INSULATION

When you find yourself faced with a pest control problem it’s tempting to jump into possible solutions without weighing the pros and cons. With all the noises, such as scratching or gnawing, and the odors that go along with rodent infestation, you might not think twice when choosing a pest control company. One of the first DIY solutions people turn to is pesticides. The lethal-ness of pesticides feels attractive when all you want to do is completely wipe out the pests! But what you might not consider at the moment is that pesticides are not only deadly to rodents, but also to pets and can be very dangerous around children. Luckily, there are Pest Control companies, like ECORATTIC™, that specializes in “Green” pest control. Getting you effective results, without dangerous methods. Before you break out the rat poison, consider the following reasons why you should consult with a ECORATTIC™: PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN The EPA estimates that thousands of children under the age of six are poisoned by pesticides annually. A pesticide is any spray, liquid, powder, or bait used to kill a pest. They are usually applied at ground level where young children crawl and play. When stored or used improperly, pesticides can be lethal for young children. Their bodies are changing and growing, their organs are not mature, which makes them more susceptible to the negative effects of pesticides. PROTECT YOUR PETS Pet animals are part of your family too and rely on you for safety and protection in the home. If the instructions aren’t followed correctly, pesticides can be seriously dangerous to pets. Bait and traps that are set out and left unattended are at risk for being sniffed or lapped up by a curious pet. PROTECT WILDLIFE Even spraying products on a windy day can potentially cause pesticides to be carried into a water source for wildlife and contaminate it! CONSIDER THE NEIGHBORS Thorough spraying of pesticides outdoors in your yard can actually lead to a contamination of the water source for an entire neighborhood. Think about the big picture and the other people who will be affected by your pest control plan of action. Pesticides are rarely needed to combat even the most serious pest infestation, and should only be used as a last resort. The EPA outlines a completely “green” approach to pest control that uses three simple and effective steps: Starve Them Out Dry Them Out Keep Them Out A licensed and certified ECORATTIC™ company is the expert at these methods. We know that removing all food sources, water sources, and points of entry will successfully result in pest elimination and future pest prevention. We can show you tips for storing your food securely so as not to attract pests. A ECORATTIC™ pest control specialist can do a thorough inspection of the exterior of your home and seal all possible entry points to keep rodents out for good. The ECORATTIC™ methods are not only safer but more effective in the long-run. When you want to eradicate pests quickly and safely you need to hire ECORATTIC™ pest control company to get the job done right!

The attic and other storage spaces in your home, like a crawl space, are usually isolated and go unvisited for long periods of time. The lack of attention leads to neglect, and before you know it, a real mess has accumulated in there! Just like any other frequented space in your house, the attic needs a regular good cleaning. Many people shy away from this arduous task because the attic can be stuffy, dusty, uncomfortable, or for some - downright creepy. But opting out of cleaning is not just lazy, it’s risky. Without proper care and cleaning, unwanted problems such as mold, dust mites, and pests will begin to fester! Don’t let your attic end up in a state of emergency. Get on a regular cleaning schedule! If you have kids, some of the cleaning tasks make great job additions to the chore rotation. Follow this guide and mark your calendar to keep on top of your attic maintenance! IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY INSPECTIONS Sometimes, you have to react fast to minimize potential damage. There’s no telling when a determined rodent might be able to tunnel or gnaw their way into your attic. If you see or hear pests such as roof rats, house mice, or other wildlife scurrying around your house, make sure you inspect your attic right away! Rodents love warm, isolated and dirty places - a sign that you have some serious cleaning to do! Rodent removal is a serious business. Let the experts take over that part of the task. Your local experts at ECORATTIC™ will know just how to handle the situation. Left undealt with, rodents will nest and reproduce. Don’t wait and get cleaning! Strong unpleasant odors emanating from the attic are yet another red flag that you need to inspect and clean the attic asap. If you are noticing an unbearable stench, the most likely culprit is a dead animal in the attic! Dead animals cause damage to insulation, can seep and stain ceilings and floors, and can also carry infectious diseases. Again, this is a time to call in professional help. Dead animal removal has many health risks and should NOT be done by an untrained individual without the proper gear or tools. Finally, if you are experiencing unusual shifts in temperature in the house, it’s worth taking a look at the attic right away. Attic insulation plays a major role in regulating the desired temperature of your home, as set on your thermostat. Fluctuating, or uncomfortable temperatures in the home are a signal that your attic insulation is old or damaged and is in need of being replaced. Cleaning up the attic and replacing damaged insulation in a timely manner will help you save energy and money! SPRING CLEANING The rainy season naturally keeps folks indoors and more many of us, is associated with ‘spring cleaning’. This is an excellent time to put attic clean-up on your to-do list. Before the hustle and bustle of summer begin, give your attic a thorough sanitizing. It’s also important to check your attic at this time for any signs of dampness or moisture that could collect and ruin your insulation or attract rodents. WINTER CLEANING The winter months bring on severe weather conditions that drive wildlife and rodents inside, seeking shelter. This is the time that desperate critters are most likely to burrow, tunnel, or gnaw their way (through almost any material) into your attic for protection from the elements. Before the weather gets too terribly bad, clear out the junk and check the inside and outside of the attic for any possible entry points (holes, cracks, gaps) and seal them tightly to keep pests out. All of these cleaning tips can help keep your attic safe and sanitary. For the steps that are not DIY, be sure to schedule an appointment with ECORATTIC™ for all your attic cleaning needs.

You’ve done your research and taken the right precautions and proactive measures to keep your home rodent free. Good for you! But did you think to go a step further? If you’ve done a bang-up job of making your home impenetrable, pests and rodents will be looking elsewhere to nest. This leaves other spaces on your property vulnerable- particularly, your shed. The shed is commonly not the most up kept thing, but is often home to valuable and expensive items- lawn mower, bicycles, landscaping tools, snow blower, excess storage, and more! If your shed becomes overrun with rodents, your valuables inside will be at serious risk. Not to mention that the materials of your shed itself will begin to deteriorate due to the gnawing, nesting, tunneling, and contamination damage that rodents do to whatever space they inhabit. Worst-case scenario, you’ll be looking at thousands of dollars of damage! Safeguard your space and protect your assets- make rodent proofing your shed a priority. Follow these tips to effectively rodent proof your shed: 1. CHECK FOR CRACKS OR HOLES Start by checking the shed for any cracks or holes- remember that mice can fit through spaces as small as 1/4 inch! Rodents love to gnaw on wood, which helps them easily gain access into an uninsulated wooden shed. Examine the outside of the shed and cover any cracks and holes you find with wire mesh and then sheet metal or, if possible, concrete. Sealing entry points is one of the most important ways to keep rodents out. To ensure you covered them all, contact your local rodent professionals to do an evaluation. 2. INSULATE YOUR SHED Rodents are known to gnaw on electric wires, which can cause fires. One way to prevent this hazard is to insulate your shed against pests and rodents. Shed insulation also makes it harder for rodents to gnaw or tunnel their way in. For a metal shed, fiberglass insulation with a vinyl cover is recommended. Fiberglass is recommended for insulating a wooden shed. Insulation fills in empty negative space, making it difficult for rodents to weasel their way in. It also protects your shed from collecting condensation and becoming damp which will also attract rodents. 3. STAY CLUTTER FREE Finally, keep things around your shed clutter free! Piles of wood stacked against the shed, compost bin, bricks or old lawn furniture have got to go! These are all prime hiding locations for rodents, inviting them closer to your shed. They can also collect standing water which rodents will utilize as a water source. Throw out whatever you don’t need. Rodents love cardboard boxes and will tunnel and nest inside of them. For what you do keep, upgrade your storage containers. Use airtight, closed containers with tight-fitting lids. Follow these simple and easy tips to be in total control of rodent proofing your shed. Protect your assets and eliminate the possibility of future deterioration and property damage. When in doubt, contact your local rodent control experts at ECORATTIC™. We can handle anything!

Catching and removing pests from your attic should be viewed as step one of two. While it is always important to deal with a pest or rodent problem head-on, the problem doesn’t go away once the pest itself is gone. Pests always leave a little something behind.This can be dirt, grime, droppings, nests, as well as chemicals and odors. In some of the worst cases, the lingering presence of a rodent can lead to more rodents moving in and getting out of hand again. In more benign cases, this lingering presence means your house is not as clean as you want it to be. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of a post-rodent problem, attic decontamination should be on the horizon. This service is important because it not only returns your home to a state of normalcy but can also discourage new pests from making a home in your attic. In essence, attic decontamination is the process of removing all lingering health risks that come from a rodent infestation. After a rodent infestation, your home is contaminated in every sense of the word. Rodents themselves can carry disease and other pests like fleas and ticks. In addition to this, they can also leave traces of feces, urine, hair, oil, and even blood. Allowing these substances to stay in your home can lead to serious health risks for you and your family. Among these risks are diseases such as the hantavirus, which is a “life-threatening viral infection” that is spread almost exclusively by rodents to humans. Humans can contract this virus by breathing in contaminated dust from the nests or droppings of mice. One way sure way to breathe in this dangerous dust is to attempt the attic cleaning yourself. Attic decontamination is serious business and must be handled by professionals who have undergone proper training and know the importance of proper masks and cleaning materials. In short, a simple wipe down after a rodent infestation isn’t going to cut it – you need a full-scale professional decontamination to remove all harmful substances from your home for good.

Attic decontamination services entail the heavy-duty cleaning of rodent droppings and infected areas such as nests after the rodents themselves have been removed. This can be done through power washing, vacuuming, and the removal and replacement of infected insulation. Attic decontamination services can also include attic cleaning and sanitation, attic insulation, and odor removal. ECORATTIC™ cleaning technicians will first inspect the attic space to ensure that all rodents are completely gone. From here they will search for droppings of any sort, bag them, and trash them. During a rodent infestation, rodents often use insulation, bits of wood, fabric, and other soft and malleable things to create their nests. These nests are then infected, as well as the areas the rodents touched to gather materials. As mentioned, this means that some areas of your attic must be removed completely and replaced. From here, ECORATTIC™ technicians will employ “green” disinfectant materials such as sprays, wet cloths, and more that are gentle enough for use around your family and pets, but strong enough to obliterate germs, traces of bacteria, mold, fungus, mildew, and more without harming the environment. Overall, attic decontamination can take anywhere from one or two days to a week or so. It all depends on the magnitude of the infestation and level of contamination left behind. Usually ECORATTIC™ cleaning technicians can give you an estimate of the extent of the contamination, how long it will take to clean the attic, and how much these decontamination services will cost.

Due to the extensive work that attic decontamination services include, the event itself can cost quite a bit. Inspections, cleaning, odor removal, insulation replacement, and sanitation are services that can really rack up your overall price. The cleaning supplies and materials, especially those manufactured to be eco-friendly, can cost a bit more as well. Due to this, the entire process can become rather expensive, especially if you require more than just the standard services. At ECORATTIC™, however, we believe that cleaning your home after a rodent infestation should not cost you a ton of money. Due to the health risks and other issues a rodent infestation can lead to, we know that the last thing you want to worry about is money. You have already got enough going on and a huge price tag for a necessary service can only lead to stress. When you use ECORATTIC™ services, we do not want you to think about money. Before we even begin working together, you can call us out to your home for a free estimate and consultation. This means we will visit your home, check out the damage, and give you an accurate estimate about the attic contamination services and the how much they will cost. You can call or email us to set up a consultation. We also offer our customers a warranty. This means that when you work with us and use our attic decontamination services, you can rest assured that you won’t have any additional rodent problems after our services. At ECORATTIC™ we are so confident in our services that we promise: If any rats, mice, or other pests manage to find their way back into your home and reproduce, we will honor a complete rodent control service completely free of charge. With this guarantee as part of the deal, you know your money is being invested in a worthy company with worthy services that truly work. In short, you haven’t much to lose!

Though ECORATTIC™ works so that our services have the lowest impact on your family, pets, and home, we do recommend some pre-attic decontamination preparations. These preparations are put in place to ensure that the attic decontamination services run as smoothly as possible: Remove Pets and Children from the Home Although we work with eco-friendly disinfectants and other materials, it is still a good idea to remove children and pets from home during service hours. We understand that animals, children, and even the elderly have delicate immune systems and may be affected by certain cleaning materials in a negative way. Arrange to have pets taken in by a friend, neighbor, or kennel for a few hours and arrange for children older family members to be out of the house as well. Schedule an Outing If you are worried about your own sensitivities to certain cleaning supplies, contaminated dust, or other substances, it might be a good idea to clear everyone from the house for a few hours. This ensures that you won’t be exposed to any harmful substances or materials while we work. An outing to the zoo, beach, or just to run errands could just do the trick. Ventilate Home To keep the house airy and ventilated, open the windows during service hours. This ensures that any odors left by cleaning services are removed from the house after a few hours. It also helps to cleanse lingering odors from the infestation taking a while to clear out. Clear Away Clutter To help us gain easier access to the attic and other infected areas, consider clearing away any excess clutter in the home that may impede our cleaning technicians. If we have to work around lots of objects, a one to two-day job could actually take much longer. Make things easier both for us and yourself by clearing away any excess clutter that may be around the attic or other infected areas. CLEAN HOUSE Attic decontamination services can transform a compromised home into one that is brand new again. We hope that this how-to preparation guide gave you useful information on pre-attic cleaning tips as well as explained just what makes rodent infestations so dangerous. If you have more questions or need a free estimate be sure to schedule an appointment with ECORATTIC™ for all your attic cleaning, and decontamination need