Scratch, Scratch, Scratch: Do You Know What’s In Your Attic?
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If you have storage space in your attic, it can tend to become a catch-all for anything you don’t know what to do with — sort of like a giant junk drawer above your house. Even if you don’t have storage space up there, the attic is an area of the house we don’t really like to go. Since it’s an unconditioned space, and not being lived in or looked after regularly, things can get out of control up there pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
Have you ever heard that tell-tale scratching noise above your head or the pitter-patter of little footsteps that is definitely not your children? You say a little prayer that it’s coming from the roof and not inside the house and promise yourself you’ll do something about it if you hear it again, but the next thing you know it’s in the walls. Keeping tabs on what’s happening in the attic can help ensure that vermin never get the chance to move in and prevent that creepy scratching from happening.
First Things First
If we’re going to properly maintain the attic, first we need to safely get up there. When our inspector pulled down the ladder to access this attic and stepped on the first rung, this happened. Much better than if someone was coming down with a load of boxes. If you’re not regularly using your attic access, make sure you test the ladder before putting full weight on it and take a moment to examine the structure and connections.
Really?
And when you examine the connections and find them wanting, go ahead and replace the parts with something you find at an actual hardware store. But I’m sure that knotted-up piece of wire will hold everything together just fine.
What Does a Nest Look Like?
Once you’ve made it safely into the attic, you might find that bits and pieces seem to be missing from your stuff, like: cardboard boxes with holes or chew marks, clothing with rips or holes, insulation coming apart, or HVAC ductwork with tears or holes. All those missing pieces will have been piled up somewhere to form a nest. Sometimes you can find it, but other times it’ll be inside the wall out of sight. Droppings are an ever-present indicator that some type of vermin has been there.
Now What?
Now you need to find out how they’re getting in and seal up all those entry points. Some pest control companies will start a plan where they seal up all entry points but one, so the creatures can get out to find food, then set traps so they hopefully don’t return, and eventually seal up that last entry/exit. The image above is of a former entry/exit that has been sealed. You can see scratch marks where the rat or mouse tried to get back out that way and couldn’t.
When you are buying a home, the attic will tell a story about much of the history of the home, so be sure your home inspector spends some time there. If you are concerned about vermin in your attic, check out our Instagram @greenscenehome for vendors we recommend.
