As winter subsides, rodents like rats and mice will seek shelter in Florida homes less frequently. That makes spring the ideal time to ensure your home is prepared for any future unwelcome visitors! Learn how to incorporate rodent-proofing your home into your spring cleaning with tips from McCall Service.
How to Prevent Rodents with Spring Cleaning
In addition to freshening up for the new season, spring cleaning can help you safeguard your home against a bevy of pests and wildlife. Like other critters, rodents thrive on clutter and unprotected resources to thrive indoors. By approaching spring cleaning with a rodent-proofing mindset, you can remove some of the factors that draw rats, mice, and other rodents, such as:
- Improperly stored food
- Cluttered storage spaces
- Overgrown trees and bushes
While even the tidiest homes may still face rodent issues, eliminating common attractants for mice and rats can help avoid future issues with these critters.
Overhaul Your Storage to Keep Mice and Rats from Nesting
Limiting rodents’ access to food and shelter is pivotal. If you store flour, sugar, rice, and other dry food goods in their original containers, you’re creating a buffet for whiskered invaders. Rats and mice easily gnaw through paper, soft plastic, cardboard, and even low-grade aluminum with their ever-growing incisors. Stock your pantry with hard plastic or glass containers to rat- and mouse-proof your home’s food storage.
Wipe Down Your Pantry and Cupboards
Even if you already use glass and hard plastic food storage containers, keeping your food storage spaces clean is also crucial to rodent-proofing your home. As part of spring cleaning, open your pantry and cabinets and check for spilled flour, crumbs, or loose rice or cereal that you may have spilled.
Reorganize Your Closet
A cluttered closet is a paradise for rodents. They need soft, comfortable materials to build a nest to have their babies in, and your dark, quiet closet is perfect. Improperly storing old magazines, newspapers, and documents can also contribute to a rodent issue. That’s why you need to properly organize your closet.
Unload your closet and start reorganizing. You should work to keep clothes and shoes off the floor using hangers or organizers. Like your dry food goods, store seasonal clothing, paper documents, etc. in plastic, airtight containers. Now you have a better-organized and rodent-proofed closet!
Spring Cleaning Your Outdoor Spaces
In addition to planting flowers and mowing the lawn, add rodent-proofing to your outdoor spring cleaning checklist. A rat or mouse infestation often starts when they have easy access to your home. Roof rats, for example, use overgrown tree limbs to sneak onto your roof and into your home. While you’re outdoors cleaning up your lawn, keep an eye out for particularly overgrown vegetation near your house.
Keep Lawn Pests Away
Rodents may prefer your cereal boxes, but they’re not opposed to munching on a bug or two. Mole crickets and other common lawn pests may attract rats and mice to your yard as well. Request a free lawn service quote to learn if your backyard needs a helping hand against pests.
Remove Piles of Wood Near Your Home
When they’re not inside your home, rats and mice frequently seek out wood piles for shelter. Store firewood at least 20 feet away from your home to keep away rodents and other pests, like termites.
Request an Inspection for Potential Entry Points
Spotted some concerning cracks or crevices in your home’s siding or around windows and doors? Contact McCall Service. We’ll send out one of our certified pest professionals and have them identify potential mouse and rat entry points and recommend how to seal them.
Wash Your Outdoor Trash Can
It may be our least pleasant recommendation for rodent-proofing your home, but washing out your outdoor trash can will be a big help. Rats and mice rely heavily on smell to guide them toward their next meal (and potentially, their next home). Get out the hose and dish detergent and start washing it down to remove food stains.
Once you’ve washed the can, spray a little ammonia or white vinegar (not both, as they cancel each other out) on it. Strong unpleasant odors can help deter rodents and wildlife like raccoons and opossums. Additionally, cleaning your trash can may help prevent pest problems related to flies or stinging insects.
Rodent-Proof Your Home with McCall Service
The best step you can take in rodent-proofing your home is contacting experienced, local pest professionals. For almost 100 years, McCall Service has proudly served our friends and neighbors in Florida through experience- and knowledge-driven solutions for dealing with pests and wildlife.
Even if you don’t currently have a rodent issue, our team will work with you to create a prevention and exclusion plan for your peace of mind. Other wildlife and pests we offer services for include:
Need some help with your outdoor spring cleaning? We also offer lawn care services to control and prevent pests that may draw rats and other rodents to your property.
For peace of mind against rodents in Florida, request a free estimate from McCall Service today!
