Remember when we had a family of squirrels living in the ceiling of our front porch? Well, we managed to move them out but today the home organization project we dealt with were rats – in our garage. OK, squirrels have been spotted in there, too. Wildlife is really trying to take over at Chez Tetreault and the urban homestead!
To call our garage a garage doesn’t isn’t really right. ‘Garage’ would imply that it’s large and that we can park a car there. Our cars have never been parked in our garage because technically, it’s a ‘carriage house’ – back when there were carriages – and not actually a garage. Built in 1914 with a concrete floor added in 1928 (noted because that’s what’s carved into the floor), our garage is really our shed. We keep tools, bikes, and garden supplies/tools in there.
The rats arrived after we stored the very cute corn-hole bags – filled with corn – in the garage. After a summer of playing corn-hole, I put the bags in the garage and locked the door. We don’t go out to the garage much in the winter – not much bike riding during those cold, rainy months – and it was several months before we discovered the mess.
The rats/squirrels had managed to absolutely destroy them. There was basically nothing left. Some shredded fabric, hulls of some corn, and rat crap. There was such a mess. We put off cleaning things up and sealing up the holes for several years (true – but pathetic) until we found squirrels in the porch and then found them in the garage, too.
More mess. We cleaned out the attic of our garage last week. Those antics will be for next week… Then yesterday, our daughter went out to ride the bike in the garage (fly wheel) and came running in to say, “There’s a rat in the garage! He’s sitting there and eating. What should I do?” That’s when you say…Rats! Oh drats!
So today, we had to deal with sealing all of the spots and secret places the rodents are (hopefully, were) getting in.
The rats – probably squirrels, too, and Lord knows what else – were eating the straw/hay we bought for the garden. We bought the wrong kind – the one with seeds – which you don’t want – and that’s what was being eaten.
This has been my least favorite project by far! Instead of really tackling the garage, we hammered and staple-gunned on sheet metal, hardware cloth, and wood to keep rodents out. Yuck! Not exactly a fun home organization project but now it’s done. Where’s the wine?!
What’s your least favorite home organization project? What do you say “Oh drats!” to?
Go Gingham 52 weeks of home organization…
As part of our New Year’s resolution, we’re cleaning out a different area of our house every week this year. Find all of the “weekly home organization projects” – or click the image below.
Go Gingham 
Rats, oh drats for sure! Once one got in our basement and I found it when I went back into the workbench area. I freaked! I still get a little creeped out when I have to go in there, even though it’s years later and we’ve never had one since. Ugh! Hopefully you’ve solved the problem. Good work!
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Rats? R-A-T-S ???
Forget this “Oh, drats” business. Seriously– I would look my husband in the eye and tell him, “I gave birth twice. This one’s all yours,” and then hightail it into the house for a nice glass of wine and a bubble bath!
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Amy! You made me laugh out loud with this!
Well, yes, you’re right about that giving birth part but adding wire to holes in doors and what not is easier with two people. 🙂 We have an equal opportunity marriage and I have enjoyed help from him over the years on jobs I didn’t want to do.
I did enjoy a long shower and 2 glasses of wine AFTER our rat abatement program!! Thanks, Amy!
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We’ve been battling mice in our garage for the exact same reason on the straw. We wanted to use straw for our garden as mulch and the husband bought WAY more than necessary of the seeded variety – we ended up having 3-4 bales just hanging out in the garage over winter. We had a lovely little colony of brown mice putting holes through the bales digging in to get to the seeds.
I think the straw is the same reason we have squirrels we’re battling in our attic – they normally forage off the garden leftovers in the fall but with having a nice food supply over summer they decided to move on in!
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I found a rat in my sons closet. His closet was such a mess. I would always tell him to clean your closet, it looks like hurricane hugo. He would always get mad when I said that. Until we found the rat laying dead in his closet. He always kept his closet cleared after that.
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