People in and around Steilacoom come and go for many reasons. Some leave for a long trip, some spend weeks at a second home and some live on Anderson Island or Ketron Island and cross by ferry. Whatever the reason, a house that nobody visits for a stretch becomes quiet, and quiet attracts animals.
Why an empty house is attractive.
A rodent wants shelter, warmth, food and silence. A house that is shut up for weeks supplies silence, and stored food and soft material supply the rest. If there is also a gap, the house can be settled before you return.
This is not a prediction about any one house. It is a reason to spend an hour before you leave, because that hour is cheaper than a cleanup afterward.
Before you go: a short checklist.
- Walk the outside and look at vents, garage corners, crawl space screens and pipe collars.
- Shift firewood, pallets and stacked cartons well clear of the wall.
- Put dry food, pet food and birdseed in lidded metal or hard plastic bins.
- Empty the pantry of open bags and the kitchen of crumbs.
- Take out the trash and rinse the bins.
- Close attic hatches and crawl space doors tightly.
If you find a gap, note where it is. A technician can seal it properly, and our exclusion page explains the materials.
Garages, vehicles and stored gear.
Garages and driveways hold the things animals like: boxes, cushions, vehicles with warm engine bays and sometimes food. A car that sits for weeks is a candidate, as is a trailer or a camper. Park away from brush and wood piles, and close the garage door fully.
| Item. | What to do before leaving. | What to check on return. |
|---|---|---|
| Car or truck. | Park on pavement away from brush. | Look under the hood and in the cabin air filter. |
| Trailer or camper. | Seal vents, remove food, lift cushions. | Check wiring, cushions and cabinets. |
| Garage. | Store goods in lidded bins. | Look for droppings along walls. |
| Boat gear. | Bring cushions indoors. | Inspect covers and lockers. |
Asking someone to check for you.
Nothing guards an empty house like a trusted person who stops by now and then. Hand them a brief written list that spells out what to look for and whom to call.
- Where to find the garage opener, the attic hatch and the main panel.
- Which pellets, smells or noises mean they should contact you.
- Our phone number, in case they need advice on the spot.
- That they should take dated photos on each visit.
Pictures let you judge whether something is new or old, and they show the technician exactly what changed.
Not sure what a visit involves? Ask on the call and get a straight reply.
Dial (888) 686-4821When you return.
Open the house and let it air out before you settle in. Walk each room looking for droppings, gnawing and smells. If you find droppings, do not sweep them. Wet them, wipe them and bag them as the CDC recommends, and keep children and pets away.
If you suspect animals are present, call for an inspection. If a vehicle is involved, see our guide to rodents in cars and boat trailers.
Timing the checklist.
People who live on an island or commute across the water share one advantage, which is that they know when the house will stand empty. Use that knowledge to schedule the checklist a few days before each long absence, when changes are still easy to make.
Keep a copy of the list on the refrigerator or in a phone note. The second time through takes a fraction of the first, and the habit is what protects the house.
While you wait: what helps and what hurts
Consider this the baseline routine for any house with droppings, stains or nest material.
- Treat dry waste as something to soak, not something to brush.
- A space closed up for weeks needs fresh air. Open it, step away and return in roughly half an hour.
- Rubber gloves while you work and soap and water afterward make up the minimum.
- Dampen stains and droppings with disinfectant, give it roughly five minutes and take it up with towels.
- A sealed plastic bag takes droppings, towels and carcasses to the household trash.
- Should a fever or shortness of breath follow a rodent cleanup, ring your own doctor and lead with the exposure.
Public guidelines behind this advice
Public documents sit behind the advice above. They set out general practice and rules, and none of them endorses us.
- CDC page on hantavirus prevention: Reducing exposure in houses, sheds and vehicles through practical steps from the CDC's hantavirus page.
- CDC page on rodent cleanup: Instructions for cleaning waste, urine and nest material without lifting dust into the air.