Nobody likes rats. People find it rather rude when they move in without asking, eat your cornflakes and poo on the carpet. This is all in their search for food, water, warmth and somewhere to live and raise a family. Here are a few top-tips for rat-repellent home remedies you can do yourself.

Tidy up and clean

This is the best thing you can do to get rid of rats from your home. By shifting piles of junk and rubbish from your house and garden you will remove hiding places for the rodents. Make sure you don't leave pet food or bags of food waste out in the back garden. Dry up water sources, stop dripping taps and fill puddles so they don't have any sources of drinking water.

Ammonia

This smells disgusting, like old nappies. If you don't mind your house smelling like the baby-changing room you could try this out by diluting it in soap and water.

Moth Balls

The strong camphorous smell of these insect repellent balls is evocative of the olden days. These are sometimes difficult to get hold of now due to the high toxicity of the ingredients and the variety of alternatives available. If you touch them with bare hands you must wash them thoroughly as they are irritant.

Peppermint oil

Mix a strong oil with water and spray it where rats frequently are seen and pass through. Alternatively you could dip cotton wool balls in the oil and leave them near the rat-runs. It has been suggested that planting peppermint plants around the boundaries of your property will keep them out. Apparently they don't like the smell. If they are happy to live in a cess-pit and eat out of the dust-bin I can't imagine they would be put off by a fresh minty smell. Other alternatives include pepper, owl's feathers, bay leaves, onions, human hair and cat faeces.

If you have a serious rat problem then it's not wise to trust your expensive possessions to these gentle remedies. Our rat-repellent flooring is much more effective than these home remedies. It uses patent-pending technology to create a protected perimeter around the area you want to protect, keeping it safe from harm. Click 'Buy Now' to find out about availability and order yours today.

Block holes

Block up entry and exit points using materials they can't chew through such as cement, metal sheeting or steel wool. Make sure they are outside the area before you block it up!

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