Best Tips To Save Your Kitchen From A Rat Attack

Are you a good cook and you get compliments for the same? Well, becoming a good cook is not only about cooking good food and having thorough knowledge about all the ingredients but also about being a kitchen star who knows how to take care of the kitchen and all the ingredients placed here. But, do you know that it’s not just your family members who love your food? There are some rats that get into your house only to eat the food that you make or even the leftovers. Some of the rats and rodents make your home theirs if they find your home fulfilling their basic amenities. But fret not! We have got you a guide to easily put them out and rat-proof your kitchen and home.

Why do rats come home?

1) Food and water – Any sort of pest will find your home comfortable if they have easy access to food and water. The fruits on your dining table or the leftovers in your sink can attract all sorts of rats and mice to your home. They are very good sniffers  and can trace any food that is cooking inside your kitchen easily.

2) Place  – Rats love to live in damp places that are also warm. Your kitchen cabinets can be such ideal places for them. They come into the kitchen and make it their nesting and breeding spot until it is too late for you to find.

3) Open doors and windows – Rats are great swimmers and enter your house by swimming through the drains of your home. If you have a habit of leaving your doors and windows open, it would be an added advantage for the rats to come in. Make sure you rat proof the home by sealing the windows with wire mesh and keep the doors closed most of the time. 

4) Garbage bins – Rodents, mice and roaches are scavengers and are often seen sneaking near the place where you keep garbage. The meat bones, vegetable peel and even the spoiled food can attract them. The open garbage bins and the garbage bins with loose lids can be very easy for them to loiter around and mess the place. 

5) Other pests – The other pests including tinier mice, roaches, bugs and even baby geckos are the food to rats as they are omnivores. It is not just the food in your kitchen, but also the other pests that can attract mice into your home.

How do you spot a rat infestation?

Spotting a rat infestation is very simple and if you find that you do indeed have an infestation, you may want to think about looking for pest prevention and control in your area. By doing so you are hiring professionals who can get this problem under control and ensure that your kitchen is free of any future pests. Here are ways to tell of there is a rat in your space.

1) Rat droppings is the first sign of rat infestation. You can find it in the cabinets and also in the places where you have stacked your groceries.

2) The smell of rat’s urine is very strange and not so pleasant. In case you smell anything unusual, it could be the rat. 

3) Rats are good nibblers and they can nibble down anything and everything. In case you find your curtains bitten and your food storage boxes chomped, there are rats in your place for sure.

4) The next thing that you need to know is that the rats and their infestation can be spotted with their nesting. The nesting of rats has all the paper scraps, ragged clothes and other wastes.

How can you keep the rats away?

1) Begin with cleaning – Rats love places that have a lot of clutter as it makes it easy for them to hide. Start off your rat control by clearing away all the unwanted stuff from the kitchen. A spacious kitchen does not attract the rats anymore.

2) Do the dishes before you go to sleep – The leftovers in the sink attracts the roaches that in turn attracts the rats. Keep your sink clean and empty before you go to sleep at night so that the rats won’t play around when you are gone. 

3) Use peppermint oil spray – The peppermint oil is a very common oil in many kitchens. You can use the same oil to repel rats. Rats cannot stand the fragrance of peppermint oil and leave your kitchen immediately. You can get home a natural and safe rodent repellent spray that has the composition of peppermint oil in it to keep rats away.

4) Get rat-proof containers – Store your groceries in airtight containers that the rats cannot nibble down. This keeps the rats without food and no food source for rats in your kitchen means no rats at home. 

5) Lavender mist works – Your kitchen might not always smell good. You can use a lavender oil diffuser to diffuse the fragrance of lavender oil. The aroma of the same oil irritates the rats and they go away to save their lungs. You can also be using eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil that is easily available in your kitchen to get rid of rats. 

6) Seal the holes and openings – The holes and cracks in the walls can be the hiding place for the rats. Their teeth are so strong that they can dig through the cement and the bricks. If you have a small opening in your walls and homes, make sure you seal them really well to restrict the entry of rats and further damage of your walls. Also, mice hate aluminum foil as it has tiny grooves and points once torn. Use this or even wire mesh to seal off the cracks and deter those pests! 

These are the simplest hacks that you can try to eradicate rats and mice even if the mouse trap or glue traps fail. Try them and have a kitchen free from rats and other pests too.