The dreaded rodent menace can be bad news for your car as they land up chewing on wires and cables. This means you will have to spend a lot of money repairing the car. Not only are they a menace, but they are also unhygienic and carry a host of diseases. Rodents are definitely not welcome into the cushy comforts of your car, let alone anywhere else.
Here’s what housing societies and apartment complexes can do to keep this problem away:
Keep the area clean
Generally, rodents stay away from light and hide in cracks, holes, and undergrowth. Check the designated car parking area to ensure there are no breeding spots or hiding places for rodents. If your parking is in the basement, keep an eye out for unused boxes and trash cans. Ensure the trash cans are cleaned out every day and no food is littered around your parked car. Avoid parking near trash cans as a general rule. If the area around the car is kept clean, rodents will have a tough time seeking shelter. The area should be litter-free, clean, hygienic, and devoid of clutter. Rodents shouldn’t find a conducive environment to live around your vehicle.
Keep the food away
Food is something that can attract rodents. They also need to eat for their survival. Food left around your car or even in it can attract rodents. Parking close to a garbage can should be avoided at all costs. If you are parking in an indoor parking area, make sure there is no food strewn around your vehicle. If you have children, check to see if they are eating in your car. Declaring your car as a no-food zone could help keep the rodents away.
Use strong smelling oil (peppermint, neem)
Rodents don’t take kindly to strong-smelling oils such as peppermint or neem. So you could use these oils to keep them at bay. Apply a few drops of oil to a piece of cloth or cotton balls and place them strategically in your car to repel all rodents, but especially mice. The process should be repeated many times to keep them away successfully.
Keep the lights on
Well-lit places don’t interest rodents, as they find comfort in dark and dingy places. Rodents also dislike light, especially when they are resting. So either parks in a well-lit area or consider switching on the lights where the car is parked. Ensure the area has ample lighting.
If the area is well-lit, some people even leave the hood of the car open to let light in. This will discourage the rodents from finding places to hide or build nests inside the car. Leave your car doors open for short periods of time so that they are being exposed to direct sunlight.
Seal any entry
Ensure there are no gaps in the car for rodents to make themselves comfortable in your car. At times, they might chew through something and enter the car. In case that happens, find the entry point and sell it with mesh or putty. They are small enough to squeeze through tiny holes so ensure you check the car properly and seal any holes you might find. Additionally, rope in your mechanic and they will be able to help you better.
Rodent repellent gadgets
Electric gadgets can be used as a rodent deterrent as well. Finding an ultrasonic rodent repellent will be easy. They are simple to use. They emit a sound that can only be heard by rodents. The frequency of this is quite high and ultrasonic. Gadgets like these come with motion sensors and can prevent the nesting of rodents. This is a strong, one-time solution.
Other animals
If you have a pet dog or cat, they could keep the rodents away. Cats can sniff out rodents and hold them off from making a home in your car. Dogs too can keep away rodents as they will be skeptical to approach an area where a dog lives. Cats and dogs are biological deterrents to rodents.
Rat traps
These may seem inhumane, but traps can keep the rodents away. Sticky traps found in the market have a good amount of glue on them that will keep the rodent from moving. Leave a bait and wait for the rodent to walk into it, literally.
Rat poison
The oldest trick in the book can also be dangerous. Hiding poison in food for rats is common to target rodents. The rodent might find the poisonous food, ingest it, and might die inside the vehicles, open space within parking areas or corners, etc, and leave a foul smell. It’s best to exercise this option with care.
These are some methods that have worked well for most societies and complexes that have rodent problems. It could work for yours too!
For more reads on how to better-living conditions in apartment complexes and societies, click here.
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