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Five Proven Ways to Protect Your Home Against Rodents | Savvy Gardening: Garden Ideas, Tips, Pictures, and More

Jan 28 2007

Five Proven Ways to Protect Your Home Against Rodents

Published by Jennifer at 10:47 pm under Pest Control

If you have mouse problems or find that rats are roaming throughout your home, you are probably understandably upset. The damage these rodents can cause inside your home is intense. In fact, rodents account for more destruction within houses than virtually any other mammal in the entire world.

Finding out that you have a problem in your home with rodents is never pleasant. It leaves you wondering how exactly you should go about eliminating these creatures from your house. Thankfully, there are a number of steps you can take to leave your home and property free of rodents.

First of all, it is always a good idea and makes the most sense to start your home rodent protection methods by working from the bottom up. Start by creating a barricade preventing any rodents from entering your home from your roof.

Make it as hard as possible on the rodents to even come close to your house. To prevent rodents from gaining easy access to your roof, always trim away trees and foliage that grow up around your home. You ideally want to leave at least an eight foot dead zone because most rodents are able to climb very well.

It is also a good idea to cut away any vines or ivy that may be growing against the side of your house. Ivy and vines provide rodents with somewhat of a ladder, allowing them to reach your roof without a problem. Make use of a strong, metal screening to leave any vents rat proof.

Rodents are flexible creatures and are able to wiggle their way through very minute holes. Because a rodent can easily gain access to your home through even a tiny hole, you will need to repair every crack and hole that you can find along the foundation of your home as well as under the roof. The less chance a rodent has to access your home the better.

If you live in an area that is prone to earthquakes, keep an eye open for cracks or holes in ornamental bricks. Always repair any and all damages as soon as they are noticed. This will prevent rodents from finding an opportunity to move into your home. It is a good idea to also seal any openings around pipe and wire and trees. You should bear in mind that rats love to chew and can gnaw through cement before it sets. Some people actually opt to mix broken glass in with their cement in order to deter rodents.

Basement windows provide a very easily accessible way for rodents to enter your house. To protect your home and prevent your basement as being a point of entry for rodents you should always carefully guard all of your windows. To do this, use a 17 gauge, one-half-inch hardware cloth that is set in removable frames. This will go a long way in helping you to protect your basement windows from rodent entry.

Many homes have letter drops in the front door providing an easy way to receive the mail. These letter drops however, can potentially be a welcome opening to allow rodents to enter your house. If your letter drop is less than 18 inches from the floor, the opening should be no bigger than half an inch. For letter drop openings that are wider, always make certain to use a spring-closing cover.

Floor drains are another way that rodents can enter your home with ease. Make certain that the entire floor drains in your basement, garage, or pool area are screened well with very sturdy material.