Protecting your home from rats and rodents can be time-consuming, but the projects involved are often necessary to avoid unwelcome guests in your attics, basement, and within your walls. If rats are able to find their way inside your home, they can cause significant damage — including contaminating food, damaging electrical wiring, and even spreading diseases.
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If you’ve detected rats before you’re able to take preventative measures, then you’ll likely need professional rat removal services — to ensure they’re removed safely. If you’re able to implement preventive measures, there are projects you can take on yourself, though there are specifics involved.
To keep yourself and your family safe from rats, follow our three tips.
Locating the Entry Points
Rats and local wildlife are often able to squeeze into small cracks in various areas around your home. Keeping them out of the house involves more than setting traps — it involves thoroughly inspecting your property for vulnerabilities.
Sealing entry points is the most important tool in your toolbox. By eliminating these opportunities, rats and small rodents will be unable to find their way into your home and potentially cause damage to your wiring and food supply.
Inspecting your home for entry points should include your roof, chimney, foundation, basement windows, and exposed pipes. In the case of your roof, they may be able to enter through loose shingles, and if you have an open chimney, it’s even easier to gain entry.
Any cracks in your foundation, including around basement windows and loose siding, should be addressed immediately — as with any exposed pipes around your property.
Choose Quality Materials
Like a standard home maintenance project, the quality of the chosen materials can dramatically impact the project’s end result. Trying to save money on materials will often cost you more down the road — low-quality materials will need to be replaced more frequently. Additionally, if you’re subjected to additional repairs, you’re spending more time and physical energy on a project that should be complete.
When it comes to keeping rats out, it’s important to remember that they possess strong teeth and can chew through cheap materials. Suppose you’re covering your chimney with mesh wiring. In that case, you may want to consider selecting a thick steel mesh or metal vent — choosing materials that actively prevent them from entering your home.
Remain Vigilant
Once you’ve closed out your entry points using those high-quality materials, the following steps are ongoing but one that will require less time and energy. It involves those small details that will continue to make it harder for rats and rodents to find their way near your home.
Rats have a strong sense of smell, which means any available food around your home will likely entice them closer. Keeping garbage cans adequately sealed will help lower the scent of food. Maintaining your yard — including sweeping leaves and trimming tree branches — helps ensure they’re unable to hide around your home, which they’ll often do to scope out potential points of entry.
Removing rats and mice from your home is an essential part of owning a home. By taking the necessary steps and putting in the initial efforts, you’re able to keep them out of your walls and around your family and ensure everyone’s safety.