Discovering rodents in your attic can be unsettling for anyone. The scratching, scurrying and gnawing sounds above your head are often the first signs of an invasion. While your first instinct might be to set traps, catching a few rodents is often just scratching the surface of a much larger and more complex problem. A truly effective solution goes beyond traps and requires a comprehensive, multi-step approach to rid yourself and your attic of pests and prevent them from returning.
At Above Board, we understand that attic rodent infestations are not just bothersome – they are a significant health risk and can cause damage to your home. Our expert attic rodent remediation services implement a strategy designed to deliver lasting results and restore your peace of mind.
Traps have their place in rodent control. They can help reduce the current population of rodents in your attic, but relying solely on traps overlooks a critical aspect of the problem. By focusing solely on traps you are focusing on the current problem – but if rats got into your home to begin with, what’s to stop new rats from coming once you eliminate the current problem? Existing entry points remain open and the mess left behind previous rats will remain a problem. Without addressing the root cause you’re likely going to keep fighting the same fight forever.
Above Board’s strategy for addressing attic rodent infestations includes several crucial phases, ensuring every aspect of the problem is tackled for long-term success.
Inspection of Attic and Exterior
The first and most vital step is a comprehensive inspection of your attic and the exterior of your home. It’s important to also identify the type of rodent present, pinpoint entry and exit points, and assess the extent of the infestation and any damage caused to your attic. Rodents can squeeze through incredibly small openings. In fact, a mouse only needs a quarter-inch gap and a rat can get through a half-inch. Finding every single access point is essential for effective exclusion.
The most critical phase is next, exclusion. Once all entry points are identified, it’s essential to implement exclusion techniques to seal them off permanently. This involves using durable, rodent-proof materials like steel mesh, concrete, and heavy-gauge hardware cloth to block holes, gaps, and cracks in foundations, around pipes, vents, eaves, and rooflines. Without proper exclusion any trapping efforts will be only a temporary fix as new rodents will move in when the current ones are eliminated.
Once your home is secured, then it’s time to place traps to capture the existing rodents within your attic. This step is essential for clearing out the remaining pests that were sealed inside.
Rodents leave behind more than just their presence – they leave behind droppings, urine and nests. This contamination poses significant health risks and creates unpleasant odors. Above Board performs thorough cleanup and sanitation, safely removing all contaminated materials and applying professional-grade sanitizers to eliminate pathogens and odors. This step is essential for restoring your attic to its most healthy version.
Rodents can do damage while they are in your attic – they chew insulation for nesting materials, compact it, and satire it with waste, which compromises its thermal performance and health safety. As a result, contaminated or damaged insulation is a common byproduct of a rodent infestation. Above Board offers expert attic insulation removal and refit services. We can safely remove compromised insulation and replace it with fresh, effective materials, helping you restore your attic’s energy efficiency and protect your indoor air quality.
We are also with you every step of the way. We provide guidance on proactive steps you can take to minimize future rodent risks, such as keeping shrubs trimmed away from the house, securing garbage bins and addressing potential food sources. We can also discuss ongoing monitoring options for long-term peace of mind.
Choosing Above Board for your attic rodent remediation means opting for a complete solution that goes beyond simple trapping. We address the entire problem, from entry point identification and exclusion to thorough clean up and insulation restoration. We help ensure your home is truly free from rodents and their unwanted consequences.
If you think you have rodents in your attic, don’t wait for the problem to escalate. Contact Above Board today for a comprehensive inspection and let our experts implement a lasting solution that protects your home and family.