Hantavirus and Leptospirosis is very DANGEROUS.
Hantavirus and Leptospirosis or better known as Weil's disease are both problems that be easily encountered when working in confined areas such as lofts where there has been rodent activity.
In this section it makes no difference if you are a DIYer or a professional trades person, the tips and advice on here need to be adhered to in order to be as safe as you can.
If you have had a rodent problem in the loft it is often better to sort that first, where possible. Occasionally it will be better to clear out the old smelly insulation and start with a clean slate. This is the line I shall take you with my tips and advice.
First you will require a lot of large refuse bags, not too large that they will not fit through the loft hatch, but as strong as you can get because they nearly always snag somewhere between the loft and a skip.
PPE (personal protection equipment) i.e. gloves, overalls and a mask, a torch, a vacuum (we used a henry type and we removed the bag and just emptied it when full), a hand brush and a dustpan., skip (even in a small property a large builders skip is useful as the bags will need to be trodden down to compact them from time to time. Obviously, you need to sheet the floor from loft entry point area to the door and you will need an access ladder to the loft. For more information please purchase one of my DIY Pest control books.