How do I get rid of rodents in my house without having to actually touch one or even see one?

Answer 1

Dude -- I hate to be rude, but let's start with the basics. First, clean your house. I don't mean straighten out the junk, I mean CLEAN. Throw stuff away. Use Pinesol (it comes in scents, now, not just that pine tar smell) or some other type of cleaning agent that does not require rinsing (the underlying pine scent helps repel all types of critters). Clean out under all your sinks (bath and kitchen) and throw away anything that is not absolutely required.

Close up all holes in all walls -- such as where pipes come in under sinks and behind gas ranges (rats and mice love crawling along hidden pipes -- they are a veritable rodent raceways). Check also behind your 'fridge, particularly if you have an icemaker (the water source has to come from some where). Ensure your dryer vent has some way of closing when not in use (there a lot of options available at every hardware store).

Find, dry and repair the source of all water leaks -- those buggers really need and seek out water (there might be a double whammy if there is a leaky pipe hidden in a wall or ceiling -- that just needs fixing). That includes emptying the drip tray under your fridge. Those buggers can live under that fridge in the warmth drinking from that drip tray.

Repair all openings in the siding of your house -- those buggers are getting in somewhere. Repair or replace all screen doors (I had a 3lb rat get into my house because I left the door wide open on a beautiful spring day. The rat died...so did my dog.)

Put your food away. No opened food containers on the counter, stove or fridge. Make sure all of the "water traps" are filled in all of your unused bathrooms and toilets (those are the things that keep the sewer gases out of your house, if they dry out they provide an open source for rodents and insects to come in from the sewer (yuck).

Now, once you've closed all means for the buggers to get in (and out) it's time to kill those that you have. If you don't mind the smell of putrifying rodent bodies, go ahead and lay out some DCon -- BUT NOT IF YOU HAVE KIDS OR PETS. I prefer the old fashioned "clap-traps." They may be a bit primative, but you don't have rodent carcasses fermenting in places you can't see. I usually bait the traps with peanut butter and throw the whole thing away once I capture a bugger. If you reuse the traps, you may have boil them to get the smell of the dead one off the trap otherwise you may not catch another one. Put the traps in corners that are out of the way but are visible enough to see if they caught anything. Keep the bait facing away from the corner.

If rats are infesting your house, you may have to fill all of the holes with a combination of broken glass (use broken beer bottles) and steel wool. The rats will chew thru vertually any other material, so the glass/steel wool will act as a rodent barrier underneath the cosmetic caulk or foam filling the hole.

You'll get rid of them all if you are merciless and relentless. As nasty as it is, you'll just have go on a full scale attack.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Hire someone, then leave for the day. That way, they can get rid of the rodents, and you don't have to watch.

Answer 3

You need to call a pest control service and they will come montly if you want.
That is what I do.
You may see a bug every now and again to due the season change, but you should be pretty well- bug free.

Answer 4

Get an exterminator because that way you can just tell them what to do. Though it may be a little expensive.

Answer 5

you can buy those roach motels for mice and rats. ya know - they go in but they don't come out and you never have to see them but you DO have to place the box...more than likely in your attic next to all the little poopies

Answer 6

glue traps, but unfortunately you'll have to see them. i mean, they're going to get stuck, die, and eventually smell. you'll want to get them out before that happens.

Answer 7

Try one of those ultrasound devices.

Answer 8

Childproof while they are at school!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Answer 9

you can put out Dcon, but then they'll crawl up in your walls and die.

Answer 10

Call the ORKIN man!!!