Vents and soffits
Best hardware cloth
The best hardware cloth for pest exclusion is quarter-inch galvanized mesh, heavy enough that a rat cannot push a belly through, fastened on all four edges. It is the patch for crawl vents, attic screens, and the hole a squirrel used after the one-way door comes off. Fiberglass window screen is a different product. So is chicken wire, which mice walk through.
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Best mesh: 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth. 19-gauge quarter-inch cloth is the usual homeowner buy. Cut with snips, wear gloves, and screw or staple the perimeter into wood or masonry. A dab of sealant on the rim stops a pull-tab edge.
Compare the picks
| Role | Tool | Best for | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best mesh | 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth | Vents, soffits, and animal holes | Hardware |
| Best where cloth will not fit | Copper mesh for rodent gaps | A pipe annulus | Hardware |
| Best when the opening is a flue | Animal-guard chimney cap | Chimneys | Hardware |
Which one to buy
Hardware
1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth
Best mesh — 19-gauge quarter-inch cloth is the usual homeowner buy. Cut with snips, wear gloves, and screw or staple the perimeter into wood or masonry. A dab of sealant on the rim stops a pull-tab edge.
Hardware
Copper mesh for rodent gaps
Best where cloth will not fit — You cannot screw a sheet of cloth into a half-inch pipe gap. Stuff mesh there. Use cloth where you have a flat opening.
Hardware
Animal-guard chimney cap
Best when the opening is a flue — Do not try to cloth-wrap a working chimney as a homemade cap. Buy a cap rated for the flue after you know it is empty.
Mesh size is the product
Half-inch cloth stops some animals and lets a mouse through. Quarter-inch is the mouse number. A raccoon or a determined squirrel will defeat cloth that is only stapled in the middle. Fasten the edge. For a burrow under a deck, trench the cloth into an L-footer so they cannot push under it. That is a bigger job than a vent patch, and it still has to wait until the animal is out.
Common questions
What size hardware cloth keeps mice out?
Quarter-inch. Larger openings are a squirrel or rabbit product and a mouse door.
Is hardware cloth better than screen?
Yes for rodents and wildlife. Window screen tears under a tooth. Use screen kits for insect holes in a window, and cloth for vents animals can reach.
Can I use hardware cloth on a dryer vent?
Not as a plug. Dryer vents need a proper hood that airflow and lint codes allow. Blocking a dryer is a fire problem. Screen the openings that are not an exhaust.