Garage, shed and car rodent control in Plano

In Plano the garage is usually in back, opening onto the alley, and it's where rodents start. The bottom seal takes a beating from the sun, the trash carts sit right outside, and the shelves are full of bird seed, dog food and holiday boxes. From the garage, the door into the house and the water heater closet are the next stops.

Sheds in the back corner of the yard are a separate problem. A shed on dirt or skids gives Norway rats a dry place to dig, and a shed full of patio cushions gives mice a winter home.

Garage signs

Garage rodents leave plenty of evidence if you look:

Droppings along the wall behind the freezer or the shelves
Chewed bags of seed or pet food
Nest material in the car's air filter box or under the hood
Gnawed corners on the garage door seal
Droppings on top of the water heater or on the attic pull-down stairs

What a thorough garage job includes

A garage job should cover the garage, the shed and the path into the house. Ask whether the plan includes:

New overhead door bottom seal and side stops where they're worn
A sweep on the walk-in door and the door into the house
Mesh and sealant around the water heater flue, pipes and wires
A check of the pull-down attic stairs and the attic over the garage
Hardware cloth skirting buried around a shed sitting on dirt
Traps along the garage walls, placed away from pets

Something in the attic or the garage?

Want a local rodent technician to look at it? Same-day appointments are often available. (972) 325-9652

Rodents in the car

Cars that sit a few days get visitors. Mice and rats nest in the air filter box and the cabin air filter housing and sometimes chew wiring. If a warning light comes on after the car's been parked, pop the hood and look for nest material before you start the engine. Tell your mechanic if you see chewed wires, and call your insurance agent to ask whether it's covered. The rodents in the car article goes further.

The fix is a sealed garage with no food in it. Seal first; traps along the walls do the rest.

Step by step

The technician checks the overhead door seal and side stops, the walk-in door, the gap around the water heater flue, the pull-down attic stairs and any pipe running through the wall. Outside, they walk the shed and look for burrows. The fix is usually new door seals, mesh and flashing in the gaps, and hardware cloth skirting around the shed. If rats have moved from the garage up into the attic, roof rat control comes into it.

Why Plano garages are a weak spot

Most Plano garages face an alley lined with wood fences, trash carts and the neighbors' garages. That alley is a travel corridor for rats at night. Rubber door seals harden and crack in the summer heat, and the slab under the door edge often settles a little, leaving a gap at one corner. Garages are also where people store the things rodents want: seed, pet food, cardboard and cushions.

Easy wins

Store seed and pet food in metal cans. Get boxes off the floor. Keep the overhead door shut at night. Keep the trash cart lid closed and the alley side of the garage clear of lumber and junk. If you park outside, don't leave food wrappers in the car.

Garage storage that keeps rodents out

Most garage rodent problems come down to food and cover. A few changes make a garage a lot less useful to a mouse:

Metal cans with tight lids for bird seed, grass seed and pet food
Plastic bins with lids for holiday decorations and camping gear
Shelving that keeps everything at least a few inches off the floor
A clear strip along the walls so you can see droppings
No cardboard stacked against the walls or in the corners

Common questions

Can mice get from the garage into the house?

Yes. Around the door into the house, along pipes through the shared wall and through the attic over the garage.

Do peppermint sprays or ultrasonic devices work in a garage?

Not reliably. Sealing and trapping are what work. The repellents article explains why.

Should I park outside until it's fixed?

If rodents are nesting in the car, parking in the driveway with the hood up overnight can make it less inviting. Fix the garage either way.

Does a shed need its own treatment?

Often. A shed on dirt can hold a whole Norway rat colony. Ask the technician to include it.

What if the attic over the garage has droppings?

Then rodents are already in the house's attic system. See attic cleanup and roof rat control.

Is it safe to keep bird seed in the garage?

Yes, in a metal can with a tight lid. Paper bags and thin plastic bins are the first thing mice chew through.

Ready to have someone look?

Call and describe what you're seeing. Same-day appointments are often available. (972) 325-9652