Mice might be cute little critters, but the fact is, many diseases can be directly transmitted by rodents. So if you have some tiny roommates in your home, you might want to get them out pronto.
Maybe you’ve already tried your hand at it, but no matter what you do, it seems like they keep coming back.
If you’re at your wit’s end and getting rid of mice seems impossible, then you’ll want to keep reading. We’ll give you some insider tips on how to handle lingering pests when you’ve tried everything else.
Keep Your Home Spotless
Are you guilty of sweeping bread crumbs off your counter onto the floor instead of disposing of them in the trash? Then you may be inadvertently inviting mice into your house.
Those little morsels make the perfect snack or meal for these creatures. Just the smallest bit of food dropped will attract them.
You need to clean up everything in your kitchen and be vigilant about keeping it spotless. If your ingredients are in easily accessible containers (such as cardboard boxes), you should consider placing them in airtight plastic tubs. That way, mice won’t smell it and can’t chew their way through.
You should also place these containers in your cupboards, so there’s an extra layer of protection. Try not to leave anything on the floor, as rodents can get into things in a pinch if you do.
Not only that, but you need to tidy up your home and keep it as clear as possible. This means no stacking magazines everywhere and no leaving children’s toys strewn across rooms for long periods.
While mice can’t eat things like paper, cardboard, and plastic, if you have random piles everywhere in your house, those make excellent nests and hiding places for rodents. They’ll feel right at home.
Look for Their Points of Entry
Keeping your house clean 24/7 is just part of the fight. What you need to do next is look for all possible points of entry.
Examine all your walls, especially at the bottoms. This includes in your closet, where items may be potentially blocking off small holes where mice are coming in through. This is where the cleaning from the previous section will come in handy.
Once you find the holes, you need to seal them up. Don’t dismiss the tiny holes either; mice have been known to squeeze through holes that are the size of dimes!
The most effective way to seal up these points of entry is to use caulk and steel wool. Rodents can’t chew through these, so you’re basically guaranteed to keep them out with these.
Don’t forget to also look at your weatherstripping, vents, and other openings, such as chimneys. Replace the weatherstripping and put screens on your vents and other openings if necessary.
To get rid of any existing mice inside of your house, set up traps around the entry points you found. If mice are using them to get into your house, they’ll be using them to get back into their homes in your walls.
If you want something more humane than the traditional mousetrap, you can get a reusable trap where you can release any captured critters into the wild.
Keep up With Your Landscaping
You know how we said mice love to hide in little spaces in your home? Well, the same goes for the exterior of it.
For example, if you have a lot of shrubbery, try and prune them away from the outside of your home. The same for trees that have overgrown branches, as these can serve as entryways into your home.
The shrubbery can also give mice a boost into your house. Plus, they make very nice hiding spots where you wouldn’t even know mice were in your property’s perimeter.
If you use firewood, make sure the pile is at least 20 feet away from your house. These are one of the favorite nesting places of mice, so don’t encourage them to get into your warm home by placing your firewood right against your walls.
Hire an Exterminator
Maybe you’ve tried every single thing on this list already, but to no avail. In that case, there’s no shame in hiring a professional pest control company.
These are people who have years of experience and training in the field. They also have the proper equipment to get rid of mice for good. Plus, many exterminators have a guarantee on their work, which means you can trust in them to get rid of existing mice and keep future ones from invading your house.
That way, you won’t have to worry about the problem yourself. So long as you keep your home clean and uncluttered, then the money you’ve spent on pest control services should be well worth it when mice stay away for good.
Getting Rid of Mice Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
With the right methods and professionals behind you, getting rid of mice doesn’t have to be such a challenging thing.
So give our list a try first. In most cases, the steps given should be enough to get rid of those pesky pests.
But if you have a bigger infestation on your hands, then DIY may not be enough. Stop wasting your efforts and get peace of mind by employing the services of professionals. They’ll enable you to sleep easy with no worry that you have unwanted roommates in your home.
Need some professionals to come take care of your pest problems? Then book an appointment with us now. We’ll give you a free estimate!