Keep Rats Away Naturally With A Handy Item Sitting Around The House
The thought of a rat in your home is terrifying, especially if you live in an area where temperatures are dropping and these rodents are trying to find a warm place to live for the winter months. Taking a few steps to help prevent rats from moving into your home is a good idea. There are many ways to do that, but one of the best ways to deter rats naturally is to use a combination of salt and detergent. It's a simple hack that you can probably put together right now since you most likely already have everything needed.
If you have a rat infestation that's significant, such as seeing droppings or the critters themselves, calling an exterminator may be a helpful first step. This is key since rats can carry disease. Often, when you see one, there are more lurking around as well. Once you get rid of the problem, though, this combination of simple household ingredients can work to keep them at bay long term.
Note that this natural alternative to rat poison is a good way to avoid bringing poisonous chemicals into the home. However, when this combination is eaten by any animal — including your pets — it can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Always take care to minimize any risk to your pets by monitoring conditions and keeping them away from any type of rodent treatment.
Mixing salt and detergent can get rid of rats
Being proactive to deter rats from your home, you may be looking for any type of natural alternative to rat poison, which is typically very dangerous if you have pets in your home. A better option is to use a mixture that contains sodium chloride (yes, salt) along with detergent, flour, and sugar. When enough salt is consumed, it causes dehydration, which ultimately leads to the death of the rat after kidney failure sets in. Most of the time, a salt-based treatment like this can work in just a few days.
The problem is rats aren't likely to simply eat salt. You need to make the substance more appealing to their tastebuds. The good news is rats are not typically picky eaters, as they will munch through most products that have something edible in them.
The solution then is to create a concoction that includes just enough salt and detergent to kill the rat, along with flour and sugar to encourage them to eat it. The detergent helps to moisten the mixture, making it more like a paste that you can spread anywhere. It's a bit tricky to get this combination right since a rat can smell a high concentration of salt and avoid eating it. They will eat some foods with salt in them, however. For example, if you leave a bag of potato chips out, chances are good rats will eat them even with the salt content.
How to make a salt repellant for rats
Your task is to balance a mixture of a high enough amount of salt to lead to organ failure while providing enough of a tasty snack to encourage them to consume the food. That's where this mixture works well. You'll need equal parts of salt, sugar, and flour to do the trick. Then, add a few drops of detergent to the mix to create a thick paste. The detergent itself will harm the rat, too, but it's the salt that will lead to dehydration.
Once you have the mixture together, place it where you believe the rats are. Most often, it's best to do this outside of the home so they don't crawl into a wall space. If you're not seeing any signs that they are consuming the mixture, try adding a food particle to it, such as a bit of peanut butter or cheese. That will further encourage the rat to enjoy the meal.
A final step is to ensure there are no water sources nearby that can combat your efforts. That includes any type of container catching water from the rain or a dripping water faucet. Once you do this and place enough of the product into the high-risk areas of your yard, you should see far fewer rats, if any. While doing this, it's also a good time to seal your home from rats by eliminating any small holes in vents, siding, or other areas. There are humane ways to get rid of rats, but what's most important is keeping your family safe.