Why gaps keep opening.
Houses move. Wood swells in humid weather and shrinks in dry spells, door seals flatten, vent screens tear in wind and trim pulls away from siding. Each change can leave a gap that was not there last year.
A mouse can squeeze through a gap barely wider than a ballpoint pen, and a rat needs roughly half an inch. Those sizes surprise most owners, and they explain why animals come back after a hopeful patch.
Where we look.
| Spot. | What goes wrong. | How we close it. |
|---|---|---|
| Soffit and roof edge. | Gaps behind fascia, loose vent screens. | Metal flashing or mesh, fastened and sealed. |
| Pipe and cable penetrations. | Oversized holes cut for plumbing or wiring. | Metal collars packed with mesh and sealant. |
| Garage door corners. | Worn rubber seal, uneven slab edge. | New seal or a threshold rebuilt with a durable strip. |
| Foundation and crawl vents. | Torn screens, missing covers. | Heavy mesh covers fastened with screws. |
| Dryer, bath and kitchen vents. | Broken flaps, no guard. | Metal guards with small openings. |
We also look at the places people forget: the gap behind a downspout, the space where a gas line enters, and the corner where two roof planes meet.
Materials that last.
Rodents chew to keep their teeth worn down, so a barrier has to resist chewing, not just block a view. Sheet metal covers larger openings. Steel mesh packed into a gap stays put when sealant locks it in. A hard-setting sealant bonds the edges so nothing can be pulled out.
- Sheet metal flashing for roof edges and wider gaps.
- Stainless or galvanized mesh, packed tightly and sealed over.
- Hard-setting sealant that bonds to siding, brick and slab.
- Fine-gauge vent covers that still let air through.
Timing and sequence.
Sealing comes after trapping, once catches have slowed. If animals are still inside, they may be trapped against the structure. Where we cannot be sure, we leave a single exit point that lets animals leave but not return, then close it at the end.
Doubtful that every animal has left? Raise it with us. We may suggest trapping and removal first and schedule sealing for the visit after.
Prefer a human to a web page? This number reaches the same desk at noon and at 3 a.m.
Ring (888) 686-4821Keeping the work lasting.
A sealed house still needs upkeep. Trim limbs back from the roof, keep stored items off the walls, and check seals each spring and before storms. Mention anything you notice, such as new gnawing or a loose cover.
When damage was done before sealing, we price rodent damage repair as its own line, so the cost of sealing stays clear.
What to do first: CDC-based cleanup steps
Waste left by rodents may carry disease, which makes slow and wet the right way to work. The CDC cleanup page named at the end is the basis for each item.
- Never dry-sweep, because a broom flings fine particles up to face height.
- Air the space out first: open every door and window that opens, then give it thirty minutes.
- Anything near droppings can carry unseen germs, which is why gloves go together with a real handwash.
- Disinfect first, collect afterward, once the soaked waste has stood for about five minutes.
- Tie the bag shut and put it with ordinary household trash. Lifting a dead rodent with bare fingers is never acceptable.
- Feeling feverish or short of breath following exposure is a matter for a physician, so tell one about the cleanup.
Sources behind the safety tips
Prefer to check the facts yourself? The original pages are listed underneath.
- CDC hantavirus prevention page: The reference behind the sealing and tidying advice on this page.
- CDC page on cleaning up rodent waste: Air out, soak, bag: the CDC's order of work.