RATS

PREVENT
S AFELY DI SP O SI NG OF R AT S

Do NOT pick up a dead rat with your bare hands!

ELIMINATE
DISPOSE
Rodents are strong carriers for illness and disease.
First, while wearing rubber, latex, or vinyl gloves,
disinfect the dead rat and the surrounding area
with a 1:10 bleach/water mixture for 5 minutes.
Make sure to disinfect rat nesting sites and any
areas with rat urine or droppings.

Wearing your gloves or using a tool such as a

shovel, pick up the rat and place it in a plastic
bag. Tie tightly, place in a second bag, and
deposit it in your garbage can for routine pickup.
Mop floors and clean countertops in rooms with
prior rat activity with a disinfectant.

Remove your gloves and wash your hands

thoroughly with soap and water.

1 2 3

4 5
788 E Woodoak Lane
Murray, UT 84107

385-468-3835

For additional information, visit the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
at cdc.gov/rodents. saltlakehealth.org
The Salt Lake County Health Department has
identified your neighborhood as possibly
harboring rats. Protect your property against
a rat infestation by using this information.
PREVENT RATS FROM E N T E RING
SE AL
Rats are able to gain access to your home
through holes or gaps as small as a quarter. The
first defence against infestation is to seal holes
inside and outside the home.
Fill small holes with steel wool and use caulk
to prevent it from moving. For larger holes, use
lath screen, lath metal, hardware cloth, metal
sheeting, or cement. You can purchase these
materials from a nearby hardware store.
Check indoors:
• Around kitchen cabinets and appliances
• Around fireplaces
• Around doors and doorframes
• Around plumbing and water heater pipes
• Around washing machines
• Around furnaces
• Around floor vents and dryer vents
• Inside closets
• Inside the attic
• In the basement or crawl space
• In floor drains
Check outdoors:
• Around windows and doors
• Around the foundation
• Around vents
• Around holes for electrical, plumbing, cable,
and gas lines.
Additionally, fix gaps in trailer skirtings and use
flashing around the base of the home. You should
also seal outbuildings like garages or sheds to
prevent rodents from entering.
If you do not seal up
entry holes to your
home, rodents will
continue to get inside.
C ONTAIN AND C LE AN
After sealing your home, you should either dispose
of or properly contain items that may attract rats.
Rodents are attracted to easily accessible foods,
bird feeders, dog and cat food bowls, fallen fruit,
trash, and refuse.
Keep food, including food for animals, in heavy
duty plastic or metal containers with tight-fitting
lids. Clean up spilled food and dirty appliances
and utensils immediately after use. This includes
outdoor cooking areas or grills. Any waste should
be disposed of in a thick plastic or metal garbage
can with a tight lid. Compost bins should be kept
as far away from the home as possible.
The last preventative measure to keep rodents
away from your home is to reduce possible nesting
sites outside the home. Elevate hay and woodpiles
at least 18 inches off the ground. Woodpiles should
be far from the home. Keep grass cut short and
shrubbery cut up from the ground within 100 feet
of the home.
EL I MI NAT I NG RAT S
Choose an appropriate trap—traps for mice
differ than those for rats. Read the instructions
carefully before setting up the trap.
In setting a snap trap, put a small amount of
peanut butter on the bait pan of the trap. Find
a space with evidence of rat activity, and place
the trap against the wall closest to the space. Rats
tend to run along walls of structures because
they feel unsafe in the open.
Poison is also an effective way to reduce rodent
populations. When using poison, it is important
to do so in a safe and legal way in accordance
with the recommendations on the poison’s
label and inserts. You can purchase rodent
poison from your local farm supply or home
improvement store.
The Salt Lake County Health Department
encourages all baits and poisons be placed in a
tamper-resistant “bait box” which allows entry by
rats, but not by pets or children. Bait boxes should
be firmly attached to the wall or the ground to
prevent accidental spills.