Rodents move into quiet houses. Two quick routines, one before departure and one on return, pay off. The most important steps are to clear food and trash, close entry points and check vehicles and the garage. Here is the list.
Before you leave.
- Take out all trash and wipe counters and the stovetop.
- Move pantry staples, pet food and birdseed into sealed plastic or glass.
- Empty and wipe water bowls and fix any dripping faucet.
- Check the garage door seal and close the door fully.
- Lift boxes and totes a few inches off the garage floor.
- Collect fruit that has dropped and brush away seed under the feeders.
Half an hour of this removes most of the reasons an animal would stay.
Walk the outside.
Take a look at the places you normally walk past: vents, collars around pipes, the corners of the garage door, window screens and any branch that rests on the roof.
| Where. | Check. | Quick fix. |
|---|---|---|
| Garage door corners. | Light along the bottom or sides. | Replace the seal. |
| Dryer and bath vents. | Flap stuck open or no guard. | Fit a metal guard. |
| Pipe and wire entries. | Gaps around lines. | Pack mesh and seal. |
| Roof edge and soffits. | Loose screens or lifted trim. | Call a technician for larger gaps. |
| Yard. | Wood stacks, fruit, feeders. | Move, pick up or lid. |
Vehicles and storage.
A car left alone for a week is a ready-made nest. If you can, ask a neighbor to run the engine briefly or move the vehicle. Remove snacks from the cabin and glance under the hood before departing. Read our vehicle page for the signs.
Lift stored items off the floor in the garage and shed. If you have a trailer or camper, close lockers and remove food.
Who checks while you are away.
Ask a neighbor or sitter to look in once or twice. Explain what to look for, such as pellets on counters or floors, chewed packaging, fresh noises and strange smells. They should leave droppings untouched and phone you, and you can hand them our number.
When you come back.
Before you unload, throw the doors and windows open for half an hour, then tour every room. Check the pantry, the garage, the attic hatch and the area behind appliances. If you find droppings, stop. Do not sweep or vacuum. Glove up, soak the droppings in disinfectant, wait, wipe and bag. The CDC steps below show how.
If signs turn up, an inspection identifies the animal and its way in.
Hearing something overhead after midnight? Phone any time, because the line is staffed all night.
Ring (888) 686-4821Fixing what you find.
Gaps need closing with metal and mesh, as our exclusion page describes. Animals inside need trapping first. Soiled space may need cleanup.
For longer trips.
If you will be away for a month or more, add a few steps. Ask someone to check the house every week, and have them run taps and flush toilets to keep traps and drains from drying out. Leave the thermostat set so the house stays cool, and check the attic hatch and the garage on each visit.
If anything turns up, they should photograph it and call you instead of cleaning. That keeps the evidence intact and keeps them safe from dust.
When to call.
Call if you return to droppings, chewed packaging, a nest or a smell. Tell us how long you were away and where you saw sign. A person answers at any hour.
Safety checklist for rodent droppings
Read through every line before handling anything, because a short pause spares your lungs.
- Hurried cleaning makes dust, so go slowly and leave the brush alone.
- Shut-in rooms hold stale air, so throw open doors and windows and wait outside about thirty minutes.
- Single-use or reusable gloves both do the job, so long as the gloves and your hands are washed after.
- Saturate droppings along with the spot below them using household disinfectant or a label-strength bleach solution. Leave it for about five minutes before blotting with paper towels.
- Everything you collected goes into a closed bag ahead of the bin, and a carcass needs gloves.
- Fever, aches or breathlessness following contact with waste belong with a clinic rather than an exterminator.
Sources behind the safety tips
Every cleanup or bait statement above traces back to one of the pages underneath.
- EPA page on restricted rodenticides: Why loose bait is restricted and consumer products come inside bait stations.
- CDC page on cleaning up rodent waste: The air-out, soak and bag order behind this page's cleanup tips.