Are you going crazy from hearing tiny feet running through your walls every night? Do you wonder if you’ll be able to fully protect your home from rats and mice?

Every year, rodents cause more than $18 billion in property damage. They are carriers of a laundry list of diseases and are a common cause of electrical fires.

If you’re thinking of launching a full-out attack on your home’s rats and mice, this article’s for you. We’ll talk about how to prevent rodent infestations and help you get started with a local pest removal company.

1. Clear Out Clutter

Rodents love to eat. They actually eat about 20% of our food supply every year. Rats and mice also contaminate our living spaces due to their hair, germs, and feces.

So what attracts mice? In general, mice are looking for a warm place to settle down. They need a food supply and a cozy area to nest.

To combat a rodent invasion, try to keep your outdoor garbage cans sealed up tight. Also, put a tight lid on your kitchen garbage at night so there’s no delicious temptation for indoor pests.

Mice and rats are excellent climbers and won’t stick around if there’s nothing to eat.

2. Seal Up Leaks

If you’re wondering how to prevent mice from moving into your basement, the answer is to seal every leak. Mice and rats can enter your home through tiny cracks around windows, nesting comfortably in your basement during the winter.

Rats and mice need warmth to live, but they also need water. That’s why you might see them in your bathroom or basement more often than in your kitchen.

Rodents steal food when you’re not around, then retreat to their nest to eat their food in peace.

If you have a leaky basement or a burst pipe, you might have some uninvited guests in your walls.

3. Set Some Traps

If you’ve got a rodent problem, you might want to set some traps. While mice are relatively easy to remove, rats are much more difficult.

Mice like the taste of peanut butter better than cheese, so you should try to use that for bait. You may think that you’ve trapped all of the mice in your home, only to find that there are dozens more.

Mice can breed 10 times or more in a single year and have more than 10 babies each time.

Rats are much more reluctant to take bait from a trap. They also have a tendency to chew through electrical wires, undermine foundations, and spread disease through their urine and feces.

So, how to prevent rats from taking over your home? If you have a serious rat problem, it’s probably time to call in the professionals.

4. Relocate Firewood

If you’ve got firewood stored outside of your home, it should be stacked about 25 feet away. Mice love to nest in hardwood and, if they get too comfortable, invade your home en masse.

Mice also love berry bushes and fruit trees. If you’ve got a garden at home, try to remove any fallen fruit and vegetables on a regular basis.

One of the easiest ways to spot a rodent infestation is through their feces. If you see tiny tooth marks on your vegetables and flowers, you’ve got a rodent problem.

Taking the time to relocate your firewood and rake out your garden should cut down on your indoor rodent sightings.

5. Mind the Gaps

One of the easiest ways to get rats in home settings is through the windows. If you have small rips in your window screens or crumbling wooden windowsills, you could be attracting rodents.

Mice love to enter through the tiniest of crawl spaces. You might have a cable line running into your home and not realize that mice are entering through that little hole.

Rodents also love gutters, chimneys, and home siding. By the time you realize that you’ve got a rodent infestation, it might be too big a job to do yourself.

If you’re looking for a local pest control expert, make sure they are experienced at rodent removal.

6. Try Natural Remedies

If you’re really at your wit’s end, you can try a few natural remedies before you call the professionals.

Try taking dryer sheets and putting them in the corners behind your fridge and stove. You can also use aluminum foil to discourage rodent activity.

Some people recommend using peppermint essential oil to repel rodents, but it’s not a sure thing. You can also try putting dishes of ammonia in the corners of your home.

There are experts that recommend allowing your cats to take care of the rodent problem, but not every cat is a hunter.

If you want to try something very unusual, you can go to your local pet store and ask them to sell you some snake feces.

If all of these ideas seem like too much work, it’s probably time to find a local pest control and removal company.

Find Local Solutions for Rats and Mice

Rats and mice can spread diseases through the air. Hantavirus is rare but has been linked directly to rats.

If you have children or senior citizens in the house, it’s urgent that you contract for pest removal. Also, if you’ve got someone at home with asthma, call your local pest control company right away.

You might not realize that you have a problem until you see some rodent feces in your kitchen cabinets or drawers. You might never see the rat or mouse itself, just its feces.

We have been serving customers in South Florida for more than 20 years. We offer free inspections and quotes to our customers and are committed to providing stress-free customer service.

No matter what kind of pests you have, we can take care of you. Our high-tech approach allows us to treat your home or office for bedbugs, termites, and whiteflies.

We’re looking forward to helping you make your property livable again. Take a few minutes and check out our blog, then schedule your appointment online!