How To Keep The Critters Out Of Your Garage
Posted on: 28 November 2017
Rodents and small wildlife like to wander into the garage as a prelude to entering other rooms in the home. They love the garage because of the warmth, camouflage, and access to food that this space offers. The most effective way to keeping these pests out of your garage is by preventing entry in the first place. Wildlife removal experts will usually advise you on how to keep these nuisances out of your property with the following tips:
Reinforce Your Garage Door
We like to think that animals find their way into the garage using well thought out routes. Most times they just walk in through a poorly fixed door or one that is made of easily chewed materials. Garage doors are fitted with weather stripping that should be reinforced with metal guards like rodent guard to prevent mice from chewing through them and getting into the garage.
Other options for reinforcing the doors include Installing PVC blocks or placing rubber or vinyl sweeps under the door to block gaps. These can be short-term measures as you plan for a long-term solution like the metal guards above.
You can also block the entrances to the walls, windows, foundation, and roof using silicone caulk. All the above are part of garage door service that must be undertaken regularly to keep your garage free of critters.
Keep Clutter to a Minimum
The garage is the main storage area of most houses. This is where we keep our tools, extra household items, and outdoor gear like bicycles among other things. Regular cleaning of the garage and neat arrangement of your items ensures critters have no places to hide out. Consider installing shelves and cabinets to keep things away from the floor and to give you better storage.
Remove All Food Attractions
Items like grills, feed for pets, and even trash cans are stored in the garage. Food attracts rodents and other small wildlife. Make sure you clean your grills after use and clear out the trash on a daily basis. Any feed needs to be stored in containers that cannot be breached and not left in the sacks that they come in from the store.
Apply Animal Pesticide Powder or Animal Traps
Animals are sensitive to smells and can get repelled by some pesticide powders. Apply animal pesticide
liberally around the walls and door of the garage to deter them from entering. However, you must keep an eye on your pets to ensure they do not ingest the pesticide.
It is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions on the traps to ensure you humanely trap the animals. You can release them away from home or take them to the local wildlife control company so they can safely discard of them. There are options for humane traps which are safe just in case your pet or child stumbles upon it.
Rodents and small wildlife are a concern all across the United States. However, they do not need to be a constant headache if you are vigilant with your garage and other storage areas in your home. Sealing off your garage is an important step in preventing this nuisance. Alternatively, use natural methods like keeping a cat for mice and other rodents and a dog to scare away small wildlife.
Share