Mice are the biggest threat and natural enemy of all food service establishments. Don’t get carried away by their cute looks and cuddly exterior. The damage they can cause is not just limited to damaging food, but they can also cause structural damage, resulting in a poor brand image. Moreover, they carry and spread deadly diseases that can send your employees and customer to the hospital. To cut short, mice infestation in your food establishment means you are screwed!
However, proper inspection and rodent control can save your business from shutting down. With that in mind, let’s explore the top tips to keep mice out of your business for good.
Let’s begin.
Trash and Garbage Care
The excess leftovers and food scraps that restaurants discard invite rodents. Therefore, it is essential to get rid of the food scraps to keep mice away. Empty the trash cans at least twice a day and close all the trash repositories and dumpsters with tightly covered lids. You can also place the trash and garbage containers outside and away from your building entrance to discourage the entry of mice.
Secure Food Sources
Every being needed food and water to survive, and the abundance of food and water sources in a restaurant or food establishment is obvious. So, you cannot remove this factor. However, you can keep food covered securely when it is not being prepared or served. Maintain cleanliness and keep the dining and kitchen spaces tidy. Pay close attention to the crumbs that have settled into the crevices and along the baseboards, along with the food spills in kitchen storage areas. Ensure to wipe the water or any other moisture spills immediately and keep the counters and floors dry.
Declutter
Rodents look for quiet undisturbed places filled with clutter and availability of sufficient food and water. In such hospitable conditions, they can breed and multiply rapidly without getting noticed. Therefore, you should not ignore the storage areas and closets where clutter gathering is high. Also, it is time to declutter and clean out papers, boxes, and unused items.
Landscaping
Regular lawn mowing and trimming of overgrown trees and tall grass around your restaurant can make the exterior less inviting to rodents and more inviting customers. Remove tall weeds from around structures so that there is no place for mice to hide or seek shelter around the perimeter of your restaurant, waiting for an opportunity to sneak in.
Timely Repairs
Mice can enter restaurants, stores, or any building through small cracks and holes, and doorways. They can squeeze through holes as small as the size of a dime. You can prevent mice entry by inspecting all the entry points and sealing the exterior cracks and crevices. Caulk up the openings around utility pipes and vents. You can also install weather stripping or door sweeps and replace torn window screens. Get all the plumbing leaks fixed to remove water sources.
Wrapping Up
In a restaurant business, it is difficult to attempt controlling mice infestation of your own. DIY methods contain many harmful chemicals that may affect your employees’ and customer’s health. Moreover, they are not as effective as they advertise. Only pest control professionals can take care of the mice issue. Contact a commercial pest control company that is trained to handle rodent infestation and get rid of them at the earliest.