Printable checklist
Rodent-Proofing Checklist: Room by Room, Printable
Traps catch the rodents already inside. Sealing stops the next ones. Walk the house with this list, a flashlight and a pencil for sizing gaps, tick off each spot as you check it, and print it if you would rather work on paper.
Walk the House, Room by Room
Your ticks are saved in this browser, so you can come back and finish later.
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Know the gap sizes first
Measure with a pencil or a coin as you go. Anything this size or bigger is a way in.
Kitchen and pantry
Mice settle where food is close. Start here.
Laundry, utility and closets
Pipes and wires leave gaps where they pass through walls and floors.
Living areas, doors and windows
Daylight under a door is a gap you can see from inside.
Attic, basement and crawl space
These are the spaces rodents use most and people see least.
Garage and outbuildings
A garage is often the first stop before the house.
Yard and outside walls
Take away food and cover close to the house.
What to Seal Each Gap With
Rodents chew through soft fillers, so match the material to the gap. Here is what CDC and NC State name.
| Gap | What to use |
|---|---|
| Small holes | Fill with steel wool, then caulk around it or use spray foam to keep it in place.1 |
| Larger holes | Lath screen or lath metal, cement, hardware cloth or metal sheeting, cut to fit around pipes.1 |
| Foundation to ground | Caulk the gap between the foundation and the ground.1 |
| Mobile home base | Fix gaps in trailer skirting and use flashing around the base.1 |
| Crawl space openings | Tight doors and screened vents, or 1/4-inch hardware cloth.4 |
When Sealing Is a Job for a Pro
Some gaps sit where a homeowner cannot safely reach: roof edges, soffits, the top of a chimney, deep in a crawl space. CDC also says a pest control specialist is the call when rodents have gotten into areas that cannot be reached to clean1. Sealing works best after the rodents inside are gone, or they get trapped in the walls. A rodent exclusion pro does the trapping and the sealing as one job, which is the subject of the guide to professional rodent exclusion.
Sources
- Seal Up to Prevent Rodent Infestations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved October 2026.
- Rodent-Proofing Your Home (ENTFACT-641), University of Kentucky Entomology Extension. Retrieved October 2026.
- Pest Notes: Rats, UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM). Retrieved October 2026.
- Surveillance and Management of Common Structure-Invading Mice, NC State Extension. Retrieved October 2026.
Rodent Help Near You
Enter your ZIP code or city to see local rules, common problems and a local number for your area.
ZIP matches use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which closely follow but do not exactly match postal ZIP codes.
Found Gaps You Cannot Seal?
Rooflines, foundations and crawl spaces are where a pro earns the call. Ask about a free inspection.
- A local rodent control company picks up.
- They ask what you have seen and where.
- Ask about a free inspection and pick a time.