Proofing is what Mice Pest Control is built around. From our base in Uxbridge we survey properties across Hillingdon and West London, work out exactly how rodents are getting in, and close those routes with materials mice cannot chew through. Treatment without proofing is a repeat visit waiting to happen, which is why we treat the two as one job rather than two.
Why mice come back after treatment
An adult house mouse can squeeze through a gap of around 6mm, roughly the width of a pen. A young one needs less. That means a property can look completely sound to the eye and still have a dozen viable entry points: a worn gap under a back door, an unsealed gas or waste pipe, an air brick with broken slats, a lifted roof tile, a gap where the soffit meets the wall, or an open cavity at the top of a party wall.
Bait and traps reduce the population inside. They do nothing about the route in. If the route is still open when the treatment finishes, the space you have just cleared is prime empty territory for the mice next door, and they find it quickly.
How our proofing survey works
A technician walks the property inside and out, following the evidence rather than guessing. Droppings, smear marks, gnawing and the pattern of noise you have been hearing all point back towards the entry route. We check the usual weak points in West London housing stock, particularly the pipe penetrations under kitchen units, the void behind bath panels, the boxing around soil pipes, air bricks, and the eaves.
You get a plain list of what we found, where it is, and what it will take to seal it. If a job is beyond proofing, for example a broken drain letting rats up into a cavity, we say so rather than sealing over it.
What we seal with
Mice gnaw through expanding foam, plastic and sealant on its own, so we do not rely on them. Depending on the gap we use stainless steel wool packed tight, rodent mesh, metal plates, cement mortar and rodent-proof brush strips on doors. Air bricks are replaced or covered with a mesh that still lets the wall breathe, because blocking ventilation trades a rodent problem for a damp one.
Proofing and treatment together
Where there is an active infestation we deal with that first, so nothing is sealed inside the building, then proof once the property is clear. Where a property is clear but exposed, for example a house that has had mice twice in two years, proofing on its own is often all that is needed. For a whole-property job inside and out, see our super-proofing service.
Our technicians are qualified to RSPH (BPCA) Level 2, we are family run and fully insured, and the work is backed by a written guarantee.