How to Disinfect Your Home and Yard
Parvo is very strong and stays in its environment for months. Bleach can completely kill parvo, but because the virus spreads everywhere it is virtually impossible to completely rid an environment of parvo. The goal of disinfecting your home is not to completely rid it of parvo but to keep the strength of contamination as weak as possible. Of course, this only really matters if you plan to get another puppy soon or if you expecting another puppy/puppies to visit your home.
To bleach: Mix one part bleach per 10 parts water – this is what some animal clinics advise. Others say one part bleach to 30 parts water will do it. My advice is to use the stronger solution on surfaces that will not be affected by the bleach (glass, plastic surfaces, etc.) and the weaker solution on your furniture, such as couches, carpets, etc. Test a small spot to make sure it doesn’t lose color; it probably won’t because 1 part bleach to 30 parts water is a very, very small amount of bleach.
To decontaminate your home:
Parvo dies out indoors within one month, so it is safe to bring a new puppy into your home after that. You may “speed up” this process if you bleach everything the puppy came in contact with, but if you do not want to bleach your carpets, etc., please wait this full month out before introducing any new puppies to your home. Even bleaching everything you think might be contaminated with parvo isn’t guaranteed to make your home safe, though, because parvo spreads easily and could be all over your home.
To decontaminate your yard:
You CAN bleach the yard. It might kill your grass, but it will kill most of parvo. If you really don’t want to do this, just water down your yard as much as possible.
Freezing temperatures keep the virus alive. Wait until the weather warms up before bringing another puppy into the yard.
Shaded areas can be contaminated for up to 7 months.
Yards completely exposed to strong sunlight can be contaminated for up to 5 months.
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