Protecting your home and family from different pests can be an overwhelming, yet important, task. Spraying of spreading pest control products is effective for reducing insects in and around your house, but controlling rodents will require a bit more effort. Considering they can cause structural damage to your home while spreading disease that can harm your family, preventing mice from your house is essential. Traps and poison bait are effective for treating an existing infestation of mice, but finding ways to repel these rodents from your house is a smarter alternative. Here are a few solutions to repel mice from your home.
Control Moisture
Mice, and other pests, are attracted to moisture. If you have high levels of moisture or humidity inside or around your house, you will be at a higher risk of a pest problem. Reducing the moisture content in and around your home is one of the easiest ways to repel mice.
To get started, measure the humidity inside your home using your thermostat or a hygrometer. An ideal amount of humidity will be between 30 and 50 percent. Higher levels could be a caused by a few things including improper heating and cooling, worn window seals that leak conditioned air, or a water leak. No matter what the cause, this moisture content will attract mice.
Consider having your basement waterproofed to prevent moisture. If your home has a crawlspace, make sure to install a vapor barrier or have it sealed to reduce the risk of moisture build up. Check your foundation and basement for cracks in the walls. These cracks may be small, but they are large enough for moisture and mice to enter through.
Control Debris
Even the smallest amount of crumbs will attract mice, increasing a risk of an infestation within your house. Due to this risk, you must control the amount of food debris in and around your home.
Make sure all garbage cans are covered and emptied regularly. Clean up any food or drinks that spill onto your floors or countertops immediately. Also, make sure your pantry and cabinets are clean and organized. Seal opened bags and boxes of foods and ingredients properly. Make sure to use clips on bags or place items into plastic bags with zipper closures or storage canisters.
Wipe down the inside of drawers, cabinets, pantry shelves, and trash cans using antibacterial wipes, as well. This will remove any food particles that may be lingering and attracting pests.
Lastly, make sure to clean up any piles of debris in and around your house. Piles of dirty clothes, newspapers or magazines, craft fabric, aluminum cans or bottles, straw, tiles or rocks, and lumbar are all appealing areas for mice to hide. In addition, mice can easily use these piles of debris to create nests inside your house.
Control Landscaping
Mice will enter your home from the outdoors, so it is also important to spend some time maintaining your landscaping.
Overgrown grass and plants are appealing spots for mice and other pests to hide, so focus on these elements. Be sure to mow your lawn regularly and trim overgrown shrubs, trees, and flowers to reduce the moisture content around the house. Pay special attention to plants that are close to your home's exterior foundation.
Installing a few plants around your home may also be an effective way to repel mice. Here are a few plants that you should consider planting around your house:
These plants and herbs secrete strong odors that repel mice and other pests away from your home. Consider planting in flowerbeds around your home or placing in pots near windows and doors or around outdoor living spaces.
Mice may be small pests, but they can cause enormous harm to your home and health. With these simple solutions, you will learn how to repel these pests from your house. For more information, visit websites like http://www.greenleafpest.com.
Share22 June 2017
After struggling for years, I finally scored my dream job and started to focus on redecorating my home. At first, I wasn't sure how much of an impact I was going to be able to make, but after sitting down and really focusing on the different areas of my house, it was clear to me that the main living spaces were where I needed to focus. I started working room by room to renovate the space, and it was absolutely amazing to see what we were able to accomplish. This blog is all about creating a gorgeous home--even if you are on a tight budget.
