Anyone living in California will have to deal with the problem of rats at some point in their lives and rat-proofing will become a way of living for homeowners. You don’t have to make the mistake of leaving out pet food or full bird feeders to deal with an infestation. The simple fact is that rats and mice will always find a way into your home and you have to deal with it.
Even if you don’t see signs of rodent infestations, a quick look into storage areas or crawl spaces will almost always turn up droppings and evidence of other animals. Rodent-proofing materials and sealed containers are your best bet to control rodents and a professional will ensure proper installation. There are also some simple steps you can take to deter mice and rats out of your home.
How to Mouse and Rat Proof Your House
One of the very first things to look for when you want to rodent-proof your home is the pet food that you typically leave out. Plastic containers with rubber seals are the best way to take care of rodent problems and keep them out of your food sources. Leaving your pet food and other food sources out and on the floor is a great way of attracting rodents and giving them an easy food and water source to live off of.
It’s also important to clean up any spilled food and close any garbage cans that you have in your home. These are easy targets for rats and mice and will create a rodent problem that will be more difficult to fix. Once you do that, it’s time to start looking at common entry points that rodents use to get into your home.
How to Stay Rodent-Free this Winter
Winter is a common time for rats and mice to look for warm places to live and can quickly lead to a rodent infestation that’s difficult to remedy. The sooner you look into rodent-proofing your house, the better off you’ll be during the cold months. Cut back any ground cover so it doesn’t touch your home and you’ll cut off the most common way for mice and rats to gain entry.
Crawl spaces are another common way for rodents to get into your home and they’ll quickly start making small holes to get off the ground and into your living spaces. You can prevent rodents from gaining a foothold with a free inspection of access points that most homeowners can’t recognize. Garage doors, for example, are a very easy way for rats and mice to get right into the house and start causing problems.
Common Areas That May Need To Be Rat-Proofed
Mouse-proofing and rat-proofing your home means looking at the most common ways for them to get in and it can start with your basement. It doesn’t matter if you have wood blocking your basement windows or if your foundation is in good condition. Rats and mice can chew through pretty much any material you can think of and break through any seal that you have up.
You can take four simple steps to make your home less appealing to them and to stop attracting them. Pick up any trash that you have in your basement and clean up any standing water. Then remove any boxes you have keep the entire foundation debris and make sure you don’t have any food for pets where rodents can get at it.
Locate entry points
Pipes are a great way to mouse-proof and rat-proof your home because they’re perfect places to invite them in. Use steel wool around the holes in your walls and foundation where the pipes come in. You also want to seal gaps that you find as you inspect them.
It’s a great idea to use weather stripping for pest control and it’s around your pipes that it becomes the most important. Follow the pipes going to and from your water heaters and you’ll find potential points for mice and rats to enter your basement. Then it’s time to start looking at your roof and window as yet another way for animals to find an entry into your home.
Tips For A Rodent-Free Home
If you want to stop rodents from making entry points into your home then you have to consider rodent-proofing your roof. This is where many rodent problems start and you won’t have a rodent-proof house until you add it to your pest control regimen. Rats and rodents can chew right through your shingles and use gaps in your attic to make it through your roof.
There are different rodent-proofing materials that a professional service can use to seal up any holes and make sure they can’t get in through your windows. Just because your attic is up high doesn’t make it any less of an appealing destination than your garage. Rats love gaps and there are plenty of them between your roof and walls and your interior doors won’t do a thing to keep them at bay.
Investigate Inside Your House
Always take the time to investigate your house and look for signs of rodents as the seasons change. Those are the most common times of year for rats and mice to look for holes in their defenses. Droppings are some of the easiest ways to find them but small holes can also be a sign that a rat or a mouse is living with you.
Spend a decent amount of your inspection in the garage and look around doors for chewing and droppings. Even if you don’t find anything, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any rats getting into your home and setting up shop. An expert will be much more suited to identifying their signs and you should never overlook their importance.
How to Keep Mice and Other Rodents Out of Your Home
The worst thing you can do about a potential rodent problem is nothing at all. Most homeowners have no idea what’s going on in a crawl space and don’t understand how to fully seal any gaps they have in their home. That’s why getting a professional is always going to be your best bet to keep your home rodent-free.
As the winter approaches and the temperature drops, mice and rats are going to be desperate to find a place to live and your home is going to look very appealing to them. Make sure they can’t get in and you’ll have full peace of mind through the season.If you do have a rodent problem, those same professionals will be able to clear your unwanted visitors out so you can get back to your way of life.
