How To Keep Rats Out Of Your Home And Yard

Don’t let rats invade your home.

Both rats and mice can cause major destruction to your home. Clear the Air would like to share some tips to avoid a rat infestation in your home.

First you need to check to see if you have rats. Look to see if you see mouse or rat droppings. In your yard, you can check weedy places, under boards and dog houses or near garbage cans to see if a rat has made a burrow or nest. Also any holes or edges around your home and yard with chewed edges are sure signs of a rat or mouse.

Rats and mice breed fast. A mouse can have several young when she’s two months old. Then, two months later, her young will breed. In the meantime, the mother will produce another litter. So you must keep working to get rid of them. Here are some tips to keeping them out of your property:

• Keep garbage in tightly covered cans. Feed dogs and cats in a dish, then take up the food they don’t eat. Don’t leave it out for rats and mice.
• Remove trash, old boards, weeds and junk cars. Rats and mice like to hide in such places. Don’t pile wood against the house. Store wood and other materials at least a foot off the ground.
• Keep doors closed. Cover windows with screens. One-fourth inch or smaller mesh will keep rats and mice out. Keep floor drains tightly sealed. Cement or caulk around pipes and cables where they pass through walls. Mice can get through any hole that will admit the tip of your little finger.
• If you use poison or a trap to kill your rats, chances are the rat will die in the wall of your home. This can cause a horrendous odor and thankfully Clear the Air has an easy solution to rid your home of that dead rat odor. Click here to learn more about eliminating dead rodent odor.
• Birdhouses and seed should be on poles and in trays rats can’t get.
• Roof rats get into your house from tree branches that hang over the roof. Keep trees cut back and cover any openings in the eves.