What Is The Best Way To Keep Rodents Out Of My Chicago Restaurant
Active rodent control is just a fact of life for restaurant owners in every part of the world, but as Chicago is one of the greatest rodent hubs in the United States, serious attention to detail is important to keeping your business safe from these prolific pests. If you’re struggling to stay on top of the issue, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong. Restaurants have the perfect conditions that rodents crave, but poor sanitation certainly won’t help.
What Attracts Rodents To Restaurants?
All pests are attracted to residences and businesses for the same reasons, but rodents are especially happy to have easy access to the necessities for life: food, water, and shelter.
Allowing them easy access to these commodities is what causes an infestation, and allowing rodents inside your business may cause severe consequences.
The Dangers Of Rodents To Restaurants
Rodents are filthy animals known to carry several pathogens, including salmonella, rat-bite fever, infectious jaundice, cowpox virus, trichinosis, the black plague, typhus, and disease-spreading ticks, fleas, and mites. These diseases can be spread through contact with a rodent, through infected food, or through contact with high-traffic areas where rodents leave their urine and feces. Not only are these diseases a risk for customers, but they can jeopardize staff.
Your staff are your most important resource for running your business, so not only is it important to protect their health, but it’s also important to protect their satisfaction in your employment. Rodent sightings are an easy way to cause emotional upset and stress in staff members who aren’t equipped to deal with this problem.
Rodent sightings for staff members may make work an obstacle, but rodent sightings for customers may cause irreversible damage to a business’s reputation. If a health department issues a strike against a business for their rodent problems, or if reviews are posted concerning a sighting, these things are difficult to remedy and reverse if the damage spreads around the community.
Lastly, rodents are active chewers whose nirvana lies in your food storage. If let loose in a contained room with easily penetrable food, the financial damage alone could eat into your profits or create setbacks in food availability for your customers.
How Do You Prevent Rodents From Getting In?
Preventing an infestation comes down to sanitation and maintenance. While sanitation doesn’t have to be a factor, it’s best to make sure it isn’t one. Keeping rodents away could come down to implementing these safeguards for your business:
- Keep outside doors closed except when in use.
- Place trash and dumpsters far away from the property, preferably at least twenty feet, and in sealed containers. It would also help to clean any trash receptacles once a week.
- Repair and maintain pipes and landscape to prevent leaking or standing water.
- Seal any cracks or holes around the outside of the business with silicone-based caulk or steel wool.
- Indoors, keep surfaces sanitized and free from spills and crumbs. Outdoors, immediately clean spills and crumbs to prevent attracting them to the property.
- Keep indoor trash in a sealed container and regularly take the trash out.
- Store food in glass or metal containers, not cardboard or plastic.
- Before taking in a shipment of food, thoroughly inspect packages and crates for signs of rodents, including holes, gnaw marks, and feces.
- Trim back tree limbs and shrubs to limit easy access to the property. Limbs shouldn’t be hanging over roofs, and shrubs shouldn’t be planted right next to the property, especially not under windows.
- Keep your lawn trimmed and free of any fallen seeds, fruit, or leaf debris.
- Don’t allow easy hiding places next to the property, including lawn decorations or signs. These could provide easy bolt holes for them to slip indoors in a second.
- Keeping a clean, maintained business isn’t foolproof. Sometimes, you need additional measures of protection, and that’s where Aerex Pest Control can help.
Hear From Our Happy Customers
At Aerex Pest Control, your satisfaction is our priority! See for yourself what our customers have to say about working with us.
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Mark arrived early after calling to let me know we could start earlier if that worked with my schedule, it did. He was friendly and thorough.- Meredith C.
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Mike is very friendly, cooperative. He knows our house well as to where there are concerns for critter control. We are very happy with Aerex.- Judith N.
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Mike showed up on time and was friendly with our crazy dogs and familiar with the house, even though he hasn’t been here in a while. Can’t ask for more for a semi-annual service and serviceman.- Cissy G.
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We've used Aerex for 20+ years at 2 locations. They are prompt, courteous & effective. Our regular service person, Wally, listens to current problems & applies the correct solutions to the problem. If needed within 30 days, a second visit is schedu- Harry S.
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Great company with professional people - such a pleasure working with! We have been using Aerex Pest Control at our properties for 10+ years and we couldn't be happier with the choice we made. The team from the office is always friendly, ready to help. The- Mi B.
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Jordan our technician was great. He’s very helpful and willing to assist us with dealing with our problem. He explains our issues and helps in determine what needs to be done.- Gary B.
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I have been using Aerex for over 20 years. Every tech that has come to our house has been incredibly knowledgeable, kind and respectful. They get the job done efficiently and always go the extra mile. They are all dog lovers too so that works when my dog g- Sheila B.
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I especially like Tony who has been doing my house for over 10 years. He is very very trustworthy and clean and pleasant. Please let him know what l say here.- Linda T.
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