Why sealing is the lasting half of the job.
Trapping handles the animals that are inside now. Sealing prevents the next group from arriving. Without it, a quiet month can end with fresh pellets as new animals find the same gap, and the cycle starts again.
The work is slower than people expect, because every opening matters. A mouse needs a quarter inch, and a house has dozens of places that size. The technician walks the whole envelope and notes each one.
Where houses leak to rodents.
Gaps hide at transitions: where a pipe crosses a wall, where a vent meets siding, where a garage door meets the slab. Wet-climate houses add rot at the base of trim and soft spots near gutters, which turn into entries over time.
- Soffit and fascia joins that have shrunk or rotted.
- Gaps around pipes, cables and meter bases.
- Dryer, bath and range vent covers without a screen.
- Foundation vents with torn mesh.
- Garage door bottoms and side seals.
- Spaces behind chimney flashing and under roof edges.
Materials that work.
The kit for exclusion is plain. Galvanized hardware cloth blocks gaps and vents, sheet metal covers damaged edges, and copper mesh or metal wool packs small holes beneath sealant. None of these can be chewed away.
| Opening. | Material. | Note. |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe or cable sleeve. | Metal collar with sealant. | Allow for movement and moisture. |
| Foundation vent. | Hardware cloth behind the grille. | Keep airflow to the crawlspace. |
| Soffit or fascia gap. | Sheet metal flashing. | Matches trim, protects against rain. |
| Garage door base. | New seal and a kick plate. | Check the slab for gaps as well. |
Wooded lots and wet seasons.
On a wooded lot, long damp spells can soften wood near gutters, decks and trim. Those spots are checked because softened wood is easy to gnaw. Where a limb touches the roof, trimming it helps, and we point out the ones to cut.
If your home is near Clear Creek Trail or the shore by Silverdale Waterfront Park, ask the technician to start with the side facing it. Open green ground can feed a steady trickle of animals toward the nearest house.
Would a live voice beat a web page? The number below rings the same desk whether it is noon or 3 a.m.
Ring (888) 686-4821What to expect on the day.
The work follows the survey and trapping. A crew closes the openings in order, starting with the largest and the most used. Where a gap sits high on the house, a ladder or lift may be needed, and we say so in advance.
When sealing wraps up, a return check confirms nothing was overlooked. If animals remain inside, trapping continues until they are out. Cleanup and repairs follow when the entries are shut.
Safety guidance from the CDC cleanup page
Rodent waste can carry germs, so slow and careful beats quick. Each point follows the CDC cleanup guidance named at the bottom of the page.
- No broom. Sweeping dry pellets throws fine particles into the very air you breathe.
- Air the space first. Open whatever opens, then wait about thirty minutes.
- Nearby surfaces may hold germs too small to see, so pair gloves with a proper wash.
- Disinfect before collecting. The wet waste should sit around five minutes first.
- A knotted bag goes in the household trash, and a dead rodent should never be picked up bare handed.
- If a flu-like illness or shortness of breath follows exposure, a physician should hear about the cleanup and make the diagnosis.
Where the safety advice comes from
Prefer to check for yourself? Open the references below.
- Hantavirus Prevention, from the CDC: Source for the sealing and tidying suggestions you will find here.
- Cleaning Up After Rodents, from the CDC: Air it out, wet it down, bag it up, in the CDC's own wording.