Mice and rats
Close the way in first, then trap
In a row home the way in is rarely one hole. It is a chain of small ones: a gap at a cellar vent, a ring around a pipe, a crack in the mortar of a shared wall. Traps alone catch the mice that are in. They don't stop the next ones.
So we start with a light and a sketch, and we seal what we find. Traps come after, where they're needed.
What a visit includes
Steel mesh and sealant, not foam alone
Cellar, attic, kitchen and bath checked with a light
Every opening marked on a sketch of your house
Traps set after the sealing, then checked on a date we give you
Four steps
What happens, in this order
- 01Step 1
Step 1: Inspect
We go through the house from cellar to roof, and look at both faces of the party wall where we can reach them.
- 02Step 2
Step 2: Identify
We tell you what we found: mice or rats, how many openings, and which face the neighbor's house.
- 03Step 3
Step 3: Seal and set
Openings are closed with steel mesh and sealant. Traps go where there is still activity.
- 04Step 4
Step 4: Check
We come back on the date in your scope to take traps up and look at the sealing. If the neighbor joined, we match the dates.
What you do
Before and after the visit
Before
Clear a path to the cellar door and the under-sink cabinets
Put pet food away, and keep pets out of the cellar during the visit
Tell us about a neighbor you've talked to
Be home, or send an adult we can show the findings to
After
Keep the cellar clear so we can check the traps
Don't plug holes with foam or steel wool on your own: it can hide the route we need to see
Keep food in hard containers
Text us if a trap needs checking before the date
Mice and rats, answered
Questions about this visit
How long until the noise stops?
Most houses are quiet within a couple of weeks of the sealing. It varies, and it depends on what is happening on the other side of the wall.
What if the mice come back?
If mice return through an opening we sealed, within 90 days of the last visit, we come back and fix it at no charge. The terms and exclusions are on your written scope. They don't cover a new opening or work done by someone else.
Do you use poison?
We use sealing first and traps where needed. If a bait product is the right tool, we say which one, where it goes and why, and we follow the label.
Will sealing push them next door?
It can. That's why we ask you to talk to the neighbor first, and why we offer to do both houses on one day.
Heard it in the wall?
Tell us which wall, and which house you're in.