Get Rid Of Mice In Your House (And Keep Them Away)

While mice may look super cute when you see them on TV or in animated form on the Disney Channel, the fact of the matter is none of us want Mickey and Minnie setting up a home in our house! Getting rid of mice can be a real pain, however, it is not as hard as you would think as long as you take the proper precautions and that is what we are looking at today.

How Do You Know If You Have Mice?

There are a few different signs that you have a family of mice in your home…. Did I say, family? Yes, I did, that is because people very rarely (if ever) just have one mouse in their home. Mice love to live together and when one finds its way in, more will. Plus they reproduce like crazy. Here are a few signs that you have mice in your home.

Droppings

The biggest and most obvious sign is the little poop pellets that they leave. They tend to leave these on countertops at the edge of the room and in all honesty, anywhere they want as they have no control over it.

Damaged Boxes

If you are not finding their droppings, but still suspect that you have some mice in the home, look at things like your boxes of cereal, candy, and other tasty treats. Mice have no problem in eating through packaging to get to the goodies inside.

Damaged Wires

This one is a bit extreme, but it can be very, very dangerous. Mice have been known to chew through electrical wires which can lead to house fires. So if you find some of your electrics are not working properly or are a bit “spotty” in their performance, make sure you call in an electrician.

Traps Still Get The Job Done

Some may see this as inhumane, but the fact is, a mousetrap with a little bit of peanut butter is always going to entice a mouse. Store brought traps are always going to be available for purchase as they always work! I know that some people are not too keen on this kind of thing, but you can get a “humane” trap that can capture the mouse so you can let it go.

Or if you do not mind what a regular trap does but do not want to see the aftermath, some traps are enclosed so that once they have “taken care” of the mouse, you do not have to see it and can just throw the whole trap out.

Find Out How The Mice Are Getting Into The House

You cannot just go to the store, buy 20 traps and start placing them at random points in the house. Mice are smart, you need to be smarter. Look around the outside of your property. First check pipes and places that cables come into the house. This is the easiest way for a mouse to make its way inside, mice need very little room to squeeze into your house.

Look at vents and any cracks or holes that they could potentially use. The entry point is right around where you want to place your traps. A professional can always be called in as professional exterminators are like mice detectives and will be able to find the entry point in no time at all.

Steel Wool And Caulk Can Keep Them Out

Once you find the part of the house they are using to get inside, you need to deal with it. Mice have extraordinary teeth and can chew through things to make an entryway for themselves. Steel wool and caulk is something that their little teeth cannot bite through!

Covering up any areas that they can get in with these kinds of materials are going to make it very hard, if not impossible for them to get inside the house. Any plastic air vents should be given extra support with steel wool.

If You Have A Garage, Check In There For Mice

Mice can get into garages as well and from there they can make their way in the house or they will set up home in the garage. In the garage, there may not be an abundance of food, but mice like to sleep in car hoods as it is nice and warm, but while in there they are known to chew through wires!

So if you have checked and cleared the house, make sure that you do the same for your garage as well.

Keep Your Food Sealed

When we had a mouse problem, it was actually Cookie Crisp cereal that my kids were addicted to that was not put away properly which led to the mice wanting to get in our pantry!

If you close most packages properly, it will not be an issue. For me, I decided that it was best to get some airtight containers to keep things like cereal in. So if you are worried about mice smelling what you have and liking the scent of it, get some airtight containers.

Check Your Garden For Signs Of Infestation

While you may love your garden, having shrubbery or a row of plants that lead all the way to your house can be a super-secret tunnel for mice to sneak their way up to your house where they can then try and find their way inside.

Make sure there is a little bit of a buffer zone between your plants/shrubbery and your house. If you have a log pile, try not to have it really close to your house as a log pile can be like a hotel for mice.

Call In The Professionals

If you have tried the best traps, closed off what you think are their entry points, and have done all that you can, but you are still finding little bits of poop and your boxes chewed up it may be time to call in the pros.

A professional may cost you money but they can certainly clear out any nests that are in your home and they can also advise you on what you need to do in order to make sure that they do not get back into your home.

One bit of extra advice I want to give you is to make sure you ask any exterminators if they are licensed by your state so you know you are getting a true professional.

Resources

Pests.org, GoodHouseKeeping.com, and VictorPest.com