12 Best Ways to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home Fast in 2024

Nobody enjoys seeing gnaw marks in food or nests in crawl spaces since it usually means unwanted visitors have made their way indoors. As much as people see rats as pests, there are ways to deter them without harming them. What are non-violent options for Get Rid of Rats in Your Home Fast or ways to reinforce the envelope to keep them out in the first place?

Ways to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home Fast

1. Seal Entry Points

Many are surprised by how agile rats are, so don’t underestimate any crack — they’ll likely finagle their way into anywhere warm with food. Common places they like to nest in include storage boxes, crawl spaces and attics where they can hide undisturbed. Seal off each area with materials they can’t chew through and contact an auditor to do an extra investigation. They might catch a few hidden entry points that could keep other critters outside, including spiders and flies.

2. Try Natural Repellents

Chemical repellents are toxic to rats, which could kill them or cause severe health distress, but plenty of natural alternatives are just as successful as conventional sprays. Non-toxic, strong scents like peppermint and white vinegar could drive out a rodent family. When the smell starts to fade, reapply or spray the mixture near entry points for preventive measures.

Here are a few other ingredients that are safe to use in homemade rat repellent mixtures:

• Cloves
• Black pepper
• Chili flakes
• Eucalyptus
• Citronella
• Cayenne

3. Secure Food

Airtight containers are a household’s best friend against rat infestations. Rats naturally forage for scraps, so open chip bags or cookie containers are an open invitation for nibbles. Storing food off the floor and on higher shelving is another way to keep stocks safe, but it won’t matter if there are entry points from above, so sealing is essential first.

Residents must also keep an eye on trash cans because any bin with an open lid, holes, spills or crumbs attracts rats. Knowing where consistent food stores are gives them a sense of security. Similarly, keeping rodents out means not intentionally feeding them or leaving food out to help them. It may be difficult for animal lovers, but you also don’t know if what you’re feeding them is keeping them healthy.

4. Use Humane Traps

Glue and spring-based metal traps are inhumane and cause rats massive amounts of pain. There are more ethical live traps that don’t break limbs or cause enduring struggles. Bait them with sweet treats they enjoy, like fruit or peanut butter. One of the simple ways to Get Rid of Rats in Your Home Fast.

Capture and release them back into an appropriate habitat as far away as possible from the house — otherwise, there is a reentry risk. Travel to a wooded area at least a mile away and incentivize it to stay away by bringing food for it as it makes a home in its new environment.

5. Install Ethical Ultrasonic Devices

Ultrasonic devices aren’t loud or intense enough to cause hearing damage or loss — they’re harmless and provide irritation to rodents alone. If homes have them surrounding perimeters or in prone areas where rats have entered, they won’t be as interested in coming in. Some rats can persist through some frequencies, so this technique may require trial and error.

6. Keep the House Clean

Open trash or food containers make rats more inclined to come to a home than others. Also, stray scraps they could gather to create nests pique their interest. These are common materials rats find to craft their homes:

• Cotton, cloths and loose fabric
• Plants
• Cardboard
• Insulation
• Miscellaneous debris

Unclean or cluttered areas are easy for rats to hide and get warm in, so be sure to keep them clear. They’re also resourceful and creative, so their housing may include more than these items. Simply keep an eye out for balls of materials resembling birds’ nests. Sweeping, dusting, and decluttering are surefire ways to control who — or what — comes in and out.

7. Trim Vegetation

Rats find more ways in when there are overhanging branches or overgrown shrubs. They can easily navigate bundles of leaves and hide in thick brush. Sometimes, untrimmed vegetation can also cause structural damage to a house’s siding, giving more opportunities for rats to find their way inside. If plants stay pruned, trees remain maintained and shrubbery is trimmed, it leaves fewer chances for rats to excavate.

8. Try Other Rat-Proofing Gear

Ultrasonic devices and humane traps are a few rat-proofing products, but what are some others?

• Door sweeps for exterior doors
• Mesh wire for vents
• Chimney caps
• Kitty litter
• Mothballs

9. Invite Native Fauna

If neighborhoods want to reduce rat infestations, residents may consider focusing on fostering local plants and animals. The rats may not be native to the area, driven away by invasive species or switching habitats because they lack food in their original homes. A change in the environment may have also driven out natural predators.

Planting native plants invites pollinators and native animals back into the area. Owls, snakes, or wild cats that would keep rats away from households will start to make their presence known again and scare them away.

10. Get a Cat

Alternatively, homes could adopt a cat to watch for rats and mice. The second a rat notices a feline patrolling, it will turn around and find somewhere else safer. However, it’s essential to recognize the cat’s behavior to locate where rats are hiding if households want to capture and release the rodents before their pet gets them.

11. Grow Repellent Plants

Try to level up home gardens with plants rats hate. They dislike some natural odors from flowers and herbs like lavender and marigold, so keep them near the home for full potency. Here are a few other flowers and plants to consider:

• Garlic
• Elderberry
• Camphor
• Sage
• Daffodils
• Rosemary
• Lemongrass
• Catnip

12. Seek Professional Advice

If none of these options work, many professionals can deal with rats and defend homes without violence. They know where to release the critters where they have the best chance of surviving. An expert can also consult households on what issues caused rodents to intrude in the first place and provide suggestions for how to prevent it in the future.

Keeping Rats at Bay

Need to get rid of rats but don’t want to hurt them? These DIY Rat Control Methods make houses unappealing to them, potentially encouraging an infestation to move out. If all else fails, communicate with professionals specializing in non-toxic and non-violent pest control methods.