14 Ways To Rodent-Proof Your Home
Nobody wants to deal with a rodent infestation. That’s why you need to work on preventing one before it happens. Here are the best ways to make your home as rodent-proof as possible.
1. Clean regularly
Keep your space free of anything that rodents can feed on. Pick up crumbs and put away food. Keep all of your food in containers that rodents can’t chew through.
2. Cover garbage
Even if all the food you actually plan to eat is stored away, rodents can still be drawn to your trash. Keep everything covered in a trash can. And never leave trash out for too long.
3. Seal boxes
Rodents love to chew through cardboard and other flimsy materials. Make sure anything you’re storing is immune to these animals.
4. Mow lawn
A regularly kept lawn is something that rodents can’t hide in. Rodents need to hide from predators (and humans that want to get rid of them), and they won’t come near short grass that they can easily be seen through.
5. Seal your roof shingles
Roof shingles with gaps are easy for rodents to enter a house and hide in an attic. Mice can fit in holes the size of a dime, so make sure everything that size and larger is sealed.
6. Cover your chimney
Santa Claus isn’t the only one who can get into your house through your chimney – and these guys bring pretty terrible presents. Keep your chimney sealed when not used.
7. Check your window weather stripping
Are there gaps around your windows that, even when closed, animals can fit through? Again, seal anything bigger than a dime.
8. Check your door weather stripping
Just like your windows, there should be no entry points for rodents at your door. Get brush sealing at the bottom if you have to.
9. Cover your window wells
If you have window wells above your basement, get them covered and sealed off. Rodents can potentially come in through here if there are any gaps.
10. Cover your vents
Try to put rodent-proof meshes over your vents. Some vents, like dryer vents, are unsafe with these meshes. But for others, you should put some up.
11. Close off pipes
As you can imagine, pipes are a common way to enter a home. After all, they’re tubes that lead straight inside. Make sure that, wherever possible, there’s no entrance to your pipes.
12. Insulate pipes
There can be plenty of room around un-insulated pipes for rodents to crawl around. Getting them professionally insulated is a great way to keep rodents out.
13. Seal off entry points
You’ll find all kinds of entry points here and there, whether it’s the attic, a hole in the wall, or anywhere else a rodent can enter. Seal off as many as you can whenever you find one.
14. Call a professional
A professional rodent-proofing service can help you find all the possible entry points for rodents. This is the best way to ensure you’re completely thorough in rodent-proofing your home.