Rats can be a huge nuisance to your home, and these days, it seems like they are immune to almost anything, so it is up to you to come up with a solution.
Bleach has been rumored to affect rats, but do rats hate bleach, and is the smell of bleach strong enough to kill a rat?
We have carefully explained all you need to know about the effect of bleach on rats, as well as the myths you shouldn’t believe. We have also included a step-by-step guide on killing rats using bleach.
Do Rats Hate Bleach And Does It Kill Them?
Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which makes its smell repulsive to even adults, so it is no wonder that one will assume that it can kill rats.
The effect o bleach on rats greatly depends on the amount you use, a small amount will have little or no effect, but a considerable measure should cause permanent damage to them.
Before using this much bleach, be sure to keep it away from children and from food items as it can be equally harmful to humans.
How Does Bleach Keep Rats Away?
While humans can tolerate the harsh smell of bleach, the same does not apply to rats. Rats are known for their strong sense of smell; they also have bad eyesight making it easier to lure them in.
A nice slice of cheese should suffice to attract them. Keep the cheese in an area where the smell of bleach is less; in doing so, they are not repulsed and will head straight for the cheese.
How To Kill Rats With Bleach
This section contains the steps necessary to kill rats with bleach, so you must pay close attention to every detail.
1. Spay the entrance of their dwelling place with bleach
If you know a rat in your house, you can identify their dwelling place. Spray their entrance with bleach but be sure to leave some escape route for them just in case they are inside. This step aims to make them vacate their home.
Now the smell of bleach can get pretty strong, so to make the smell bearable in your house, it is advised that you dilute the bleach. You will also need to wear protective gloves and a face mask when carrying this task out, and as a warning, bleach has the tendency to whiten anything it comes in contact with.
The chemicals in bleach are known for having a disinfecting property, so after the rat leaves, use bleach inside their spot or litter. This will kill any virus or bacterium lingering in the area; this step is important to every individual living in the house, including pets, as it guarantees their safety.
2. Lure Them in With Some Peanut Butter
You will need to attract rats to the area surrounded by bleach for it to affect them. Peanut butter is the perfect bait as they are attracted to it, reducing the strong smell of bleach.
Use a tablespoon or two of bleach and draw them closer to the area of the bleach and once they get there, the smell of bleach will get to their stomach, causing severe damage and then killing them.
3. Balls Soaked in Bleach
Luring them in is a bold step if you are confident about where they live, but if you are not sure of the location of the rats, here is another alternative.
You can make balls out of cloth and soak them in bleach, and place these balls in areas where you suspect the. With time, the balls should be distributed throughout the house to kill all rats.
4. Close Up Any Entryway For Rats
To prevent any rat invasion, close up any holes that may serve as a passageway for them. You can also use bleach in these areas as a preventive method.
If you think there are no possible holes for rats in your house, then you can aim toward eliminating the ones in your house. Rats will be attracted to your home if you have food lingering around or a dirty environment.
How to Permanently Keep Rats Away From Your Home
You could keep using repellents in your house and still have rats come in. the key is to identify what appeals to rats in your home and try eliminating it. To permanently keep rats out of your home.
1. Get Rid of Food Sources
The major reason you have rats in your house is that there is a food source always available for them. Be sure to get rid of any leftovers, pet food, and dirty dishes. Picking up fruits and vegetables in your yard also discourages their invasion, and if there are any other food sources in your yard, get rid of them as they welcome this rodent to your environment.
2. Cut Down Any Means of Climbing
Rats and other rodents climb to get access into your homes, so if you have irrelevant trees or vines, cut them down to prevent rats from getting into your home. When they climb trees and vines, they go to your roof, which offers them access to your house.
3. Empty The Trash
A full trash can offers rats a possible food source and accommodation; aside from the trash can, a dirty environment also appeals to them and invites them to lurk around; eventually, they get access to your house by this means.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to not want rats in your homes; this is because they cause structural damage, defecate everywhere, and are vectors to some harmful viruses and bacteria. Fortunately, this article covers an easy way to eliminate rats using bleach.
We have explained brilliant ways to keep rats out of your house and the sources of attraction to these rodents. Following this guide, you should successfully get rid of rats from your house.
Helpful Links
- Can Foxes Climb Trees?
- How To Kill Rats With Salts
- What Food Is Toxic To Squirrels
- Do Skunks Climb Trees or Fences?
- Can Possums Climb a Wall or Fence?
We trust this article helped you to find out if rats hate bleach. You may also want to check out How To Kill Rats With Salts.
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