Rats have a knack of getting into spaces that are hard for you to reach. One of the places where they’re likely to hide is in the attic. When they get into your attic, they can even damage the polycarbonate roofing sheets you got from a hardware store in the UK. So if you want to protect your home from these rodents, follow these tips to rat-proof your roof.
Clean religiously
Remember that rats like filth and food scraps. Make sure that every inch of your home is clean. Go the extra mile with cleaning your house, which means that if you’re going to mop the kitchen floor, use heavy-duty cleaning agents to ensure that it won’t have any food residue. Also, store all your food in containers with tight lids so that rats won’t be able to get to them. Rats are capable of nibbling through any kind of container, except metal, so make sure that your food containers are made of tough polymer or metal. Do the same with your pet’s food. Store it in a tight container.
Bar their entry
Another way to ensure that rats won’t make it to your attic is to bar every possible entrance for them. Rats have no trouble entering holes as small as half an inch, so make sure to plug in any your house. Check your doors, windows, air vents, and corners of your walls for any holes and plug them with a proper seal. You should also check your gutters and soffits because rats can easily climb them and get to your roof. Always clean your gutters and check your soffits for any openings and seal them up.
Eliminate the rats
You should also take some measures to minimise your rodent population. The two options for this are to trap them or bait them. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.
If you’re dealing with a few rats, then you should use traps instead of baits. Trapping rats is a good way to eliminate rodents without risking the safety of your household. You don’t use poison in traps, so you don’t run the risk of spreading the harsh chemicals throughout the household. Another advantage of trapping is that you can get rid of the rats much more easily. When one of your traps kills a rat, you can find it right away as compared to baiting. With baiting, a rat can ingest the poison several times before it dies, giving it the chance to move around the home before finally expiring.
But baiting has its advantages, too. If you have a huge rat infestation, baiting is much more effective than trapping because when you trap one rat, other rats will develop the sense to avoid similar traps. But with baits, rats get to eat the poisoned food without them noticing that it’s already killing them slowly. So other rats will follow suit and eat the poison as well.
Eliminating rats in your home is important for your health and safety. Rats spread diseases, and they’re capable of destroying properties. Follow the suggestions above and get rid of rats in your attic, closets, and every nook and cranny in your home.
