Rodent Exclusion: How to Seal Rats and Mice Out of Your Home

A rodent infestation in your home can have catastrophic consequences. Mice and rats can do untold damage to your property. By way of example, a full 25 percent of all residential fires stem from rodents attacking electrical systems and exposing wires and starting blazes that many times consume a home. Rodents and their droppings also carry germs that are capable of causing serious and even fatal disease. The wisest course of action to take is to head rodents off at the pass, to initiate an effective rodent exclusion strategy. The most effective rodent exclusion strategy is presented here for your consideration and implementation.

Preliminary Inspection of the Interior and Exterior of Your Home

The process of rodent exclusion begins with a thorough, comprehensive inspection of the exterior of and grounds around your residence. The inspection process is designed to ascertain whether there is any evidence of rodents on the premises before you begin to take steps towards effective rodent exclusion.

Whether you detect evidence of rodents at your residence, you nonetheless will want to move ahead with the rodent exclusion process. Truly, the most ideal position to be in is to be completely proactive and excluding rodents from your home before an infestation occurs.

The most common signs that rodents may be present on your property include:

  • Rodent droppings
  • Greasy trails along walls (interior and exterior, on floors, and across the lawn
  • Gnaw marks (in various surfaces)
  • Rodent sightings
  • Rodent carcasses
  • Gnawing sounds
  • Scratching sounds
  • Squealing
  • Holes in walls (interior and exterior)

Rodent Exclusion Strategies to Implement

An underlying factor associated with rodent exclusion is that mice and rats are creatures of habit. They continually follow the same pathways on a recurring basis in search of food, water, and shelter. By looking for rodent rub marks (greasy trails) you will be able to identify structural flaws on the exterior of your home through which mice and rats can enter into your home.

You need to bear in mind that mice and rats are able to enter through very small spaces. A mouse can make its way through a hole the size of a dime. A rat can get through a space the size of a quarter.

Bear in mind that even a tiny hole might be created when service people work at your residence. For example, if you have everything from cable television to electrical services performed at your home, small holes may be created. As mentioned, mice and rats can get through very small spaces. In addition, they have teeth that are capable of gnawing and enlarging even a tiny space into something through which they can pass.

The simple approach to effect rodent exclusion is to plug or seal up the holes that rodents are using to enter your home. You will need the following materials as part of plugging

  • Quarter inch galvanized hardware cloth
  • Tin snips (to cut and size the galvanized hardware cloth)
  • Staple gun to attach the hardware cloth to the exterior

The objective is to cover the hole in the nicest most effective way possible. The galvanized hardware cloth is cut to fit the area of exclusion. It is vital that the hardware cloth be securely affixed to the wall or other location in which it is being placed.

There are other materials that theoretically can be used to plug holes through which rodents access. These include properly cured cement. You can use wood, however that may not prove to be a permanent solution because rodents can fairly easily chew through wood.

Professional Rodent Eradication Service

If you’ve discovered an existing rodent infestation in your home, you must not delay in getting rid of the varmints from your residence. Yes, you certainly can undertake the process of rodent extermination on your own. With that said, if you take on combating mice and rats on your own, you may find that you’re engaging in an ongoing battle. You may find that you have significant problems eradicating rodents from your home. With this in mind, you may want to give serious consideration to hiring a rodent eradication (or extermination) service.

Professional Rodent Dropping Cleaning Company

Getting rid of rodents that have infested your home is only part of the proverbial battle. You also need to eliminate the dangerous waste that exists in the aftermath of a rodent infestation in your home. This includes:

  • Rodent droppings
  • Rodent nests
  • Dried rodent urine
  • Rodent carcasses
  • Other contaminated waste

While you can attempt to undertake rodent droppings cleanup and the elimination of other waste on your own, that typically is not the recommended course of action. The reality is that that rodent droppings and other waste can present serious health hazards. Droppings and other waste can carry germs capable of causing serious and even deadly diseases. Thus, hiring a professional rodent droppings cleaning company is strongly suggested to ensure that hazardous waste is completely and safely eliminated from all areas in your home.