How to Prevent Rats from Entering the House

Mice often find their way into homes through tiny cracks and holes. They nest in hidden corners and can live on food scraps. You may not even be aware of the presence of mice if you only have one or two in your home, but if you’re not careful, soon rats will multiply exponentially! The key to keeping rats out of your home is to seal your home, clean up where rats like to nest, and eliminate their food source.

Table of Contents

Use containment measures

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Let your cat roam around your property. Cats are natural predators of rats, and their regular presence will help keep rat populations in check. Indoor and outdoor cats can both serve as great deterrents.

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Using certain substances can keep rats away. There are some substances that are said to have a rat repellent effect. Place one of the following in the nooks and crannies of basements, cabinets, doors, and other suspected rat infestations:

Mint. Mint plants planted around windows and doors can repel mice. You can also sprinkle menthol or peppermint essential oil around the house.
Laurel leaves. Tuck bay leaves into the corners of pantry and cupboards, or crush them and sprinkle on windowsills.
Camphor. This therapy will keep rats away, but mothballs are toxic to humans and pets. If using mothballs, you must make sure children, dogs and cats do not come near.

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Place mouse traps near the house. Place traps in places where rats can enter your home.

Try live traps. Mice will be lured into the trap with peanut butter or cheese bait, and when the trap door is closed they can’t get out. You can take the mouse away and release it away from home.
Spring traps and glue traps are also effective, but wildlife is also at risk if you set them outdoors.

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Hit the mouse outside. Buy cans of rat bait at the hardware store. Usually these traps come with a box and poison bait, or you can also buy a box with bait. Consider carefully if you want to use this method and have small children or pets at home.

Place rat bait boxes outside, focusing on areas where you suspect rats may enter your home.
When you see a mouse dying from poison baits, you must throw it away immediately. Other animals will also be poisoned if they eat that mouse.

Housecleaning

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Clean up clutter. Mice are often attracted to long unused nooks and crannies in basements, closets, and closets. To prevent your house from becoming an attractive place for mice to nest, clean up the clutter like this:

Bins, boxes and cooking utensils. Dishes, cups, and pots and pans that you pile up to sell second-hand can lure mice to your basement or storage room.
Piles of clothes. Maybe you don’t pay much attention to the pile of clothes left on the floor for too long. Clothes in bags are also easy to become nesting places for mice. You should store unused clothes in wooden crates or plastic boxes to prevent mice.
Piles of magazines, newspapers or other papers. This will be a source of material for the mice to nest.
Cardboard box. Mice can gnaw through cardboard boxes, so don’t leave them on the floor.
Bottles, cans and other food packaging. Rats may be attracted to the lingering smell of food.
Clobber. Now might be the time to get rid of the dusty sofa in the basement. Anything made of fabric, especially not often used, can be turned into a warm home for mice.

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Wash floors and vacuum carpets. Drinks spills, food crumbs and everyday dirt can attract rats. You should avoid this by cleaning the floor and vacuuming the entire carpet a few times a week.

Pay attention to the corners of the room, where dust and hair are often concentrated. Mice will use these as nesting materials.
Don’t forget to clean the garage. Make sure the floor is clean of dust, sand, gravel and other materials that have accumulated for a long time.

Eliminate food sources

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Seal the kitchen and pantry to prevent rats. The food source of mice when entering the house is mostly in the kitchen. You can take the following steps to make sure you don’t feed your rats:

Use trash cans with lids, as the smell of trash can invite mice. Take out the trash often instead of leaving it in the kitchen for too long.
Do not store food containers on the floor. Make sure everything is stored on a shelf or cabinet.
Use sealed food containers. Store nuts, noodles, and grains in plastic containers or glass jars with lids. Instead of leaving cereal boxes or half-eaten packages on the shelf, you should empty the food container and discard the other container.
Wipe up spilled drinks immediately. Don’t leave orange juice or oat water cans spilled on the floor for too long. Sweep and mop the kitchen floor regularly to remove any traces of food.

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Do not leave cat food outside all day. Cat and dog food is also a treat for mice, and crumbs will invite them in if left out all day. When your pet has finished eating, you should put it away immediately. Store cat food in glass jars or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.

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Eliminate outdoor food sources. Mice may be attracted to your property because they find delicious treats outside. You need to eliminate the following food sources:

Berries and nuts fall under the tree. Collect fallen fruit to compost or throw away.
Bird food is scattered around the feeder. Regularly sweep away bird food or move feeders away from home.
The trash cans overflow. Prevent rats from getting into the trash by using bins with tight-fitting lids. If possible, keep trash cans in a shed away from your home.

Seal the house

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Close the entrance. If you have a habit of leaving your doors and garage doors open, rats can take this opportunity to sneak into your home when you’re not looking. You should close the door to prevent mice from entering the house.

Mice are most active at night, so it’s best not to leave the door open at night.
If you like to keep the door open during the summer to let the cool breeze in, install a mesh door frame to keep mice out.

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Seal the window frame. Mice are very good at climbing, and they can climb through windows without difficulty, especially ground floor windows. Always keep windows or doors closed.

If you haven’t looked at the window frames for a long time, you should go around the house and check again. Doors can be torn over time, and holes caused by rust or tear will provide an entrance for mice.
If there is a window that does not close properly or there is a gap between the door and the door frame, you should seal it with steel wire or wire mesh.

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Check the floor. Another way for mice to enter is through openings in walls, especially near windows or entrances. You should go around the outside of the house looking for crevices or holes where rats can get in.

Seal any holes larger than 6.5 mm. It is best to use strong repair materials such as sheet metal, wire mesh or cement mortar. Rats can gnaw through weaker materials and find their way into homes.
Check the wall between the garage and the house. Sometimes rats get through the garage door, because the door is harder to close there than in other places, then they will find their way into the main house.

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Seal gaps around cable outlets, water pipes, vents and chimneys. Mice can easily follow cables into the house if the hole in the wall is wide enough for them to get through. They can also enter homes through holes drilled in the wall to attach water supply and drain hoses or sneak through vents and chimneys.

Insert stainless steel wire rods into the small holes around cables and pipes, then seal with sealant. Steel spikes will create a barrier against mice, and you can easily use scissors to cut to fit smaller holes.
Install nets to prevent mice from getting into pipes, vents, and chimneys.

Advice

Dispose of dead rats by burying them or placing them in a plastic bag and throwing them in the trash.

Warning

Use caution when using poison bait or mothballs to kill rats.

Steps