Homeowner seeks to rid lawn of tunneling moles
“Moles are elusive little creatures, and there is a long list of devices, sprays and various homemade remedies that attempt to get rid of them.”
Q. What can I do to get rid of moles that are messing up my lawn?
A. Moles are elusive little creatures, and there is a long list of devices, sprays and various homemade remedies that attempt to get rid of them.
The main damage is usually caused by moles tunneling in search of food, which leaves mounds of earth in the surface of lawns. The control devices include vibrators that are supposed to annoy moles so much that they move on, as well as ultrasonic or sound-wave gadgets, gas canisters and traps of various kinds. I recall receiving a mail-order catalog some years ago that had an entire page of mole-control gadgets. An example is a solar-powered vibrator ($20 from www.
improvementscatalog.com, item 354395, also said to be effective for gophers by one reviewer). But do these devices really work? I can’t vouch for them personally, because I haven’t needed or tried any of them. When we moved into our present house there were a few moles in the lawn, but our two cats wiped them out in short order, along with most of the field mice in the area (not all cats are good mole catchers; they have to dig for them).
Many experts say traps are the best method of mole control, but some of the traps advertised on the Internet resemble medieval torture devices, and might not appeal to more humane folks. There is also an array of mole poisons, including some shaped like earthworms, a favorite mole food; more humane homeowners might not like these either.
Many homemade treatments have been devised and tried, including putting human hair, broken glass or thorny cuttings from rose bushes in entrances to tunnels, and many more. I don’t know of any homemade treatment that really works well.
Many homeowners who try do-it-yourself mole control end up hiring a professional exterminator, who is likely to use traps or poison. But before doing that, read a report on mole control published by the Ohio State University School of Natural Resources. The report is titled Effective Mole Control and can be read at www.ohioline.osu.edu/wfact/
Q. We had new carpet installed in a bedroom and now I am unable to sleep in it because of the strong carpet odor. I assume the odor will go away in time, but I’d like fast relief so I can get some sleep. Can you help?
A. There are probably only two ways to get quick relief. One is to remove the carpet and the other is to have it deep cleaned by a carpet-cleaning company experienced in deodorizing.
This is a very common problem with new carpet, and the odor is not only strong and disturbing but can also be harmful, especially to people with respiratory problems.
Many new carpets “outgas” powerful fumes, sometimes including formaldehyde. Next time you buy carpet, look for “green” or low-VOC carpets, which have a lot less odor.
There are a couple of things you can try, but don’t expect immediate results. If there are at least two windows in the room, or a window and a ventilating skylight, set up a box fan in front of an open window. Turn the fan so it exhausts air from the room to the outside and set it at a moderate speed. Open the other window or skylight to let in fresh air. You should close air-conditioning or heating registers in the room so you don’t exhaust expensively cooled or heated air. Close the door to the room and run the fan as often as possible for several days.
You can also try an odor neutralizer like Nilodor ( www.nilodor.com). I had some success with a Nilodor product called Tapa-Drop. Put a few drops of this liquid in a couple of saucers and put the saucers at each end of the room. Nilodor has an odor of its own, but it is a lot more pleasant than carpet fumes. Nilodor is also sold at some pet stores. Put fresh drops in the saucers each day for several days.
QUICK TIP Reader Bill Garlic says he opens sluggish or clogged drains using Cascade dishwashing liquid and hot water. He pours some Cascade into the drain and lets it work for 10 to 15 minutes, then pours boiling water into the drain.
When drainage improves, he runs hot water into the drain for several minutes. Garlic said the technique works well with grease, but that hair still needs to be fished from drains and cleaned from stoppers.