No one wants to find out that there are mice or rats living in their home. These rodents are nuisances that can carry disease, chew through your belongings, and leave droppings everywhere. Rest assured that you can get rid of your rodent problem. Here are four steps you should take if you think you have mice or rats in your home:
1. Know what to look for.
If there are rodents living in your house, you may not see them, but you can recognize signs of their presence. You may hear the sounds of scurrying in your walls or cupboards. It's possible you may also see signs of rodents gnawing at food containers, electrical cords, or the wooden parts of your house. You might also see rodent droppings, which look like small black pellets.
2. Call a pest control service.
If you think you have a rodent infestation, it's important that you take care of it right away. Rodents can carry bacteria and diseases, and you're at risk of getting sick if they're living in your house. According to the Center for Disease Control, rodents are one of the major carriers of hantavirus, which can be life-threatening. A pest control service can eliminate your rodent problem and also set out traps to keep mice and rats away in the future.
3. Throw away any affected food.
Even after your rodent problem has been taken care of, you might continue to find things that have been affected by their presence. Throw away any food that's been contaminated, since it might contain germs. In particular, you should examine any food stored in a paper or cardboard box, such as flour or pasta. These materials are easy for rodents to break, and they're prime candidates for contamination. Make sure to wear gloves and a face mask when handling anything that has been contaminated with rodent feces.
4. Keep all food sealed.
You can do your part to prevent a rodent reinfestation by keeping your food sealed in rodent-proof containers. Hard plastic or glass containers are an excellent way to keep your food safe. Make sure to wash all your dishes in a timely manner and throw away any food wrappers instead of leaving it lying around. Store open bags of chips and cookies in your refrigerator. By eliminating their food source, you can make your house a less appealing target for opportunistic rodents.
Contact a pest control service for more help.
After struggling for quite some time with pests inside of our home, I knew it had to stop. I was tired of going to bed everyday without knowing if the issue would be getting resolved, so I started investigating the matter. I realized that we had ants and spiders, so I spoked with a pest control professional about helping out. They were absolutely incredible to work with, and within a few weeks, the mess was sorted out. On this website, I began focusing on how to make things right, since you really never know which kinds of pests will impact your home.