Keep Flies Out of a Trash Can
Stopping flies and maggots from breeding in an outdoor trash can — drying out the moisture they need, or masking the scent that draws them in.
Stuff Rodent Entry Gaps With Excluder Mesh, Then Seal It In
Wad stainless excluder mesh into the gap so it fills the hole — rodents that try to chew through get cut and give up — then run silicone over it to lock it in place.
keep mice out of the house, mouse proofing, plug a mouse hole for good, copper mesh alternative
The Problem
Mice get in through the gaps you never look at — around pipe penetrations, under siding transitions, at the corners of garage doors. Foam alone doesn't stop them; they chew through it overnight. Steel wool rusts and shrinks. The gap needs a fill that a rodent physically can't work through.
The Technique
- Get excluder mesh — a stainless steel mesh made for pest exclusion. Its cut strands are the point: a rodent that gnaws or claws at it gets cut and quits.
- Rip off a piece and wad it into a ball slightly bigger than the gap.
- Shove it into the opening and pack it so the hole is completely filled — no daylight, no loose spots a paw can pull at.
- Run silicone over and into the packed mesh to hold it in place and close the gap off to insects and air while you're at it.
- Work down the whole gap the same way, not just the spot with droppings — they'll find the section you skipped.
Pro tip: Do this in late summer or fall, before the first cold nights push rodents indoors. Once they're already inside, exclusion work locks them in with you.
DIYsolvr helps you find the best DIY videos. Browse all 526 techniques