Rats and mice may have hitched a free ride on the humanity wagon long ago, but there’s no reason for them to share your home with you. Unless, of course, they’re running the wheel in a cage… Inside your home Cleanliness is next to rodentless. Don’t give rats and mice an open invitation to forage. Seal all bags, cans and bins that contain food — human or pet — and don’t leave crumbs, grease and other food aftermath on the counter, stove or table. It’s best to have seals on the trash cans as well. It may seem over the top, but cover those drains if you suspect activity. Make sure your faucets don’t leak. Fix any defective pipes or drains. Don’t give them an easy, free water source. Check your attic and basement for evidence — torn up insulation, chewed beams, droppings. Traditional traps can be effective, but only if you let the mice take the bait the first time or two. Outside your home Making your yard and the outside of your home as uninviting as possible is just as important, if not more so, than taking preventative steps inside. Make sure all your outdoor trash cans have secure, tight lids. Fix all leaking hoses, and make sure there is no standing water or pet waste (i.e, dog poop). Clean up. No junk or trash out in the yard or under a porch. That includes lumber, old boxes, anything rodents could use as shelter. Trim the trees and bushes back from the house. Rodents can use them as bridges to gain access to your home when they can’t find another way. Speaking of which, conduct a thorough inspection of the outside of your home and look for any possible entryways, such as where utilities enter the home or floor drains and sewer pipe grates, even transoms and letter drops. If you find some, fix them. Remember, rats can get through almost anything, and steel wool is only a temporary solution. When securing openings and potential openings from rodent entry, use sheet metal, heavy wire mesh, or good, ol’ fashioned concrete and brick and mortar. Taking these measures should help. But if you have a rodent infestation or simply a headache provided by a few ornery mice, let us be your backup. We’ll not only rid your home of the rodents, but we’ll show you where they’re getting in and work with you to plug the holes.