You’ve heard gnawing, squeaking, or scampering. You probably have a house guest, a common mouse. Other rodents make their way inside, but distinctive characteristics of mice include gnaw marks on wood, plastic, or cardboard; fecal droppings 1/8 to ¼ inch long; musky odor; or body run marks along baseboards or insulation (Run marks are left behind by the dirty, oily body of a mouse repeatedly running back and forth along an established trail).
It is important to rid your home of these uninvited guests and ensure that your home is not hospitable or easily accessible to them in the future. House mice are not pets. Mice transmit diseases, cause fires by chewing electrical wiring, and mice ruin food, papers, storage boxes, woodwork, and insulation with gnawing, urine, and droppings.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #1: Inspect your house for evidence of mouse activity. Check for the droppings, gnaw marks, and body trails.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #2: Trap and rid your home of mice. Cornell University recommends using traps. Cornell also recommends placing traps inside PVC pipe or coffee cans to conceal them. Keep traps safely out of reach of children and pets.
Check traps every morning and wear gloves to discard dead mice.
If you prefer to use live traps check the traps frequently. Free mice within a reasonable amount of time to prevent death from hunger, dehydration, or stress.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #3: Continue placing traps until two to three days pass without catching one. This ensures you have completely eliminated a nest of mice.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #4: Clean up behind mice you have eliminated. Use a mask to prevent inhalation of parasites or air particles carrying disease. Use chlorine bleach or a strong organic antiseptic to clean the area. Cornell University recommends bleach to ensure all pathogens are killed.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #5: Once you have rid your home of mice, seal off exterior points of entry. Seal openings around pipes and appliance exhausts, vents, and electrical chases. Create a mouse guard of aluminum or mesh. Use aerosol foam over steel wool to create strong, gnaw proof barriers.
Steel wool and caulk will cover small mouse holes.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #6: Prune back branches that allow access to the roof. Mice and squirrel will find entry points, or gnaw into your roof. Attic vents and soffit vents should be checked and secured. Cover chimneys with mesh wiring.
Rid Your House of Mice Tip #7: Be sure doors close securely. Use weather stripping and door sweeps to completely seal off door entry points. If you like to prop doors open for fresh air, be sure you have a well sealed screen door.
Once you have rid your home of rodents, clean up around the house. A clean home is a less hospitable environment. Use plastic storage crates instead of boxes. Take newspapers to the recycling bin on a weekly basis.
Keep woodpiles away from the house. Keep brush and debris swept, raked and cleaned. If your home looks like a mouse nest, it may very well be one.
Reference:
- Beasts Begone: House Mouse
