How to Prevent Rodents from Infesting Your Home: The Best Methods of Rodent Prevention
Are you worried about rodents invading your home? You’re not alone; rats and mice can cause a long list of problems, from damaging furniture and electrical wiring to spreading germs and disease. Thankfully, there are several steps you can take to prevent rodents from infesting your home. In this article, we’ll explore the best methods of rodent prevention, so you can confidently keep these pests away from your property. From proper sanitation to installing rodent-one-way valves, there are a variety of solutions to ensure your home stays rodent-free. Whether you need to get rid of existing rodents or want to prevent them from entering in the first place, these strategies can help.
What Attracts Rodents to Your Home?
Before you can start preventing rodents, you need to understand what attracts them to your home in the first place. In general, rodents are attracted to anything that provides food, water, and shelter. Food sources can include human and pet food, as well as plants and garden produce. Water may be found in rain barrels, garden hoses, leaky pipes, and even bird feeders. You can prevent many rodents by following proper sanitation and cleaning practices. Regularly remove food, water, and other materials that might attract rodents from your property. Additionally, close off any areas that could provide shelter, such as crawl spaces and basements.
Beyond that, specific rodents have their own preferences. Mice, for example, are often drawn to warm, humid environments. Rodents may also be more likely to nest in homes that are close to their natural habitat. If your property borders a forest or infested neighbouring properties.
Sanitation and Cleanliness
Beyond removing obvious food and water sources, you can also prevent rodents by improving sanitation and cleaning practices. Start by keeping your property clean and tidy. Maintain gardens and landscaping and remove any clutter that may provide shelter for rodents. Keep your yard clear of food scraps, and don’t leave pet food outside. Store food in rodent-proof containers and keep indoor items out of reach of rodents. This includes items like paper and cardboard boxes, which mice can make nests out of. You can also use cleaning products to keep rodents away but reducing the amount of food produce left on surfaces.
Rodent-Proofing the Exterior of Your Home
Beyond sanitation and cleaning, you can also prevent rodents by properly rodent proofing your home’s exterior. Start by examining all entry points, and sealing any holes that could let rodents in. Examine exterior walls, roofing, and the foundation of your home for gaps. Seal off places such as vents, cable wiring holes, and gas pipes. You can also install wire, or metal meshing. For the use of poisons, you should always seek professional advice to reduce the risk of secondary poisoning.
Rodent-Proofing the Interior of Your Home
Beyond the exterior, you can also rodent proof the interior of your home. Start by examining the areas where rodents may enter your home. Check areas like basements, garages, crawl spaces, attics, and gardens. Seal off any holes with steel wool or silicone caulk. Beyond that, you can use a few other tactics to prevent rodents from entering your home. You can also install electronic traps, or use snap traps inside the walls, behind appliances, and other areas.
Traps, Proofing, and Other Solutions
Beyond the above methods, you can also try other solutions to prevent rodents from infesting your home. Install bird feeders away from your house, as rodents may feed off the seed beneath them. Keep woodpiles away from your house, preferably more than 100 feet away. If you have rodents living in your walls, you can often smell them. Rodents produce a strong smell that can be difficult to mask. You can try cleaning and airing out your house, but you may also want to install rodent-one-way valves to stop rodents in your drains from getting in or out. You can use rodenticides, traps, or sprays to kill rodents. You can also try ultrasonic devices, which emit a high-pitched noise that rodents can’t hear. However, these won’t work on every rodent. You should also be careful to keep children and pets away from rodenticides and traps. Some rodents have built up tolerances to certain rodenticides in certain areas of the UK, so there is a possibility it will not work. Seek a professional for use of rodenticides.
Professional Rodent Control Services
Finally, if you find that rodents are too big of a problem to handle, you may want to contact a professional for help. These companies will inspect your home for rodent issues and then come up with a plan for extermination. It’s important to choose a company carefully. Look for reviews and credentials and ask about the company’s process and procedures. Choose a company that is environmentally friendly. Finally, make sure the company will come out regardless of the size of the job. Some companies only handle large-scale infestations. If you have a small problem, you may want to call for help anyway because getting rid of rodents is expensive and time-consuming. The sooner you act, the easier it will be.
