Rodent control companies

About rodent control

Scratching in the ceiling at night or droppings in a kitchen drawer usually means mice or rats have found a way in. This page covers the signs to look for, what you can fix yourself, and what a professional rodent job involves.

Rodents can show up any time of year. In colder parts of the country, they often move indoors in fall.

Signs of mice or rats in your house

• Droppings. Small, dark droppings along walls, in cabinets, under sinks or in the attic. Rat droppings are larger than mouse droppings.
• Gnaw marks. Chewed food packaging, wood, plastic or wiring.
• Sounds. Scratching or scurrying in walls, ceilings or the attic, often at night.
• Nests. Shredded paper, fabric or insulation in hidden spots.
• Rub marks. Dark, greasy smudges along walls and baseboards where rodents travel.
• Burrows. Holes in the soil along the foundation or under decks can belong to rats.

How to keep rodents out and clean up safely

Mice and rats squeeze through small gaps. Walk around the outside of the house and look for openings around pipes, vents, utility lines, doors and the garage.

• Fill small holes with steel wool and caulk around it. Cover larger gaps with hardware cloth, metal sheeting or cement.
• Add door sweeps and keep garage doors closed.
• Store food, pet food and birdseed in sealed containers, and keep trash in lidded bins.
• Trim shrubs and branches away from the house, and keep firewood off the ground.

When you clean up droppings or nests, don't sweep or vacuum them, because that puts contaminated dust in the air. Air out the space, wear rubber gloves, wet the droppings with a disinfectant used according to its label, and wipe them up with paper towels. The CDC publishes step-by-step cleanup guidance.

What professional rodent control involves

A technician inspects the outside, the attic, any crawl space, the garage and the kitchen to find entry points and confirm whether you have mice or rats.

The plan usually removes the rodents already inside, typically with traps and sometimes with bait in tamper-resistant stations. It also seals the gaps they use, which companies often call exclusion. Trapping without sealing tends to bring the problem back.

Expect follow-up visits to check and reset traps until activity stops.

Price depends on the size of the home, whether you have mice or rats, how many entry points need sealing, the number of follow-up visits, and any cleanup work.

Questions to ask a rodent control company before you hire

• Are your company and technicians licensed in this state?
• Will you show me the entry points you found?
• Does the price include sealing entry points, or only trapping?
• How often will you check the traps, and for how long?
• If you use bait, where will it go, and how will you keep it away from children and pets?
• Is the sealing work guaranteed if rodents get back in?
• What should I do before the visit, such as clearing access to the attic and under sinks?

Compare the rodent control companies listed above and read their reviews to see which ones sealed entry points and came back to check their work.