You’re cleaning under the kitchen sink when you notice a few little brown nibs behind the household cleaner. Later you spot what looks like brown rice grains near the dog food. At first, you may not think much of it, until you realize… a mouse? A rat?.
In the kitchen, it’s easy to assume a quick cleanup will take care of the problem. You sweep up the droppings and wipe down the area and hope that’s the end of it. But droppings are a sign that rodents have already moved in.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you have a major infestation, but it does mean it’s worth investigating. Traps may help with the rodents you catch, but if they still have access to food, water, shelter or a way into your home, the activity can continue.
Droppings aren’t the only clue. Other early signs of rodents include a light scritching noise you can hear after the television's off or maybe raggedy holes in a wall or ceiling that shouldn't be there. Rodents also leave marks like small scratches or deeper gouges on baseboards, indicating they have been gnawing cardboard, wood, or plastic. Some plastic is soft enough for their tiny sharp teeth to break through, though not all kinds.
Rodents leave other signs as they move through a home. Mice droppings might be as small as rice grains but rats leave droppings about the size of raisins. Rodent urine can collect and give off a musty smell. Smudges from dirty fur can appear on baseboards or walls along well-traveled paths.
If they settle in your home, rodents make nests in attics, ceilings, or walls. They chew up paper, cloth, or wood for bedding and bring in outdoor materials like leaves and branches. In the kitchen or pantry, you may also notice damaged packaging or food that has been chewed overnight.
Once you know what to look for, the next question is why they’re there in the first place. Food, water and shelter can all make a home more attractive to rodents. To discourage such visits:
Keep your pantry food stored in tight-closing containers to cut down on scents that draw rodents in – even up high because mice can jump!
Check for holes in your plastic dog food holder in the garage.
Be sure to wipe away crumbs on counters and don’t let crumbs cascade into your furniture.
Water sources in basements or crawl spaces can also make for an inviting location to make a nest.
Even after you remove those attractants, rodents may still have a way inside. That’s where an inspection can help. A professional can pinpoint problem areas that show where rodents have been living or how they've been accessing your house, places a homeowner might not notice. AIPM can use those findings to recommend a plan for removing the current problem and reducing the chances of rodents returning.
Rodents threaten our safety in unexpected ways. They can carry a very rare virus such as hantavirus that gets passed through fresh droppings. So, if you're cleaning any droppings or nesting materials make sure to :
Open doors and windows for at least 30 minutes before you start cleaning.
Never sweep, vacuum or dust dry droppings or nesting materials, as this puts the virus into the air.
Spray droppings, and nests with a bleach solution (1.5 cups of bleach per gallon of water) and let it soak for 5 minutes.
Make sure to wear rubber, latex, vinyl, or nitrile gloves and a N95 mask (or higher) to block tiny airborne viral particles while cleaning up rodent droppings to reduce the risk of infection.
Rodents also like to chew things to make nesting materials. This includes walls and insulation and can include wiring. Structural damage is annoying and costs money. But wiring that’s lost its insulation can be a fire or electrical hazard.
The next step is keeping rodents from getting back inside. Check siding, roofing, vents, utility openings, garage doors and other areas where small gaps may provide access. Adult rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. Filling small spaces with foam spray insulation can jam up their path. Pay particular attention to spaces around doors and pipes, damaged screens, and openings where building materials meet. Trees or vines that stretch onto your house are their highways. Trimming growth back can remove that option.
The earlier you identify where rodents are getting in and what may be attracting them, the easier it is to address the problem before it grows.