What is going on behind my kitchen cabinets?!
Discussion
Hello folks
Could do with some help with an odd issue that's cropped up this week in my 1905 house.
We moved it and are coping with a dated IKEA kitchen which is fitted without kickboards. I know it looks grubby but it's impossible to reach the back to clean the boards!
Over the last two days sections of failed plaster are appearing underneath the units, clearly having fallen from above. Been here two years and first time this has happened. I cleaned up and hoovered it again yest and yet more today.
This is happening in the corner and behind the unit to the left.
Trying to poke my camera in the gap behind it appears there may be an old socket in the corner which was left open but it's impossible to get a good view.
Weather has been fine and no signs of damage outside. Any ideas what could suddenly be causing this?!
Is it possible to remove the two units whilst leaving the marble worktop in situ to investigate?
Sorry its a bit vague but it's got me puzzled!
Thanks for any suggestions!
Could do with some help with an odd issue that's cropped up this week in my 1905 house.
We moved it and are coping with a dated IKEA kitchen which is fitted without kickboards. I know it looks grubby but it's impossible to reach the back to clean the boards!
Over the last two days sections of failed plaster are appearing underneath the units, clearly having fallen from above. Been here two years and first time this has happened. I cleaned up and hoovered it again yest and yet more today.
This is happening in the corner and behind the unit to the left.
Trying to poke my camera in the gap behind it appears there may be an old socket in the corner which was left open but it's impossible to get a good view.
Weather has been fine and no signs of damage outside. Any ideas what could suddenly be causing this?!
Is it possible to remove the two units whilst leaving the marble worktop in situ to investigate?
Sorry its a bit vague but it's got me puzzled!
Thanks for any suggestions!
Magic919 said:
PM3 said:
A small fur lined visitor .....
Like a purse?Back to the serious. The cabinet removal will rather depend on the installation . getting a corner unit out going to be a right A*se of a job , would definitely have to remove the ones to both right and left 1st .If can be done, just for ease of mind once right and left were out, I'd prop the back of worktops near the corner unit to be moved next. If they bonded the stone to the tops of the worktops its not going to be pleasant.
I'd put a trap or two back there ( make temp kick boards to keep dog well away )and see what happens before ripping units apart
PM3 said:
I was thinking more of the type that does not rack up huge expense on a regular basis .
Back to the serious. The cabinet removal will rather depend on the installation . getting a corner unit out going to be a right A*se of a job , would definitely have to remove the ones to both right and left 1st .If can be done, just for ease of mind once right and left were out, I'd prop the back of worktops near the corner unit to be moved next. If they bonded the stone to the tops of the worktops its not going to be pleasant.
I'd put a trap or two back there ( make temp kick boards to keep dog well away )and see what happens before ripping units apart
Really helpful thank you. Off to B&Q now to grab some traps. Back to the serious. The cabinet removal will rather depend on the installation . getting a corner unit out going to be a right A*se of a job , would definitely have to remove the ones to both right and left 1st .If can be done, just for ease of mind once right and left were out, I'd prop the back of worktops near the corner unit to be moved next. If they bonded the stone to the tops of the worktops its not going to be pleasant.
I'd put a trap or two back there ( make temp kick boards to keep dog well away )and see what happens before ripping units apart
Kicking myself as just remembered I never sorted this outside FFS
I assume traps until no more bodies than block this up? Or block it now and hope I kill them all?
I reckon a robot vacuum with a mop attachment would keep that a bit cleaner under those cabinets too.
We got this one, which is now below £100.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vexilar-W9-Cleaner-Roboti...
We got this one, which is now below £100.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vexilar-W9-Cleaner-Roboti...
sherman said:
Block up the hole with steel wool and mesh and set the traps out.
Nutella or peanut butter works well as bait.
You could also dust the floor with a bit of flour to see if you get foot prints to confirm you have a visitor and where they are walking
Great shout, just seen Toolstation do an anti rodent air brick cover so I'll grab that and the trapsNutella or peanut butter works well as bait.
You could also dust the floor with a bit of flour to see if you get foot prints to confirm you have a visitor and where they are walking
mike9009 said:
I reckon a robot vacuum with a mop attachment would keep that a bit cleaner under those cabinets too.
We got this one, which is now below £100.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vexilar-W9-Cleaner-Roboti...
Thanks for the suggestion! We do have a robot hoover/mop which is great. As we have a baby gate on there with the puppy in there I put it in about 3 times a week to do the kitchen. It would have made a massive racket with the plaster had it been there about 3 days ago when I last used the robot so it reassures me this must be a v recent issue. We got this one, which is now below £100.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vexilar-W9-Cleaner-Roboti...
You don't need anything fancy for bait... cheese is actually very good... it's the smell that attracts them.
This one was in the 1st floor false ceiling of a town house... traps left around the AC unit.
Do not use poison... if they die inside the house you're unlikely to be able to recover the body and it will stink the place out.
This one was in the 1st floor false ceiling of a town house... traps left around the AC unit.
Do not use poison... if they die inside the house you're unlikely to be able to recover the body and it will stink the place out.
We had a rat, it got in from the outside through the drains, into the cavity wall and through a hole in the internal part of the wall in the kitchen directly behind the washing machine. It managed to get into the cupboards, made a huge mess under the cabinets. Originally we just assumed it was mice.
Rats nest outside of the house but come in to get food and nesting material, taking it back to their nest, if you have a rat you won't have mice. We have Terriers, they were useless.
The rat managed to get upstairs into our bedroom under the carpet, I opened the bedroom door to go to bed and the carpet was all pulled up Infront of the door, got in and noticed a lump in the carpet, moving away from the door. Put my foot down Infront of it, it stopped, I was like WTF do I do now! It actually died under the carpet, I had to cut it out!
The hole in the wall that it got through to get into the kitchen, I stuffed with plenty of wire wool and squirted expanding foam into it, expanding foam they will eat, however the wire wool they won't, it stopped an annoying draught too.
It was an interesting time, the neighbour heard noises from her walls around the same time, it must've been moving between the houses.
Rats nest outside of the house but come in to get food and nesting material, taking it back to their nest, if you have a rat you won't have mice. We have Terriers, they were useless.
The rat managed to get upstairs into our bedroom under the carpet, I opened the bedroom door to go to bed and the carpet was all pulled up Infront of the door, got in and noticed a lump in the carpet, moving away from the door. Put my foot down Infront of it, it stopped, I was like WTF do I do now! It actually died under the carpet, I had to cut it out!
The hole in the wall that it got through to get into the kitchen, I stuffed with plenty of wire wool and squirted expanding foam into it, expanding foam they will eat, however the wire wool they won't, it stopped an annoying draught too.
It was an interesting time, the neighbour heard noises from her walls around the same time, it must've been moving between the houses.
TT86 said:
Shall I block the air brick today too? Mesh vent thing
Depends on whether you want to live with the guess that one or more are inside and will leave and hope no more appear at the same time, or the sure knowledge that no more will be coming in that way.I prefer to deal with things that I know!
TT86 said:
I just bloody heard them!! Utterly grim
Hoovered under there an hour ago and more plaster has appeared.
Trouble is I don't know if they are actually making it to the floor or not.
Off to get traps etc but so tempted to phone and get someone in
Try your local council pest control - mine were brilliant and a 1/3 of the price of the private ones.Hoovered under there an hour ago and more plaster has appeared.
Trouble is I don't know if they are actually making it to the floor or not.
Off to get traps etc but so tempted to phone and get someone in
HTP99 said:
We had a rat, it got in from the outside through the drains, into the cavity wall and through a hole in the internal part of the wall in the kitchen directly behind the washing machine. It managed to get into the cupboards, made a huge mess under the cabinets. Originally we just assumed it was mice.
Rats nest outside of the house but come in to get food and nesting material, taking it back to their nest, if you have a rat you won't have mice. We have Terriers, they were useless.
The rat managed to get upstairs into our bedroom under the carpet, I opened the bedroom door to go to bed and the carpet was all pulled up Infront of the door, got in and noticed a lump in the carpet, moving away from the door. Put my foot down Infront of it, it stopped, I was like WTF do I do now! It actually died under the carpet, I had to cut it out!
The hole in the wall that it got through to get into the kitchen, I stuffed with plenty of wire wool and squirted expanding foam into it, expanding foam they will eat, however the wire wool they won't, it stopped an annoying draught too.
It was an interesting time, the neighbour heard noises from her walls around the same time, it must've been moving between the houses.
Bloody hell. That sounds horrendous! Rats nest outside of the house but come in to get food and nesting material, taking it back to their nest, if you have a rat you won't have mice. We have Terriers, they were useless.
The rat managed to get upstairs into our bedroom under the carpet, I opened the bedroom door to go to bed and the carpet was all pulled up Infront of the door, got in and noticed a lump in the carpet, moving away from the door. Put my foot down Infront of it, it stopped, I was like WTF do I do now! It actually died under the carpet, I had to cut it out!
The hole in the wall that it got through to get into the kitchen, I stuffed with plenty of wire wool and squirted expanding foam into it, expanding foam they will eat, however the wire wool they won't, it stopped an annoying draught too.
It was an interesting time, the neighbour heard noises from her walls around the same time, it must've been moving between the houses.
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