Blog
The Dangers of Mice and Rats in Your Home
11/22/13
Have you ever been in your kitchen cooking and had a mouse scurry across your feet? Maybe you’ve been woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of scraping, an indicator of something gnawing on the inside of your walls, or even opened up your pantry to bake a cake only to find mouse or rat droppings around boxes with chewed holes in them? These are typical scenarios that homeowners come across when mice, rats, and other rodents have invaded their home.
Some people detest rodents, while others think of them as cute, furry little creatures, but one thing is for sure, they are dangerous! These tiny mammals can cause a great deal of damage to your home, gnawing on drywall, storage boxes, books, wooden furniture and they are also known for their ability to chew through electrical wires and pipes, thus potentially causing fires and plumbing problems. Along with the destruction they can cause to your home, rodents can contaminate your food and countertops and they are known carriers of many diseases such as: salmonella, the Hantavirus, Leptospirosis, and lymphocytic disease.
With the holiday season right around the corner you may notice an increased presence of rodents around your home with all the baking, cooking, trash, and general movement in your home. All these factors can draw mice and rats indoors in their search for food, water, and shelter and once they are inside their populations will rapidly grow and it will become nearly impossible to get them to move out. Some helpful ways to prevent rodents from entering your home to begin with are:
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Inspect the exterior of your home, sealing any holes, cracks, and gaps along your foundation, and around windows, doors, pipes, wiring, and eaves
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Install screens on all exterior vents
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Keep trees and shrubs trimmed back away from the side of your home
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Regularly clean your kitchen, remembering to thoroughly clean beneath appliances
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Repair or replace and window and door screen with holes and tears
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De-clutter pantries, closets, attics, basements, and other storage areas
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Keep baked good and opened boxes in glass or Tupperware containers with tightly sealing lids
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Never leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight
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Regularly take trash out and make sure outdoor trash cans have securely sealing lids, using bungee cords if necessary
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Repair any leaky faucets and pipes
By implementing these simple rodent prevention tips you will better protect your home from mice, rats, and other troublesome rodents.
If rodents have already made their way into your home, there is no need to fret, just call upon All-American Pest Control for home pest control services. Our Franklin pest control company was founded in 1961 and our highly trained pest exterminators will offer the best treatment options to effectively get rid of entire rodent colonies and make sure they do not return. So don’t spend this holiday season worrying about your pest problems, let All-American Pest Control resolve them for you!