Rodents

If you’re looking forward to cozying up by a warm fire to spend some time indoors this winter, you should know that wildlife right outside your door is thinking the same thing. When outdoor temperatures dip, many pests and rodents seek warmth and food by invading homes. In fact, according to the Nation Pest Management Association, over 21 million homes are invaded during the winter by rodents alone.

To make sure you aren’t hosting unwanted guests for the holidays this year, follow these tips to keep rodents out.

Keep them out

The best way to keep mice and other critters out of your home is to never let them inside in the first place. Check your doors and make sure you’ve installed brush strips to effectively seal the bottoms of doors where rodents might be tempted to squeeze their way in.

Also check places like windows and around the doorframe. If you feel a draft coming through, you could have a leak which can give pests easy entry. Use caulk to shore up your windows and weather stripping to seal up those doors.

You should also check the outside of your house for any holes larger than a quarter of an inch. You can use caulk to seal these openings. Check around pipes and around the foundation too. You should also repair any torn window screens. Lastly, ensure that your chimney has a cap on it. St. Nick isn’t the only one good at climbing down chimneys.

Don’t lure them in

Another great strategy is to remove things in the house that could lure them in. Seal up all your food in plastic containers or in the refrigerator. This includes dog and cat food, which many people overlook.

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, keep wood outside of the home and away from the house itself. Rodents love to hide between the logs and roaches can get between the logs and the bark.

Mice love clutter of all kinds, indoors and outdoors. Make sure to limit the amount of clutter your home has by tidying up and limiting the number of tempting hiding spots there are for lurking rodents. Also trim up tree limbs close to the house as they can provide easy access to your roof or attic. It’s also wise to rake the leaves in your yard and dispose of them because these piles can provide effective hiding spots for unwanted critters.

If you want to make sure your home is rodent and pest free this winter, give Ideal Partners a call. They can take a look at your home and help you keep the rodents out. If you are building a new home or redoing yours, Ideal Partners can install Thermal-Acoustical-Pest Control (TAP), which is an all-natural home insulation designed to prevents ants, cockroaches, and other pests from entering your house. It is also fire retardant and insulates better than traditional products.