How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Home

Everyone is aware of rodent problems. Even houses in a city’s best neighborhoods face this problem. Rats and mice need a warm place to protect themselves from the cold winter and need food to live on. Lucky for them, their needs can be fulfilled in our homes.

However, there are few things we can do to prevent the rodent problem. First, we should deter them from wanting to enter our homes. Let’s see what can be done for that. First of all, your yard and surrounding property should be clear of refuse, garbage, and other piles. Even overgrown foliage can serve as an invitation for rodents. Once they are welcome in your yard their next step is to move indoors.

So after keeping the surroundings of your house clean you should also prevent standing water around your house as it attracts the rodents. Take care such that there won’t be any standing water around your house. Even the condensation under a water heater or refrigerator or your children’s toys is like an invitation for them.

Many people like to grow different plants around their houses. Well if their density is high then it offers a good shelter for the rodents. So you should decrease the density of plants and planting them little wider and maintaining minimum of 3 feet distance between house and plant circle. Using gravel under the soil for the plants help avoiding the rodents as it discourages them from making furrows. This covers most of the outside protection steps.

Next step is to check the house from outside for any area where a rodent can either enter the home directly alongside of wiring, cables, or pipes or where they can enter into a basement or attic area. Many rodents can climb rough surfaces and jump up to 4 feet. So you should check the outside of the house completely and repair or seal any holes or weak points that might give rodents their way into their vacation home. Required materials for the protection of our house exterior by rodents will be available with your local hardware or home improvement shops.

Now the next step is to get rid of rodents that already entered the home (if any). Different methods are available for this including setting bait and traps and so on. You should continue to follow whatever method you choose for few more days to ensure your victory. Rodents carry disease through their feet, their mouths, and their droppings. Ensure your family’s health by eliminating all of those harmful bacteria and germs. Don’t forget to inspect your stored food as they can be tasted by the rodents on vacation.