Author: Kurt Treftz, Cascade Pest Control

What is Mouse Proofing?

While mouse control is getting rid of the mice that have infested your home or business, mouse proofing is the process of PREVENTING a mouse or rodent infestation – and PREVENTING them from entering your building structure.

What are the Mouse Proofing Essentials?

The Seattle and greater Puget Sound regions are unfortunately prone to mice and rats, both of which enjoy escaping the cold and wet seasons whatever way they can find. This usually entails burrowing their way into human spaces and structures.

To ensure that your home or business is secure, regular professional mouse control services are the best way to go. There are mouse proofing techniques and practices (also called, rodent exclusion) that Cascade Pest Control offers in order to keep your space secure and prevent infestation.

Rodent Exclusion Tips & Tricks

You want to be assured that your space is secure and that no undesired infestations are developing. An essential safeguard to gaining this assurance is mouse proofing your home or business. Here are some rodent exclusion strategies and materials that are helpful to prevent mouse or rodent entry:

Seal cracks and holes on the exterior and interior of your structure. A mouse can squeeze through a gap just ¼ of an inch wide. Keeping an eye on foundation or garage holes, window and door seals, chimney cap and roof shingle fit, ventilation or piping entry points, and electrical wiring holes are all places that, if not properly secured, can allow a mouse or rodent into your home. Subspaces and attics are great nesting locations for mice and rodents, so making sure these spaces are well sealed and regularly checked will aid your mouse proofing efforts.
Stainless steel mesh is a useful tool to fill in large gaps and holes you might find inside and outside your home or business. Mice are unable to chew through this material like they can many others, including weather stripping and electrical wiring. Common places to fill with stainless steel mesh are openings around utility lines that aren’t sealed well or exterior ventilation access points.
Regularly clean and sanitize kitchen and bathroom areas. These spaces are large draws to mice as they can provide easy access to food sources and nesting locations. The cleaner and tidier you keep the entirety of your home’s interior, the less likely you’ll be to attract and let mice activity go unnoticed.
Store food securely in glass or other hard plastic containers that are more impervious to mice knowing – and a necessary step in mouse proofing. Not only does this further seal scents that would attract mice or rodents, it makes it easier to tell if something has been chewing on the container (in the case of hard plastic). A rodent would be unable to get through it in a short amount of time, giving you a larger window to discover the signs and call in a rodent control service.
Maintain garden and lawn areas to decrease the exterior hiding or nesting spots mice could burrow in. Keeping the grass well-trimmed and any lawn debris cleared can be huge in preventing mice a secure hiding spot with which to stake out weak spots in your home’s structure. Keeping stacked firewood at least 20 feet from the house is also a good mouse proofing protocol to avoid easy access to your home’s interior.
Seal garbage and debris containers. This prevents attracting mice to your house in search of an easy food source, and removes possible nesting materials with which they could create a space for themselves in or around your home.

Trust Cascade Pest Control to Mouse Proof Your Home

Our trained, professional technicians are dedicated to providing humane, ecofriendly, and safe rodent exclusion procedures to homes and businesses in Seattle, Renton, Redmond, Kirkland, Tacoma, Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Issaquah, Snohomish, Kent, and the surrounding Puget Sound region!

We have been working for over 40+ years to deliver effective and professional rodent control services that work for your lifestyle. Cascade works with you to develop a comprehensive exclusion and abatement plan to best suit your rodent or mouse control needs.

Call 888-989-8979 today to schedule an inspection with a Cascade Pest Control technician!