There are all kinds of problems at home that no one wants to deal with. Apart from the ones that involve cleaning up after the kids, there’s also a range of issues from damp to burst pipes. But one of the things no one ever wants to hear they have to tackle is a pest problem. There are so many unwanted creatures that could invade your home, and putting in the effort to get rid of them is annoying. Mice, and sometimes rats, are a particularly frequent visitor for a lot of homes. If you’ve been hearing scratching at night or perhaps have noticed some droppings, it could be that you have a rodent problem. Start tackling it with the tips below to evict your unwelcome guests.
Secure Your Home
The first thing you should do is seal any places where rodents could get into your house. You might be surprised by how small a hole or crack rats and mice can squeeze through. It’s no use thinking that there are no obvious places that anything can get through. You need to scour your whole home with a keen eye and spot any possible areas that could be vulnerable. Both mice and rats can get into incredibly small spaces, so don’t leave even the smallest space unfilled. Check around windows, doors, skirting boards and walls for damage and repair as much as you can.
Choose Your Control Method
Once you’ve prevented anything getting in or out, you need to decide how to get rid of anything already in your home. You can either use lethal methods, or you can use live traps and release them outside your home. If you want to kill them, you can put poison down, but you need to be very careful when you have children or pets. If it gets into the wrong hands (or paws), it could be very dangerous. Another option is spring-loaded traps, which you can bait with a number of different foods to tempt them. You can also use live traps and release them outside. Try to place either poison or traps in the places where you can see evidence of them having been there.
Call in an Expert
Sometimes you try to get rid of rodents yourself but it doesn’t do the trick. If the problem has got out of hand, it’s best call in someone else. An expert in rodent control will have plenty of experience in what to do with whichever one is bothering you in your home. They’ll know the best prevention methods and they’ll be able to identify exactly where your freeloaders are hanging out.
Once you’ve got rid of the rodents, you’ll want to stop any more getting in. Apart from sealing up cracks and holes, you should make sure you keep your home tidy and clean. If you find yourself with regular problems, you might even consider getting a cat. Watch out for pests in the winter especially, when rats and mice want to come in from the cold.
