How to Keep Mice and Rats Away from Your House

The exclusion of mice and rats from your home seems to be one of the top priorities for most homeowners in Northern Virginia when it comes to quality pest control. In the spring and summer months, they are pestered by flying insects that irritate them in more ways than one. However, all throughout the year, rats and mice can find their way into your home and stay there until they are finally forced out.

They are naturally intelligent creatures that are instinctively able to survive the most hostile environments under the most inclement weather conditions, so once they have been able to successfully invade the perimeter of your house, there really is no easy way of getting rid of them at that point. The key, then, is to focus on prevention. How can you keep these four-legged, tailed rodents away from your home?

Do Not Leave Them Any Food

You need to remember that rats and mice are fighting to survive and keep themselves nourished. Thus, they are going to naturally be drawn more to environments that can provide them with shelter and food so you want to make sure that you do not leave out any for them. Your garbage needs to be tightly wrapped and stored in covered containers. Clean up any remaining food that you give your pets, because an old meal for your dog can quickly become a new meal for rats.

Eliminate Their Hiding Spots

Another exclusion step is to make sure that your house is kept clear of anything that a mouse can use as a hiding place in order to stay undetected from you and your family. This includes such things as old trash, weeds, old wooden boards and even junk cars that you have stored in your yard.

Make sure that you keep your attic cleaned and cleared regularly; if you have any cardboard boxes in there, keep them tightly sealed and covered because mice love to sneak their way in when no one is there to catch them. Once they are there, they can leave more than just trails of rodent waste and urine; they can even infect your stored belongings with the Hantavirus so you need to make sure that you stay on top of this consistently.

Do Not Leave Any Doors Open for Them

The vast majority of rats and mice are not going to create their own holes in your home; they are just going to find holes that are already there and use them instead. Another effective method of exclusion is to make sure that you patch up any holes that you may have in your window screens, doors and walls. Your floor drains need to always be tightly sealed. Do not be mistaken by the size of any hole, because as long as you are able to slip the tip of your pinky finger into it a mouse will be able to squeeze their way through it.

You can successfully keep your house guarded through these exclusion techniques and minimize the risk of being infested by mice and rats by following these steps. Just keep in mind that these are things that will need to be done all throughout the year and not just in certain seasons.