Rats make their way indoors during the fall and winter seasons in search of food, shelter and warmth. They can be a problem not only by chewing through walls and destroying food boxes in kitchen cabinets but can as well cause serious chaos to your home and personal health. Sadly, you may not notice their presence in your house until when there is a large infestation. However, if you know how to get rid of rats then you don’t have to worry.
Rats multiply very quickly. If you happen to see one rat, there are certainly others hiding somewhere in your home. Therefore, just like cockroaches and other pests, it is important to be proactive in preventing rats in the first place. Once you realize you have unwelcome guests in your home, follow this guide on how to get rid of rats easily from your house.
5 effective ways on how to get rid of rats
1. Mitigate smells and food leftovers
Rats usually are attracted to places that offer high chances of food opportunity. These opportunities may include the odours from your garbage cans and the food leftovers you forgot inside your cupboard. So, remember to throw away any food leftovers that have reached their expiration date.
Another remedy on how to get rid of rats is always checking whether the pantry doors and the trashcans are properly closed. Remember to give food to your pet accordingly to ensure there will be no remains. However, if there are remains left after your pet has finished eating, ensure you throw it out from the open dishes, and seal any food in airtight containers if it is not in use.
Do not eat in any unspecified areas like the bedrooms because food may inevitably fall under the beds hence attracting the rats. You can use placemats while you are eating to make wiping easier once the food falls on the ground as another remedy on how to get rid of rats. After eating, ensure you wipe the area you have eaten to ensure that there are no leftovers.
2. Sanitation of your home
Odours that draw rats from their hiding places usually come from food droppings around the corners of your house and dust. Thereby, it is crucial to take proper actions towards cleaning your entire house not just your kitchen. The steps that keep the rats at bay are as follows; vacuuming regularly and dusting.
So, what is another remedy on how to get rid of rats? During cleaning, ensure you remove your furniture so that you can reach the corners and clean up all the food that had fallen as well as sticky dust that may attract rats. If your neighbour has sanitation problems, ensure you talk to them as the smells and odours may attract rats, which may make their way over to your house.
3. Natural rat repugnant
Also, natural repellents are other ways, which can keep rats at bay. Many products drive rats away and chances are, you already have them in your homes. These products include:
- Instant mashed potatoes; when a rat eats dehydrated mashed potatoes, the flakes expand inside his stomach that causes bloating leading to death.
- Peppermint oil; distil peppermint oil in water and spray around the house to rid of rats around the house.
- Ammonia; rats are not fond of ammonia smell, so this is a remedy I would recommend if you want to get rid of rats.
- Bay leaf; they have a chemical compound that is very lethal to the rats hence making it to the list of remedy on how to get rid of rats.
- Baby powder; they have a lethal chemical compound that intoxicates the rates enabling you to trap them.
- Castor oil; similarly, works like how citronella is a repellent to mosquitoes.
4. Rat traps
Traps are commonly used and known as a means for getting rid of rats in many homes. Although, you need to set the traps wisely and with caution to effectively catch the rats. The following is a guide used for trapping rats at home:
- Use as many traps as possible in the house as a remedy on how to get rid of rats.
- Use the traps designed specifically for traps only.
- Station the traps where it is highly infested with rats.
There are four types of rat traps. These include;
- Snap /Spring Traps; There are two types, the traditional type which comprises a spring-loaded bar that spans when a rat removes bait from the trigger, and the plastic-type that comprises sharp jaws that snaps down when triggered.
- Electric Traps; this trap detects a rat when it enters the cage and sends an electronic shock into the cage hence killing the rat. This is another remedy on how to get rid of rats.
- Glue traps; this trap comprises of wooden platform coated with an adhesive that entices rats to get stuck on them
- Live traps; this trap comprises of a cage laded with a spring-loaded door that catches a rat inside when it removes bait from a trigger.
5. Rat bait
To attract rats from their hiding places, you need some sought of baits. However many products that are sold as baits on the market contain poison, so it’s important to think about which type to use since the baits are in the sitting distance of children’s arms reach as well as pets. Some of the most popular effective and non-toxic baits include chocolate, pepper, peanut butter and onions.
Other remedies on how to get rid of rats, are receptacles that you can purchase to place your chemical baits inside away from children and pets reach including, bait Stations and bait trays.
Conclusion
Now you have the answer on how to get rid of rats as this article has provided the primary guide for you to ensure all the rats are kept at bay and you have back control of your house. Ensure you follow these steps for extraordinary results. I wish you good luck dealing with this ruthless small animals.
