Holiday season is upon us once again, and while it means many things for you and your Birmingham family, it’s also the time when rodents like mice and rats are actively searching for warm places to nest near food sources. Make sure your holiday gatherings aren’t providing the ideal conditions for mice and rats to make themselves at home in your living room!
Happy Holidays: The Pest Perspective
Warmer temperatures are coming to a close, and mice and rats are on the hunt for warm places to nest with easy access to food. During this season, your holidays, with all the food, crowded kitchens, and festive décor, make a wonderful haven for mice and rats. From leftover crumbs on the floor under the dining table to gift boxes stacked near storage closets, rodents are bound to discover plenty of food and hiding spots in your home without preventative measures in place.
The risks to your family and home are greater than spoiled holiday merriment, though. Rodent droppings and urine can spread bacteria and contaminate food, causing illness. They can trigger allergies in children and adults and cause structural damage to your home by chewing through insulation, wiring, and wood. Ignoring rodent problems this holiday season means the start of a year-round fight for your home.
Identifying Entry Points
Rodents can squeeze through openings as small as a dime. Identifying the typical areas where mice and rats enter your home is the first step to creating physical barriers to stop their entry before your holiday parties. Common places include:
- Cracks in the foundation – Small gaps in the structure of your home offer easy entry.
- Gaps in utility pipes and connections – Holes in plumbing, electrical, or other utility lines provide entry pathways.
- Windows and doors – Spaces around window and door frames or worn seals create entry opportunities.
- Attic and roof vents – Ventilation pipes, chimney, or broken shingles and flashing offer entry from above.
Pay special attention to these areas as well:
- Cutouts for plumbing pipes – Unsealed openings where water pipes or drainage come through your walls or floors are a prime rodent entry point.
- Small gaps under doors – A slight opening beneath your exterior doors is an open invitation for rodents.
By identifying these common entry points, you can set physical barriers to stop rodent entry before you start your holiday preparations.
Rodent-Proofing Your Home: Physical Barriers You Need
Door Sweeps
Door sweeps seal the gap between the bottom of your door and the threshold of your entranceway. Made from rubber, brush, vinyl, or other materials, a door sweep creates a barrier to keep rodents from entering under the door. Make sure the sweep is tight and makes full contact with the threshold for best results.
Plumbing Cutout Covers
Open plumbing cutouts can serve as highways for rodents. Use metal plates or fill these areas with expanding foam sealant to cover the cutouts. Select your method based on the size of the plumbing cutout and the surrounding wall or floor material for long-term results.
Window Screens
Examine your window screens for holes, tears, or gaps. Rodents can squeeze through small openings, and your home’s window screens are no exception. Repair minor tears with screen patches or replace the entire screen as needed. In areas of high rodent activity, metal screens provide greater durability.
Magnetic Door Mesh/Screens
Magnetic mesh screens work well on doors that you and your family use regularly during holiday celebrations, such as sliding patio doors leading to outdoor living spaces. These screens allow ventilation while also creating a barrier for rodents and other pests. Magnetic mesh screens are also easy to install and remove, making them a flexible option for families with busy homes.
Sealing Vents and Chimneys
Rodents can also use vents or even unprotected chimneys to enter your home. Fine wire mesh covers keep ventilation flowing while keeping these entryways inaccessible.
More Than Barriers
Physical barriers make up the foundation of rodent prevention, but they are most effective as part of a multi-pronged strategy. Take a holistic approach when holiday-proofing your home for rodents and other pests.
Practice Proper Sanitation
- Store food (including pet food) in sealed containers.
- Wipe up spills and crumbs promptly.
- Empty trash receptacles into tightly sealed garbage cans.
Remove easy food sources, and your home is far less inviting to rodents.
Declutter
Rodents like to hide in boxes, old decorations, and unused storage items. Declutter your basement, garage, and storage closets before your holiday parties start. You don’t have to throw things away, but consider donating or storing unused items to make your home less cluttered.
Tend to Your Yard
Maintain the outside of your home as well. Trim shrubs and trees away from your home, as branches can provide entry from the roof or attic. Store firewood away from walls and ensure outdoor trash bins have tight-fitting lids.
Call in the Pros
Sometimes, even the most diligent homeowner may overlook vulnerable areas. Schedule a professional pest inspection with Steel City Pest for that extra peace of mind. Our trained technicians can spot entry points you might miss and provide customized solutions to keep your home rodent-free.
Acting Early Is Key
Waiting until you spot a mouse scurrying across your kitchen floor during your holiday dinner isn’t the best solution. By the time you see signs of a rodent, they’ve probably already set up a nest. Preventive measures are much easier and more effective than combatting a full-blown infestation.
Taking steps early helps ensure your holiday season can remain filled with joy and celebration, not rodent-proofing.
Enjoy a Pest-Free Holiday Season
Holiday season should be about family, fun, and delicious food, not worrying about rodents contaminating your food or scaring your guests. Install physical barriers like door sweeps, plumbing cutout covers, and screens to block the entry of unwanted pests and combine with proper sanitation and professional inspection for a truly pest-free holiday season.
Don’t let pests crash your holiday celebrations. Take proactive steps to protect your Birmingham home this season and beyond.
Call Steel City Pest Today
Steel City Pest has helped Birmingham homeowners protect their properties from rodents and other seasonal pests for years. Contact us today for a free inspection and customized plan to make your home safe, sanitary, and ready for the holiday season.
