By DoMyOwn staff
Make sure to sanitize and seal your home off so rodents cannot enter.
slowly walk around the exterior of the home looking for pests or structure damage that may indicate pest activity pay special attention to eaves vents and other cracks and crevices use the flashlight as needed to inspect shadowed areas look out for any animal activities such as nesting materials or feces inspect for insect and rodent activity under sinks near the hot water heater and in food cabinets use the hand mirror to look under and behind appliances to check for activity in feces seal off cracks and crevices of the caulking gun seal off whole surrounding pipes or other light and wall fixtures with a material such as copper mesh make sure window and door frames are tight and gap free to prevent entry from outside keep foods and tightly sealed containers including pet food that may be stored outside pet water dishes should be placed outside overnight or be dried completely and refilled in the morning keep trees and shrubs neatly trimmed back to reduce pests hiding spaces keep mulch pine straw or other landscape bedding at least 6 inches from structures to create a dry zone that pests will avoid don't over water your lawn or garden aerate as needed to encourage draining clean out gutters and downspouts frequently get rid of grass clippings leaf piles and stacked wood to get rid of areas where pests would live outdoor trash cans and dumpsters should be kept far away from structures and have tight-fitting lids
