Submitted by [deleted] t3_123o9ze in LifeProTips
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siverwolfe2000 t1_jdvyfnl wrote
Thank you!
AhFFSImTooOldForThis t1_jdw1jbr wrote
Silver Wolfe uh. Hol up.
BaileyRW1 t1_jdxaf4u wrote
honestly, if they didn't cause damage, I wouldn't really care
jbaby23ak t1_jdxh74u wrote
Animals poop. And if you are breathing that in, that is damage to your body and house if you ask me. I'm not trying to live with animal poo. Have you ever heard of hantavirus? From breathing in air from mouse poo and pee in your home.
Dashdaniel216 t1_jdwkb1w wrote
haha
when I lived with my parents I use to hear scratching in my walls all the time. I'd call for my parents and it would go away. happened for years, they thought I was lying or something. then one day I hear like really loud scratching. I hollar at my mom to come in, and I point to the wall and I'm like "LOOK ITS REAL!" and then out bursts a fucking squirrel from the dry wall in the bathroom! it's running around scared, my mom is screaming for my dad, my cat's chasing it around, it escapes into my bedroom. everyone's freaking out!
my dad caught and released the squirrel in the end and had to pay thousands of dollars to get the wall fixed. he has burrowed through like one whole wall from a small hole in the shingles. I still remember when they opened my wall from the inside and like 20 acorns and shit fell out. lmao.
bearrryallen t1_jdxgbtg wrote
100% thought you were just hearing your parents shagging as the sounds suddenly stop when you call them.
[deleted] OP t1_jdy3cq3 wrote
[deleted]
TheDude2600 t1_jdxxf5s wrote
Red Squirrels. Cute as hell but fuck those guys. I had to remove hundreds of walnuts from my garage and they just filled it right back up. They are so fast shooting them with a pellet gun is near impossible because they never hold still. They also are apparently too smart for traps.
111111911111 t1_jdxzonk wrote
The ones up here must be the dumbass cousins then. The tipping board over a garbage can of water with peanut butter at the end literally catches multiple a day until my father in law finally caught the ones repeatedly digging into the eaves of his house. He got so tired of bashing their heads in with a shovel and chucking them in the back field.
TheDude2600 t1_jdy07kp wrote
I also used peanut butter in the traps. Maybe these guys knew I was after them.
Are you sure they weren't grey Squirrels? Those guys are dumb and slow but they also don't hoard and nest in dwellings so no need to get rid em.
111111911111 t1_jdy7r8f wrote
He caught squirrels of every color, it was red ones that were digging and he eventually caught them with the same trap.
sagetrees t1_jdw2fv9 wrote
I don't need to call anyone. What they gonna do? Have a look and tell me what I already know? Yep you've got mice in your ceiling! No. shit. I'm trapping them already.
What is someone else gonna do besides charge me $$ for something I am already well aware of and dealing with myself?
Not everything requires a professional. Some things are just obvious and you deal with them.
Actually-Yo-Momma t1_jdw7meh wrote
What’s next? You gonna tell us that you can service your own HVAC and swap the engines in your car? Obviously if you know how to deal with it yourself then have at it. Majority of people were never taught or know where to start on how to properly deal with infestations which is why the entire job profession exists at all
-baskets- t1_jdwgg3s wrote
Most of us weren't taught. It's insane what some people are unwilling to try though. I used to do handyman work and got paid $50 to swap out light switch covers in a room once. Which is fine, I mean easy money. But there are YouTube videos for everything, including swapping out motors and working on HVAC.
Madmorda t1_jdwlikw wrote
I would absolutely service my own HVAC. The only reason I wouldn't put a new engine in my car, is because I don't have access to a lift to lift the engine up, and that would likely make the price difference.
Recently a pipe burst due to a freeze, and I learned how to drill out a messed up pipe when it couldnt be cut off, and attach PVC to ABS and install a new valve. Good as new, and only cost me some time and a trip to the hardware store.
Oftentimes, you can buy the tools of the trade for less than you'd spend on the labor for one visit. And the best part is that you get to keep the tools to save even more money next time, plus you gain the knowledge to help yourself and others.
It's not about "being taught", it's about being willing to teach yourself. You don't need to go to trade school to get rid of mice or work on electronics. You just need to be willing to roll up your sleeves. It pays off in the long run.
Actually-Yo-Momma t1_jdwrj4o wrote
Pays off for you maybe which is great. Others pay professionals for peace of mind
Madmorda t1_jdws5qg wrote
There are plenty of crappy "professionals" out there. Peace of mind is an emotion, not a fact. You would be AMAZED at the crappy jobs I've seen "professionals" do lol. In fact, I never let anyone else fix electronics for me, because I know for a fact that 90% of people do a worse job than me
Actually-Yo-Momma t1_jdwtabi wrote
The topic of bad contractors and professionals is a whole separate discussion. Im simply stating that’s what they are paying for
Otherwise you get into this endless argument of, Omg just learn how to build a house from scratch and maintain it all yourself
Madmorda t1_jdwvqbp wrote
You SHOULD be able to maintain your house yourself lol. If you want to pay a premium for a random person to do your chores, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with hiring a contractor, any more than there's anything wrong with hiring a maid. If you have money to throw at a convenience, that's awesome for you! But it's not about that.
My point is that when your pipes burst during a freeze, and the plumbers are all booked out 2 weeks, you'll be screwed if you A) don't even know the basics and B) aren't willing to try. Not only will it save you a lot of money, but you can help yourself (as well as family and friends) out of tough spots like that. It's a super basic skill, and your great grandparents would probably smack you upside the head for not knowing how to do basic repairs.
It's kind of like never learning to boil water. I don't need to boil water on a daily basis, but it's a basic skill that grown up humans should have. You could say that you have peace of mind letting Olive Garden cook your pasta, but at a certain point, you're just being willingly ignorant.
CeciliaNemo t1_jdx2bty wrote
Boiling water is a fuckton easier than learning basic plumbing, and not everyone’s good at the same things.
roughedged t1_jdwdipl wrote
Service providers hate him!
jbaby23ak t1_jdxhjr8 wrote
Of all the things to do in the world, out of the 2 you picked... I could actually do one. And that made me oddly proud of myself. Thank you?
ZachTheCommie t1_jdwaoeo wrote
Agreed. Most people don't have thousands of dollars on hand to deal with pests and cleanup. A flying squirrel got into the crawlspaces under my roof last year. I found its entry hole and sealed it up with void-fill foam. Problem solved.
carolathome t1_jdw7dd3 wrote
We had some gaps between roof and outside walls that were patched up. Trapped the racoons and took them to a park to let loose. Smaller critters almost impossible to block out. Use the electronic screamers to keep rodents out.
_CadX t1_jdwtt57 wrote
They don't work, if they did, poisons wouldn't exist. They have those devices for every animal known, seems a bit fishy no.
s_decoy t1_jdwx08o wrote
Yeah, when I was still living in my dad's house we had a family of raccoons living in our roof. When he finally got around to hiring an exterminator to trap them, they had eaten multiple holes in the roof which started leaking when the rainy season came. Unfortunately, the exterminator only caught the mama raccoon, and was going to leave the babies to starve to death inside. So, my dad baited them out onto the roof, grabbed them with a claw stick, and made me hold them down while he shot them.
mombawamba t1_jdxan7n wrote
if you own your house
If you don't, ask yourself: "when was the last time my landlord came to do repairs?"
If the answer is last year or more, DO NOTHING.
Every_Foundation_463 t1_jdxgyqz wrote
I do my own pest control. I ended up buying cameras to track rodent activity and I trapped and excluded all the active areas.
FateInTheRain t1_jdxpf7n wrote
Yup, rats can get into your dryer ducts and die. It is a smelly endeavor.
Solid-Implement-1757 t1_jdx3ouk wrote
How old was the home ?
BaileyRW1 t1_jdxaavx wrote
we got squirrels in the attic. person in charge of the place made a very poor attempt to fix it the first time, then the second time was good but still failed. now we've just gotten used to them. it's not our house so whatever.
Alan_Smithee_ t1_jdxkpex wrote
This seems like stating the obvious.
Friasand t1_jdxnfjp wrote
I’ve had the smell of cat pee in my apartment for months. Landlord refuses to do anything about it. I don’t have a cat in my apartment…
katmndoo t1_jdxxtfr wrote
Ouch. We had squirrels invade the eaves once. Turns out the former owner's business was removing wild animals that had invaded homes. He found the ingress point and installed a little wire one-way exit-only gate, then patched up the entry point.
AlJameson64 t1_jdy0ps0 wrote
Those tasks are out of order, you should definitely trap the raccoon first.
Towaga t1_jdy5xsr wrote
As a non-American, this sounds quite weird, as 99.9999999% of all buildings ever are concrete. There is a point to consider regarding attic/roof, and maybe basement, so thanks. But hearing stuff from walls is truly alien.
Street_Run_6445 t1_jdyfbt5 wrote
Come on, really? Lol
Flair_Helper t1_jdygdtf wrote
Hello noodsaregood, thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, it has been removed for the following reason:
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keepthetips t1_jdvfrzu wrote
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otternonsense7 t1_jdvqkwv wrote
I'm not gonna narc on my wall buddies