Keeping a tidy home will certainly help you to avoid rats and mice, but it won’t work as an active repellent. Rodents will still infest your home if it is clean and orderly, but they are much more inclined to infest homes where they have found food. You can avoid this by keeping your trash in sealed bins and away from your home and by limiting food exposure. This means washing your dishes after meals, cleaning up spills promptly, and sealing your food in airtight containers.