Have you recently discovered a rat infestation, or are worried that you may have an infestation? (Read here for how to spot a rat infestation)
Perhaps you would like to be ready and armed in case a rat infestation occurs?
After unknowingly buying a rat infested house, and spending a fortune on repairs due to rat damage - here are some of the tools and resources we would recommend trying to deter or get rid of rats...
How to get rid of a rat infestation:
If you would prefer to watch a quick video summary on products to help with rats, you can do so here:
@arthurwears Things everyone worried about rodents needs! I’ve added links below to these recommendations so that you can read more about them. Is there anything you woyld add to this list? #ratinfestation #rodentinfestation #pestcontrol #getridofrats ♬ original sound - Sarah - arthurwears
Things everyone worried about rodents needs:
- Borescope or endoscopic camera for looking into holes, small spaces or unreachable areas where you suspect there may be rat activity! We confirmed an Ingress hole using one of these.
- Peppermint oil - they hate the smell of this, put it on cotton wool balls in risky areas or use a vapouriser in your home.
- Wire wool or steel wool - they can chew through most things but not this! Use it to stuff inside holes before filling.
- Wire mesh - this is great for any air bricks outside your house perimeter that may be broken or have large holes.
- Ultrasonic pest repellent - we have these in our house, I’ve no idea if they work but we’ve not had rats since. Only issue I have is that I can only use the lowest setting because I have extra sensitive hearing.
- A pest controller - This is a must really, as they will be able to help find points of ingress and lay poison/bait to catch the rats. There are lots of large companies out there but we would recommend looking for a smaller family firm for the best service. If you're based in West Yorkshire, we used Martin from Landguard Pest Control.
- A drainage survey - Lots of times, rats are not coming in via a hole in your house, but via the drains! A drainage company can do a full survey and report to find any holes in the pipes, repair them and also find one way valves/traps which is like a cat flap within the pipe that only allows things OUT but not IN to make sure the rats can't get to your house. These do need to be fitted in the right place though! If you're in West Yorkshire, we used DSI Drainage.
- Rat Traps - if you can’t afford a pest controller to lay bait, try using traps to trap the pest and then dispose of it.
How to get rid of a dead rat smell:
This is undoubtedly one of the worst things about a rat infestation - the smell of a dead, decaying rat!! They start off like a cabbage smell and just get worse and believe me when I tell you, they can stink out your entire home! It is truly awful. Usually, it is actually the residue left behind from the dead bodies that stinks, so even removing the dead rats isn't always successful in getting rid of the smell completely. It is often a waiting game, of a minimum of 6 weeks...
- Where possible, do try to access and remove the decaying rat corpse in order to speed up the process of eliminating the smell. Be warned that this may mean cutting a hole in your wall or floor to access the rat. Always wear suitable PPE, double bag and clean thoroughly!
- Keep the area dry! Moisture and wet will keep the smells lingering ( as we discovered when our old boiler was drained under the subfloor before removal, thus re-wetting the droppings and the carcass residue!). If your house has a high moisture level, you can run a dehumidifier to help.
- Neutradol sachets or rat/mouse odour sachets - We bought loads of these and put them under the floorboards, in the loft, anywhere that we knew there was a smell originating!
- Vapouriser - Keep your home continually fragranced using a vapouriser to mask the smell. If you're still worried about further pests then use peppermint oil to deter them as linked in the list above.
- Rodent cleaner and sanitiser - If you have access to where the decaying rat was, then a rodent cleaner and sanitiser, or an enzyme spray can be used to clean the area to help eliminate smells.
