There are a variety of ways to get rid of mice in your home, with many options, depending on what you’re doing and what kind of home you have. The ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of damage caused by mice in your home, as well as eliminating them altogether. Below are a few tips and suggestions to keep in mind when seeking out and implementing methods for eliminating mice that will help a lot for mice control.
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Toss Any Food Stuffed with Meat, Fruit or Vegetables that Might Have Been Licked
Any food items or treats you leave out for any creatures, including pets, may end up being eaten by mice. By leaving food out for animals, you’re encouraging them to stick around. Because mice are omnivores, they’ll eat pretty much anything.
Removing any food items that have been licked, opened or nibbled by mice can help reduce the number of mice in your home, as well as the damage they can cause. If you’re not sure what kind of food you’ve left out, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and get rid of any food that’s been touched by a rodent.
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Leave the Kitchen Clean
Many people end up with mice in their kitchens due to the fact that it’s the largest room on the property. So, it makes sense that your kitchen would be where the most mice can find refuge. Mice enjoy crawling into ovens and open dishwashers, so get to scrubbing them down with heavy-duty cleaners to keep them out of your kitchen.
This is especially helpful if you have food that is in a removable container. Remove the container, wipe it down and then put it back in the cabinet.
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Store Food Up High
The rodent-prone area of your home tends to be in an upper corner of the home. It’s also where a lot of animals will congregate and in the case of most rodents, where a cat or dog would be. The top of your cabinets is an excellent place to store food items, because mice can’t fit up there.
Mice will get into the drawers of your kitchen cabinets, but they can’t get into the top shelves, so put your non-perishable foods on the higher shelves and anything else on the bottom.
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Cut Down on Temptations
If you have pets, you may need to limit the food that they have access to. A lot of times, if you have multiple pets, the same food might be in the same place day after day. By reducing the number of times that your pet has access to the food, you can reduce the number of mice in your home.
Of course, this can also be an issue when it comes to pet food. So, look into feeding them outside or in a separate area of your home.
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Try Using Live Cages
Since the mice tend to gravitate toward the same food items in your home, they’re often found in the same place. One way to prevent mice from reaching those same food items, is to install a “live trap” in the area. By setting up a live trap, you can use it to remove the mice before they have a chance to harm your home.
The trap works by first luring the mouse into the opening and then trapping them with peanut butter. The mouse usually gets stuck on the back of the trap and then is unable to get out of the trap. A few humane traps exist on the market, but you can also make a homemade trap using a plastic barrel and some peanut butter.
Of course, using a live trap and peanut butter is a last resort to prevent mice from coming into your home. You want to be able to live in your home and not live in fear of rodents.
