Mice can destroy furniture, chew through interior structures, carry diseases and irritate pets, making infestation a serious matter. While mice removal in Toronto is great for getting rid of rodents, it’s better to keep them from entering your residence in the first place. Fortunately, these preemptive strategies can safeguard your home.

Identify Potential Entry Points

Mice only need a half-inch gap to squeeze into your home; as a result, it’s easy to miss potential entry points. It’s a good idea to have professionals inspect your property, as they know what to look for. While rodents can potentially enter via any damaged area, they’re most likely to wriggle their way through the following:

• Gaps in doors and window frames

• Holes in siding and rooftops

• Unsealed pipes and sewage lines

• Foundation cracks

A professional can seal these holes with long-lasting solutions that rodents can’t chew through.

You should also consider trimming trees and bushes close to your house. These plants can hide damage, making it more difficult to quickly identify and fix potential entry places. Additionally, rodents may climb greenery to access the roof or windows.

Eliminate Clutter

Clutter provides the perfect environment for mice seeking a nesting spot. Rodents prefer dark, close spaces, which piles of clutter provide. Garages, storage sheds and attics are especially problematic because they don’t see as much use as other parts of your property, allowing animals to settle in and reproduce.

To avoid an infestation, eliminate existing clutter and create an organizational plan to prevent more from accumulating. An excellent first step is to look through your belongings and get rid of anything you don’t need. Throw away anything broken or excessively old, and donate items you won’t use but are still in good condition.

Put what you keep in plastic, sealable storage bins. Doing so will keep wildlife out of your belongings. Whenever you need to put something else in storage, place it in an existing bin or purchase a new one.

If you find evidence of mice while cleaning, stop immediately and contact residential pest control services. Handling nests without the proper safety equipment is dangerous, and you don’t want to put your family or pets at risk.

Remove Food and Water Sources

If you ask a professional how to keep rodents away, the number one answer will be removing food and water sources. All animals instinctively seek these resources, and humans often provide them inadvertently. For example, if you often grill or eat outside, you may leave crumbs behind. Even these small tidbits can tempt rodents to look for more.

With that in mind, keeping your food inside should be enough to deter wildlife, right? Unfortunately, mice may make their way into your home seeking shelter and stay when they discover your pantry. To prevent this, store your food in hard plastic or glass containers with air-tight lids. Rodents can chew through cardboard and soft plastic, making them unsuitable for food storage.

Get Rid of Nesting Materials

When rodents decide to settle down, they create nests of shredded material. In the wild, they use twigs, leaves and grass. However, they’re more than happy to use whatever they can find inside your house:

• Insulation

• Paper and cardboard

• Upholstery stuffing and fabric

• Food wrappers

Eliminating clutter usually deprives mice of these materials, but you should be especially careful if you have a lot of crafting materials. If you notice unexplained damage to furniture, clothes, books or cardboard boxes, you should get an inspection.

Our Truly Nolen Canada team in Toronto can help homeowners keep their houses pest-free with thorough inspections and preventative measures. We’re happy to remove mice, rats and other wildlife. For more information, give us a call or contact us online.