I've found that aeraeting ground in clay first helps. Grout is good for sheds, Haven't done any gutter work, but I'm sure I could figure something out there. As for the carpet steamer, last one I worked on had a clogged up filter, but I'm sure you've changed that already. Using a hose to back flush the system can help sometimes too. As for the mice in the walls, I don't think you should have to worry about that if you have cats. What I would worry about is roaches (I've never trusted anyplace since I went to an apartment complex with my ex and opened a cabinet and a LITERAL swarm of roaches just POURED out. Reminds me of that movie CreepShow. Jeez.) You can kinda tell about mice cause they will usually leave stuff that you can find (though it is really small most of the time).
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Protectorate of the OHF
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