HowTo Home

Mice in House

            Are you ready to get rid of your unwelcome house guests?  I have been there and done that, no not the in-laws.  In just a few hours I had mice run amok through my cupboards and drawers leaving unwanted messes behind.  Mice can multiply quickly, so the faster you can get rid of the little pests, the better!  Mice can have 5 to 10 litters each year and with each litter you can be welcoming 4 to 7 new mice in your home.

            If you are not sure if you have a mice infestation, look closely behind furniture and along walls.  If they are invading your home you should find signs that they have been around, starting with their droppings.  Their droppings look like small pieces of dark brown rice, usually more than one will be present.  Also search for any food containers that they may have tried to get into, including pet foods.  They can chew their way through boxes and plastic bags easily.  Another sign will be from their nest making, when mice are making a nest, you can find stuffing pulled out of your couches, oven mitts or whatever else the mice may have found to use.  Some how mice got into my oven and we kept finding installation pulled inside my oven (mixed with some droppings).  You can bet the minute we figured that out, we turned the oven on to its clean cycle.   

            Many times you will never even see the mice running around your house.  They are more afraid of you, then you are of them, plus they are more active at night.  Unfortunately it is hard to tell how many mice you have, but the longer you wait to get rid of them, the more you will get.  So let’s get started! 

            I have tried all the tricks in the book and learned from the best, so here are the best ways to keep mice out of your house. 

Mice Control

1.  Eliminate Access - Find out where the mice are coming in your house.  This is the most important component on getting rid of your mice problem.  Walk along the outsides of your house and the walls inside your garage, looking for any small holes that they could be getting in at.  They can fit through very small cracks.  If you can fit your finger in the hole, then the mice can get in.  Fill smaller holes with steel wool or foam sealant. Larger holes may require cement patching.  Keep in mind mice can jump and climb fairly well, so take a very careful look.

            Also search around your house for places they might be coming from (piles of wood, weeds, etc.) and eliminate those sources.  Are there any of these sources by your doors?  They could be sneaking in while the door is open.

            If you have a basement, look around the top of the foundation, searching for any other possible ways the mice are inviting themselves in your house.  Search around your plumbing and electrical work, these could be likely sources on entry.   

2.  Clean Up - Mice like to find small quiet places to nest.  Eliminate the clutter around the floors and search for areas they could be hiding.  Eliminate any food that they would be able to get into.  Make your home uninviting as possible.  After searching through your house you should have a good idea of where they are most active inside your home.  Keep in mind that mice typically don’t wander more than 20 feet or so from there nest.    

 

Different Ways to get Rid of Mice

            Now it’s time to find the methods that will work best for you in getting rid of your mice.  Here are some of your options: 

1.  Snap Traps - My first (and last) mouse infestation I bought almost ever kind of mouse trap out there and some certainly worked better than others, including different brands of snap traps.  The best wood snap traps I found were made by Vector and are under a buck a piece.  They have a small yellow tab on the trap.  Some of the snap traps will say there is no need for bait, but I have never caught a mouse without it.  Peanut butter worked the best for me.  Spread just a little bit on the top of the yellow tab.  When setting your trap be careful not to snap your finger.  It does hurt.  Also make sure your trap is as sensitive as possible.  If it is not sensitive the mouse will lick you trap clean and escape without getting caught.  The last thing you want to do is fed the little critters.  I found it more effective to place two traps back to back, so if one didn’t get the mouse the other one would hopefully get it.  Since mice run along walls, make sure the bait side of the trap is placed along the wall.   

            Place your traps against the wall behind furniture and where the mice have been most active.  Make sure if you have pets or children, you keep the traps out of their reach.  Check your traps daily.  If you find that your mice are licking your trap

s clean and getting away, add some string mixed in with the peanut butter and around the yellow tab.  The goal is for them to get tangled in the string and set off the trap easier.  It shouldn’t take more than a few days to catch them.  

            Some people will suggest that you don’t set your traps for the first few days and just let the mice get used to feeding off the traps.  Then after a few days you can set the traps.  This might be a good tip to try.  I personally didn’t want to wait another minute, let alone a few days to catch the mice, so I didn’t follow this tip. 

2.  Poison - When using poison be careful to keep it out of the reach of children and pets.  All forms of DeCon and poison blocks work well.  With DeCon and other poisons, the mice get thirsty after they digest it and are supposed to go back outside in search of water.  Therefore they say most of them won’t die inside, but I have found 4 dead mice in my basement from poison.  I have also heard many people complain of the smell of rotting mice (if they die in unseen places).  I never noticed any smell, but the idea of them dying somewhere in my house and not knowing about it, creeps me out a little.

3.  Glue Mouse Traps - Glue traps are a stripe of really sticky paper that the mice will stick to when they walk along them.  These traps are not as popular because they do not kill the mice right away and the mice will be left there to suffer.  Plus who wants to see a mouse flopping around stuck on a piece of paper (not me).  They are also a pain if you accidentally set something on them or touch them.   

4.  Moth Balls – Moth balls have been known to keep mice away with their smell.  The down side to them is that most humans also do not enjoy their smell.

5.  Peppermint Oil and Peppermint Plants – Mice also do not like the smell of peppermint.  Some suggest planting peppermint plants around your house, to help keep the mice away.  While this should help, peppermint plants spread quickly, so be careful not to let them take over your lawn. 

            You can also use peppermint oil.  Put some oil on cotton balls and place them in your garage or near other sources of entry.  Another way to spread the smell of peppermint, is to add one part peppermint oil to one part water in a spray bottle and spray it around your house.  My aunt swears by this method.  Every winter, she sprays it around the house and hasn’t had any mice since she started.  I also like this method.  I love the smell! 

6.  Electric Plug In - I have never tried a Plug In, for the simple fact that family and friends have not had success with them.  Plug in traps are supposed to work by sending out ultrasonic sounds that mice don’t enjoy.  The problem with these traps is that the mice get used to the sound.

7.  Electric Mice Traps - The upside to these traps is that they work well and catch mice quickly.  The down side is that the traps are pricey.  They cost around $60, but it is well worth it for some.  Electric traps attract mice inside the trap and then zap them, killing them instantly.  The most popular electric trap is the Rat Zapper.  These traps are battery operated (they require 4 D batteries) and will tell you with a blinking light if you have caught a mouse.  These traps works well for those that don’t like to look at the dead mice. 

8.  Homemade Bucket Mouse Trap – For this trap you will need: a 5 gallon bucket, wire cloths hanger, paper towel tube, a ramp and bait.  First take your 5 gallon bucket and fill it halfway full of water and remove the handle.  Thread your wire hanger through one of the holes (from the handle), into the paper towel tube and out through the second hole.  Then bend the hanger down at each end.

            Now add peanut butter around the middle of the tube and set up a ramp leading to the top of the bucket.  Hopefully your mice will jump onto the paper towel holder attempting to get your bait and fall into the water.  I personally never tried this trick, but many say that it works.     

9.  Non-Lethal Mouse Traps - If you want to catch your mice and release them, you have a few options.  The first one is box traps; they are typically made out of plastic and are fairly small.  They are a simple see through rectangle trap with a door that will close behind the mouse as they enter the trap.  The mouse then will not be able to escape. 

            You can also make a home trap using a large bowl.  Grease the inside of the bowl with cooking oil or butter and place some bait in the middle.  Create a way for the mice to get into the bowl, by placing it next to a shelf or make a ramp up to the bowl.  Now after the mouse enters the bowl they will not be able to get out. 

            When releasing your mice, make sure you let them go far away from your home or they will just return to where they came from. 

More about your Mouse Bait

            Peanut butter is great bait to start with, but some other foods may work better to catch your mice.  If you have house mice, which are the most common, they will eat almost anything.  If you have wild mice, they are a little pickier.  They would prefer seeds and other unprocessed foods that are typically found outside. 

            Many people assume cheese is another great bait, but it dries up quickly and doesn’t work that well.  A small piece of bacon, dried fruit or chocolate should also work well.  

Disposing of Dead Mice

            After catching your mice, dispose of them in a plastic bag using disposable or rubber gloves.  Mice can carry diseases and it is important to disinfect the area in which they were found.  If you want to reuse your traps disinfect them with bleach.  The great thing about snap traps is that they are cheap so it is not a big deal to throw them out with the mouse.      

            I would say after a week of finding no new dead mice or new tracings you should be able to consider yourself mouse free.  Just make sure no new mice can find their way in.  Good luck!

Still Need Help

            For some people it might be a good idea to hire someone to come out to your house.  Around where I live the cost is about $100 every three months for someone to come out to set up traps and help get rid of your mice.  They typically will also come back and check the traps when needed. 

Other Strange Ways to Get Rid of Mice

            I have heard people suggest buying snake poop from you local pet store to spread around the outside and inside of your home to keep mice away.  I don’t know about you, but this is NOT an appealing way to get rid of mice.

            Someone once suggested painting one of your mice white, and then he would leave and the rest would follow.  I really don’t get this one.

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