleaning coordinated under one roof through the Universal family of companies — one point of contact for the whole job, done in the right order. | Most pest control companies Pest control only. Insulation and duct work are usually booked with separate vendors on separate timelines. |
| A+ BBB rating | Universal Pest Control BBB accredited since 2007 with an A+ rating, earned through consistent, honest work in the same community. | Most pest control companies Accreditation and ratings vary by company — worth checking before you book anyone. |
| 26+ years in business | Universal Pest Control Protecting Hampton Roads homes since 2000 — more than 26 years in the same market, with over 100,000+ homes serviced. | Most pest control companies Tenure in the area varies widely; newer branches and recently opened franchises are common. |
| Family owned & operated | Universal Pest Control Owned and run by a family that has lived in Hampton Roads their whole lives. The people who answer the phone and the crews at your door are your neighbors. | Most pest control companies Ownership varies — many local branches are franchises of national brands, with crews dispatched from outside the area. |
| Guarantees in writing | Universal Pest Control Pest-Free Guarantee and Termite-Free Guarantee: if pests come back between scheduled visits, so do we, at no extra charge. Free inspections, plus same-day and next-day service. | Most pest control companies Retreatment terms, callback windows, and what counts as covered differ from contract to contract. |
The highlighted Universal Pest & Termite column reflects services we provide directly or through the Universal family of companies. The “Most pest control companies” column describes common industry practice in general terms and is not a statement about any particular company — some companies may offer services that are similar, so ask any provider exactly what their plan, warranty, and quote include before you sign. Financing on approved credit.