Keeping Mice Out Of Your Home
If you have noticed mouse droppings within your home, you will want to do a bit of detective work along with a few deterring methods to vacate any mice on the premises. Before calling in the assistance of a pest control service, try some of the following steps in removing mice from your home on your own.
Start On The Outside
Take a walk around the perimeter of your home while checking for areas where you notice cracks, crevices or small holes where mice can squeeze through. Mice can get into a space as small as a quarter, so keep this in mind as you search. If you notice spots where mice can get through, fill them in with caulk. For larger spaces, place a piece of flashing over the area or replace it completely with a new piece of siding.
Move To The Kitchen
To keep mice out of your home, make sure to thoroughly clean your kitchen after preparing food. Crumbs left behind will make a mouse meal. To remove scent remnants that may be left on counter tops, use a mixture of vinegar and water to cleanse the areas. Place all leftovers in your refrigerator in containers with air-tight lids.
Take Away Attractions
Make sure to take up all pet food dishes when your pets are not eating from them, as they will attract mice. If you have an outdoor feeding area, remove dishes during times your pet is not out there with them. Cover kiddie pools, fountains, birdbaths and ponds to keep mice from having an accessible drinking source.
Use Some Deterrents
Mice do not like the smell of peppermint and will vacate an area where it is present. Dip cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them around your home. You will enjoy the fresh scent and mice will become sparse! Consider getting a cat to keep outdoors, helping to scare mice from the area.
Trap And Remove Mice
If you cannot rid your home of mice by using deterrents and changing some habits, you will need to trap them or have them exterminated by a professional pest control service. If you wish to try humane traps, purchase them at a home goods store and place them on the floor in corners along walls where mice tend to be present. These traps have a hinged door that let mice in but do not let them back out, so it is important to check the traps several times a day to ensure the mice are released unharmed. If you opt for killing traps, you have a choice of snapping, bait or glue traps.