Fireplaces are the perfect spot to lounge around after long tiring days or on festive occasions with friends and family. The warm memories created around the fireplace never fade. But the worst part of having a fireplace and chimney is that they make an excellent home for rodents to base themselves, causing homeowners a lot of problems, which can only be prevented by DIY cleaning or by hiring chimney sweep services.

How To Identify If Your Chimney Is Home To Rodents?

Before you panic about pest removal, there are certain things you can do to avoid wasting time and money. If there are scurrying and scratching noises, then be sure that they are there. Determine the noise source. The next dead giveaway is rodent droppings. They will infest not just your fireplace but your pantries, cupboards, wall beams, containers, and attics.

Another way to track rodents is to track their odors. If they live in your fireplace and chimney, they can die there as well. Their decomposing dead bodies will give off an unpleasant odor from your chimney and fireplace. Whereas, live rodents have a strange musky smell. Now that you have identified their presence, you can work out their elimination well.

Prevention

After identifying the exact entry points, you can work your way towards sealing them off. It is possible that rodents before nesting in your chimney had other residential spots in your home. When you notice heavy smoke in your fireplace on starting a fire, be sure that your rodent nest has caught fire.

Before you proceed with the removal process, make sure that you have sealed all entry and hiding spots for them. Seal any food and storage bins; check any cracks and crevices carefully sealing all nesting spots. There is no point in setting traps if these rodents keep finding their way back inside your home.

Rodent Removal Preparation

It is always better to call professional rodent removers or chimney care companies for your chimney and fireplace, but there are times when you are stuck with no choice but to do it yourself.  Don’t worry if this is the case, because your local hardware store has all the tools needed for this job. A trip to the store will open multiple options for you. There are many traps kill that rodents and others capture them alive. Both types of traps are effective. It is up to you to decide which one makes you feel more comfortable.

Traps can be made tempting to your rodents when coated with cheese, or some other edible food. But never go for poison if you have kids and pets at home. Always follow the instructions mentioned on the package for safe execution.

Rodent Removal

If your trap is successful, you will either catch them alive or dead. But the essential task here is disposing of the dead animal, as it can be injurious to your family and pet. Use protective gloves to dispose of the dead rodent. Use a plastic trash bag that is sealed properly, and throw it away from your pets. If you have caught the animal alive, release it somewhere out of your local area to prevent it from returning to your chimney.

Tending To The Chimney

Now that you have successfully removed the rodents from your home, your home is vulnerable and your chimney is surely dirty. You surely don’t want them to make their way back once again, but you can take preventive measures. Since you have sealed the cracks and crevices, rodents can still be found hidden in your chimney. Cracked mortars are the best way to sneak inside there, and the place is good enough to tuck up.

Get your chimney and fireplace inspected and cleaned at least yearly. Your professional chimney cleaner will make sure your chimney is working properly and there are no rodents. He will also be able to address any cracks in the mortar. What you can do now, is install a mesh liner and cap to stay safe from a rodent in the future. An expert from chimney cleaning services Bowie can guide you with his expertise. Also, trim tree limbs that are leaning on your roof, as they are best used by rodents to enter homes. Store firewood logs far away from your home so that rodents don’t hide between them.