Summary
Expert tips from Brody Brothers to keep mice and rats out of your home. Say goodbye to unwanted pests with these best-kept secrets!
Winter is the time of the year when Maryland residents are most likely to find rodents in their homes. Mice and rats search for warmth, shelter, and food to survive the winter and your home is the perfect place for them to do just that!
Having rodents in your home can cause you to feel dirty and frightened. You want to protect yourself and your family at all costs, which includes keeping them safe from dangerous rats and mice.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways that you can keep your home rodent-free this winter. By the end of this article, you’ll know the best expert pest control tips to keep mice and rats from invading your home.
The Dangers and Risks of Rodents in the House
While people may choose to keep mice and rats as house pets, when found in the wild, they can pose many dangers and risks to you and your family. As they live in dirty conditions and are prone to carrying diseases, they can be dangerous to have in your home.
From contaminating your food to leaving waste in your pantry, having rodents in your home increases the chance of contracting a dangerous disease. In fact, it was rats that caused the fatal Black Plague in the Middle Ages.
Some of the most common diseases rodents carry nowadays include:
- Monkeypox
- Rat-Bite Fever
- Salmonellosis
- Sylvatic Typhus
- Lassa Fever
- Leptospirosis
- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM)
One of the best ways to keep your family safe from these diseases is by preventing rodents from getting into your home.
How to Keep Your Home Rodent-Free
Fortunately, keeping your home rodent-free can be fairly easy! There aren’t a ton of special treatments or major lifestyle changes that you need to make to do so.
Clean Up the Crumbs to Avoid Rodents
The number one thing mice and rats search for is food. If you have crumbs or food left uncovered on your counter, it’s an open invitation to finding rat or mouse droppings in your kitchen the next day.
After dinner, make sure to wash the counters well and get rid of any crumbs that may have been left behind. Avoid keeping plates or bowls containing food, especially baked goods, uncovered too. Always put them in a container or cover them with tin foil or plastic wrap.
Cover the Pet Food from Rats and Mice
Human food or dog food, it makes no difference to a rodent. Food is food!
If you have a cat or dog, make sure to properly store their dry food, so it doesn’t attract rats or mice. Instead of keeping it in the paper packaging you purchase it in, store it in a sealed plastic container. Paper is easy for rodents to chew through and doesn’t mask the smell.
In the case your pet doesn’t finish their food and leaves some in the bowl, avoid letting it sit there overnight. Instead, cover it or put it back into the container.
Keep Trash in Bins to Keep Rodents Away
When you take out the trash, make sure to put the bag in a large sealed bin. Leaving trash bags on the ground piling up is just asking for rodents to come and infest your home.
If you’re throwing out food scraps, rodents will surely sniff it out and tear through the plastic bags without hesitation if left outside.
Check for Rodent Entry Points
Mice can compress their bodies to be extremely flat so that they can slide through small cracks and crevices. These include holes in your windows, doors, siding, and other entryways into your home.
Before the cold weather sets in, do a routine check of your home for these potential rodent entry points and seal them accordingly, especially if they measure ¼ of an inch or larger.
You can use caulking, steel wool, perforated metal, cement mortar, and weather stripping to securely seal these entry points.
Reduce Clutter
One of the best and easiest ways to keep your home rodent-free is to reduce clutter and keep your home clean. If you have piles of paper, cardboard boxes, or even wood piles in the backyard, these can attract rodents to use as shelter.
Avoid Storing Items in Cardboard
Mice and rats are attracted to paper and cardboard, mostly because it’s easy for them to chew through. They can make a home for themselves here.
So, when you’re packing away holiday decorations or seasonal clothing, try to use plastic containers and bins and avoid cardboard. Not only will this prevent rodents, but you’ll better protect your belongings while they’re in storage.
Quarterly Pest Control Services
It’s always a good idea to have routine pest control inspections of your home throughout the year. With each season, you should have a professional exterminator come out and examine your property for potential infestations.
Brody Brothers Pest Control offers quarterly pest control with their Home Protection Plan for residents in Maryland.
Our team of certified pest control professionals will inspect your home for current infestations and prevent possible infestations. If we see entry points where rodents can squeeze through (maybe some you overlooked), we’ll seal them up quickly.
If for any reason these critters get by our firm prevention, you’ll get our pest control services absolutely free. With Brody Brother’s Home Protection Plan, we guarantee your home is rodent-free.
Get Rid of Rodents with Brody Brothers Pest Control
Don’t worry if you’re too late with your preventative efforts and already have some rats or mice scurrying in your walls or on your countertops. Brody Brothers Pest Control can take care of your rodent problem in no time with safe and effective extermination methods.
Protect your home and family, and get rid of those unwanted furry guests once and for all.
Call Brody Brothers for a free price estimate today!
