Fiberglass is a Pain in the ....

This is a picture I found on the net that looks exaclty like what I discovered.

We are getting ready to move back out to the cabin for the summer and possibly rent our place in town, and so there is much cleaning to be done. Yesterday I had my eye on the shed. It gets so cold here in the winter that a lot of jobs that I am sure we would do right away if we lived in a warmer climate get put off until spring, (at least that's our excuse and we're sticking to it) and the things I needed to remove from the shed are great examples of this. There was a broken dishwasher, a box spring for a queen bed, a grill and mini fridge left behind by our summer renters, two large wooden "dressers" that had come with the house but that we didn't want, a pile of skis, ski boots, and ice skates, clothes that needed to be donated,  recyclables etc. etc. etc.

So, even though it was windy, it was sunny enough that I decided to do battle. However, as soon as I started dragging all of the items out I realized there was a problem. MOUSE POOPIES (and chipmunk and maybe rat too..they were big....)! They were all over everything!

Our shed has insulation in it and last year I wanted to tear it down but never got around to it.....this pushed me over the limit.......this was disgusting, I just had to do something! So, I dragged a lot of items to the front yard with the help of Autumn and her neighbor friend and we put free signs on everything. Steve and I have discovered that when the item means nothing to you and/or you don't have a pick-up truck or don't want to visit the dump, this is a surefire way to relieve yourself of clutter. I decided if I didn't do it then that this stuff would possibly still be sitting there five years from now.  Wow! Within a half an hour almost everything was picked up from the curb! (Except the boxspring.. which I am sorry to say is still sitting there. What should I do with it?) Then, I went to the hardware store and got some protective masks, gloves, eye protection and big garbage bags and embarked on what I soon discovered would be....

THE MOST DISGUSTING JOB I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE!

My first pull of insulation from the ceiling caused a rain shower of seeds, peanut shells, and mouse/chipmunk/rat poop that left me gagging and horrified. I'm talking, it sounded like one of those rainforest sticks you always see at museum gift shops. I immediately became paranoid. "If it is like this through the whole shed I am sure to find something dead.....or worse..... alive!" I thought. As I worked my way down the walls, bagging this nasty pink putrid cotton candy (I might never eat the stuff again) it only got worse, until the insulation was just shredded into piles of tiny pieces. I was ripping out wall panels like crazy and just beginning to convince myself that it wasn't that bad with my rubber gloves on, and cheering myself up with the fact that at least I wasn't running into spiders, when I pulled a sheet of insulation and 3 mice went darting all around the shed right past my feet! I ran out of there screaming bloody murder. "Great...now our neighbors not only think we are starting a community dump in our yard, but I am sure they think I am psychotic!"

After pulling myself back together I re-entered the shed and continued on my adventure. I learned that you shouldn't assume something (like an overhanging fluorescent light fixture) is lightweight while balancing on a cooler in an attempt to remove it. (Big Bruise!). I learned that apparently when people insulate they go right over the top of work tools, gloves, baseballs, socks, old papers and receipts etc?... I learned that the insulation from one tiny shed can fill seven 55 gallon garbage bags! I learned that staple gun staples can easily slide into your finger. And, I learned that when your husband arrives home from work and discovers the yard still covered with shed items and tons of giant garbage bags (only because you had hopped in the shower for a second to wash off all the mouse poop and fiberglass) he might forget to tell you how proud he is of you for the great job you did, because to him it looks like you just made a big mess! And most importantly I learned that I never ever want an insulated shed or garage again! Or at least, I never want to have to remove fiberglass insulation again if it has been infested by rodents!

But, now it is done. The shed is all swept out, the items are put back away, the bags will soon be taken to the dump and the holes where the little critters found there way in will be plugged and sealed. And the crowning touch...some mousetraps will be set!

My advice to you...if you have an insulated garage or shed you had better set a lot of mouse traps! I wouldn't wish that kind of job on anyone!