Ms. ArmoredThirteen

Keep them from entering the house from the sewer. That’s what I was always told at any rate; the house and town were old enough it seems plausible. The house’s driveway side door opened to the kitchen and on the right was a wood staircase. Right near the base of the staircase barely out of direct sight when entering the side door is where the toilet was just hanging out near a support beam not even against a wall. There wasn’t a sink down there you had to go back up the stairs to the kitchen to wash your hands.

My grandpa’s open air basement toilet had a brick on the lid to keep rats from getting in. The rare times I had to use it I was always so scared of a rat showing up and half the time I couldn’t even go because of it

Honestly I’d probably just give up on technology entirely. Become a hermit carpenter or something