Picture it. You have found a place to hang your hat. The food is free. The beds are comfortable. The nights are peaceful. And you are allowed to come and go as you please. Oh, and you don’t have to pay a dime–or work a day in your life–if you don’t want to. Why on earth would you want to leave? In fact, wouldn’t it be a good idea to stick around, find a mate, and start a family?
If you have had rats, mice, or other rodents taking up residence in your home, it is advisable to get professional help as soon as possible. But if you would like to prevent these nasty critters from invading in the first place, there are a few things you can do that might deter them.
Make Your House Uninviting To Pests
- Clean, clean, clean. Make sure to pay close attention to areas where food is eaten or prepared. Don’t forget the areas underneath couches and beds (especially if you have kids or teens!) and make sure to get into those hard-to-reach places, like between the stove and counter, and underneath the fridge.
- Don’t let dirty dishes sit. If you are unable to get to your dishes right away, consider placing them in a sink full of soapy water until you can take care of them.
- Protect your food. If you have food in cardboard or thin plastic containers, make sure to seal them up tightly inside hard plastic, glass, or some other sturdy, sealable container, or simply store them in the fridge or freezer until needed.
- Only feed Fido or Fluffy at mealtimes. If you have a pet, don’t leave their food out all the time. It doesn’t take much of this easy-to-reach, tasty pet food to feed a mouse or rat.
- Remove water sources. If you have any leaks in sinks, tubs, toilets, or other water sources, or if you have leaky pipes, work to fix these. And if you have pipes that sweat, consider putting fans and dehumidifiers in place to remove the moisture.
Make Your Yard Uninviting To Pests
- Remove clutter, tall grass, overgrown weeds, and anything else in your yard that rodents can use to hide in or under.
- Remove food sources, such as pet food, leftover barbecue, dropped fruit, or open trash cans that rodents will be drawn in by.
- Store firewood and construction materials well away from your home.
- Keep bushes, trees and other vegetation trimmed back away from your walls and roof area.
- Make sure all your screens and door sweeps are in good working order.
- Seal up the outside of your home.
If you need assistance getting rodents out of your home, or you’d like to keep them out in the first place, reach out to rodent control experts here at Spencer Pest Services. Don’t allow rodents to “live the good life” inside your South Carolina home. Get help today.
