Why do rats eat clothes? This is the question people scream when they see their favorite shirts shredded by the rats. If you notice that your clothes are shredded and chewed it might be a sign that you have a rat in your house. There are many reasons why rats eat clothes, let us discuss a few of them.
- The thief behind our shredded and chewed clothes are mostly female rats who make their nests from the fibers of clothes.
- Your clothes might have a smell that is pleasant to rats which is why they eat clothes.
- Rats like to chew and that is the way they keep their teeth always trimmed and sharp.
These are the most important reasons why rats eat your clothes. Let us discuss how you can prevent rats from eating clothes.
How To Stop Rats From Eating Clothes?
The best method to stop rats from eating your clothes is to stop them from entering the house. For this, you should close all the holes and spaces in your house. In winter, rats try to find a warm place to spend their winter. And the warmest and most cozy place for them to live is in your cupboard. Following are the tips you can use to stop them.
Close All The Spaces:
Rats can enter your house through any hole or opening in your homes like doors, holes, windows, or even pipes. They even run in the sewage pipes or vent holes.
If you want to get rid of the rats first of all you have to close all the openings which can let them enter the house. Fix any cracked window or a hole in the wall especially during winter because that’s the peak time they can enter the house.
Use Repellants:
There are many natural and man-made products that you can use to keep rats away from your clothes. These plant-based products are practical as well as safe to use rather than toxic chemicals like mothballs.
Peppermint Oil:
Peppermint oil is one of the natural repellents for rats. It is used as an effective way to keep rats away from your clothes. Peppermint oil has a pungent smell which rats hate but it doesn’t affect humans as much. Rats hate the smell of peppermint oil so you can spray it near your laundry and cupboards.
It is easily available at any store and you can use it as it is or dilute it with some water. You should spray it near the openings, cupboards, and laundry to keep rats stay away from clothes.
Herbs Pack:
Herbs that we use for refreshment in the spa and massage are not pleasant to bugs and rats. You can use herbs like lavender, rosemary, or mint.
Chilli Pepper Flakes:
Chili flakes are also a natural ingredient that you can use to get rid of rats shredding your clothes. All you have to do s to sprinkle some chili pepper flakes around your wardrobe or where you think the rat can enter your house.
If you don’t want to sprinkle it, you can make a mixture of chili flakes and water and spray it near your wardrobe and laundry. You can also grind chili pepper and water together with a ratio of 2:1 respectively and make a mixture f it to get rid of rats. If you don’t want to do the effort you can simply take the chili pepper and put it near the entrance points of your house, it will automatically scare away rats.
Clove And Garlic:
Rats don’t like pungent smells, which is a reason why they hate cloves and garlic. Another natural ingredient you have at home that you can use to keep rats away from your clothes.
Read: Top Electric Rat Traps
You can use some clove and spread it around the house to keep rats from entering your house. Also, you can use a sack of cloves and put them near your wardrobe so that rats can stay away from your clothes. Make a mixture of water and garlic and spray it around the house. The smell will keep rats away from your house.
Don’t Use Cardboard For Cloth Storage:
You shouldn’t use cardboard to store your clothes. Because rats have sharp teeth they can easily nick the cardboard and shred your clothes. It mostly happens during house moving time when you put your clothes on cardboard. You should always use plastic containers or suitcases to store clothes.
Rat Taps:
Rats traps are the most effective and ancient method of catching rats. You can put something to eat in the rat trap and then charge it. When the rat will come to eat cheese or a piece of bread it will trap the mouse. You should check the trap regularly if the rat is trapped then throw it away otherwise the dead rat stinks.
Conclusion:
Rats eating clothes is the most annoying problem, not just that rats roaming around in your house can be dangerous. As rats are the source of many diseases like hantavirus, salmonellosis, etc. if you notice signs of rats in your house you should immediately get rid of them otherwise they will not only eat your clothes but can also spread diseases.