To protect your home from winter pests, seal the gaps they use to get in, take away the food and water that let them settle, keep the yard and firewood tidy, and fix damp spots in basements and utility rooms. Rodents and other pests look for warmth and shelter as temperatures drop, so these steps work best in early fall, before the first cold nights; our guide to where pests go in the winter explains why they move indoors. If mice or rats are already inside, prevention alone won’t remove them, and that is the point to bring in a professional such as Saela Pest Control, a residential and commercial pest control company based in Orem, Utah.
How to Protect Your Home From Winter Pests
Seal Off Entry Points
Sealing entry points is the most effective winter step, because a pest that can’t get in can’t settle in. UC IPM’s house mouse guide calls exclusion the most successful and permanent form of house mouse control and advises closing all gaps and openings larger than ¼ inch. Check the foundation, vents, window and door frames and the places where pipes and utility cables enter, and seal cracks with metal or concrete; UC IPM notes that foam, rubber, vinyl, wood and plastic screening can be gnawed through. Saela’s rodent exclusion service works the same way: it inspects for access points, repairs openings and places traps for rodents still inside.
Keep the Kitchen Clean and Food Sealed
Taking away food and water makes your home much less inviting as a winter shelter. Store food, including pet food, in sealed containers, wipe up crumbs and spills, and keep garbage containers tightly closed. UC IPM also advises feeding pets only the amount they will eat at a single feeding, so bowls aren’t left out overnight. Saela’s integrated pest management approach works on the same principle, reducing the food, water and shelter that let infestations take hold.
Maintain the Yard and Store Firewood Carefully
A tidy yard gives pests fewer places to shelter right next to the house. Keep grass cut, trim hedges, and thin or remove plants and vines growing against walls, utility lines and the roof, since house mice are excellent climbers, as UC IPM points out. UC IPM’s guide to rats lists rat nests in a firewood stack as a sign of a rat problem and recommends tidy, off-the-ground storage for firewood and other materials. Keep the woodpile away from the house as well; the EPA’s termite guidance advises against piling or storing firewood next to the house.
Eliminate Moisture
Fixing moisture problems matters because pests need water as well as food and warmth. Basements, crawl spaces and utility rooms are often damp, so keep them ventilated and check basement windows, pipes and floor drains for leaks or poor drainage, repairing leaks as soon as you find them. A thorough inspection is the easiest way to find these problem spots. Every Saela plan includes a 50+ point property inspection covering basements, attics and entry points.
When to Call a Professional
Prevention keeps new pests out, but it won’t remove mice, rats or other pests already living inside. House mice can contaminate food, carry diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonella, and gnaw on electrical wires, according to UC IPM, so an active infestation is worth dealing with quickly. Common signs of a rodent infestation include:
- Scratching, scurrying or squeaking noises in walls, attics or ceilings
- Live mice or rats in the house
- Dead rodents in traps or found by pets
- Rodent droppings along walls, in cabinets or near food
- Chewed food packaging and fresh gnaw marks in the kitchen or pantry
- Nests made of finely shredded paper, cloth or other soft material
If you notice any of these signs, Saela’s rodent control can find where rodents are getting in, seal those openings and trap the ones already inside. In a February 2024 Google review, kay mccallop reported that Saela identified rodent-prevention issues and repaired them that day.
Saela’s Protection Program includes interior and exterior treatments with every-other-month or quarterly visits, depending on the selected plan. To see how plans are quoted, compare Saela’s plans and pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start preparing my home for winter pests?
Start in early fall, before nights turn cold, because rodents and other pests look for warm shelter as temperatures drop. Sealing gaps, storing food in sealed containers and trimming plants away from the house before then means fewer pests find a way in. Saela’s guide to the most common winter pests explains which pests to watch for.
How small a gap can a mouse get through?
House mice can get through openings as small as ¼ inch, according to UC IPM. Seal gaps around pipes, vents and utility lines with metal or concrete rather than foam or wood, which mice can chew through. Steel wool makes a good temporary plug but may rust over time.
Getting Help With Winter Pests
If you’re seeing droppings, gnaw marks, nests or other signs of winter pests in your home, book a call to schedule an inspection. Saela’s Lakewood, Washington location is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 1,164 reviews on Google as of October 2026.
Who wrote this article?
Devin Hutchings (Marketing Director at Saela Pest Control) wrote this article.
Devin leads Saela’s marketing and growth strategy. He brings more than 15 years of marketing experience across Uber, C.R. England, Lugg, and Neighbor. His background spans customer acquisition, retention, and developing marketing channels for service businesses and consumer marketplaces.
