A Spring Rodent Check After a Wet Woodinville Winter.

Walk around the house with a flashlight and look closely at the roofline, soffits, vents and trim. Wet winters soften wood and loosen flashing. Look for new gaps, loose screens and signs of gnawing, which appear as pale, rough edges.

Check the gutters and downspouts. Overflowing water can saturate soil beside the foundation, soften trim and push rodents toward the walls. Clear any debris that holds moisture against the house.

Look at every foundation vent and the crawl space access door. Replace damaged screens with stainless mesh. Look for burrows along the foundation, which show as smooth, clean holes about two inches wide, often beneath shrubs or decks.

In the garage, check the door seal and the corners. Look behind stored boxes for droppings and shredded material. A winter's worth of cardboard against a wall can hide a nest. Move boxes and look.

• Torn or loose screens on vents.
• New gaps at trim, soffits and the roof edge.
• Burrows along the foundation, fences and decks.
• Droppings or nesting material behind boxes in the garage.
• Gnaw marks on door frames, wood and stored goods.

On a quiet evening, stand in the rooms below the attic and in the kitchen and listen. Scratching, scampering or gnawing sounds in the first couple of hours after dark are the usual signs. Spring litters are noisy as young animals begin to move around.

Look under the sink, behind the stove and inside pantry cabinets for droppings or gnawing. A musty or ammonia smell in a closed room, such as a closet or a laundry room, suggests an active nest.

Spring is the time to tidy. Clear last year's debris, move woodpiles away from the house and off the ground, trim shrubs back from the foundation and cut back branches that touch the roof. Clean up bird seed and pet food, and check feed bins and compost lids.

If you keep chickens, check the coop for gaps and the run for signs of digging. See our backyard and outdoor rodent control page for what the yard side involves.

Do not sweep or vacuum dry droppings, and keep pets and children away. Take photographs, note the location and call. If animals are still active, trapping comes before sealing, so no animal is locked inside. See our rodent inspection and estimates page for how a visit starts.

If you find damage to wiring or insulation, note it and keep away from wiring. A licensed electrician should check chewed wires, and we document what we find.

A homeowner can look into an attic from the hatch with a flashlight. Look for droppings, matted insulation and nests. Avoid stepping on the insulation, which can hide joists and wiring, and do not stay long if you see heavy droppings. Dust in an attic can irritate lungs.

If you see a lot, close the hatch and call. An attic with serious contamination needs protective gear and wet cleanup, as described on our cleanup pages.

A phone full of dated photographs is one of the most useful tools you can give a technician. Photograph droppings with a coin for scale, any gnawing and any gap you find. Note the location in a short message. That record helps with the plan and with any insurance or landlord discussions.

Spring checks turn up the same few surprises. A gap along the roof edge that opened as a board shrank, a nest in a dryer vent that was clogged with lint, droppings behind boxes in a garage corner, and a burrow beside the foundation that no one noticed under a shrub. None of them is dramatic on its own, and all are cheaper to fix in April than in November.

Do not forget the dryer vent. A flap that is stuck open or missing lets mice in and also traps lint, which is a fire risk. Check that the flap closes by itself and clear any nesting material you find.

Spring is also a good moment to make a plan for the autumn. Note the repairs that need doing, such as new vent screens or a garage door seal, and schedule them in summer. The most effective rodent control is the work you finish before the wet season returns.

If you want a second pair of eyes, an inspection gives you a list of every gap and a plan. The line is answered 24/7, and you hear the price before any work begins.