How to Deal with Mice in the Home
Finding mice in your house can be a disturbing experience. They can spread disease, leave droppings all over and eat into anything not sealed in a plastic container. When dealing with mice in the home it's best to use more than one treatment method to give you the best results. Be prepared to dispose of the dead bodies; you really don't want to let them sit Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Mouse bait or poison
- Steel wool
- Mouse traps; humane or traditional
- Rubber or latex gloves
- Large sealable plastic bags
Instructions
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1
Prepare the mouse baits and put them in them under the house in the crawl space or basement. Make sure you put some in the garage. Most mice come in under the house, so this is the best place to start baiting them. Do not leave mouse baits out in the house; they are dangerous to pets and children.
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Put out your mouse traps in the home. You can use traditional mouse traps with a spring and bar design or you may choose to use newer humane mouse traps; the choice is up to you. It's easier to dispose of a dead mouse than a live one though.
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Open the pack of steel wool. It should come in pad form, shaped somewhat like a dish sponge. Locate every place in your home that wiring or piping goes through the floors, walls or ceilings. Likely areas will be under sinks, behind the dryer; anywhere you have cable wires coming in and sometimes phone lines as well.
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Tear the steel wool into strips and pack this around the pipe or wiring, ensuring there are no gaps. Mice will not chew through steel wool. It is important to find all access areas in your home though.
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Check your traps daily. You may need to reset the traps or place new baits in them. If you've caught a mouse in one, wear latex gloves when handling the mouse and dispose of it in a sealable plastic bag. If the mouse is caught in a humane trap and is still alive, then disposal is up to you.
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Look for dead mice under the home and in the garage once a week. Be careful not to spill the mouse bait when checking.
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Tips & Warnings
Mice will often get into walls after eating the poison and die. There is little you can do about the smell so try to find all points of entry and plug them with steel wool. If one gets into the walls anyway, you can either wait a week or so for the smell to go away, or cut holes in your walls to get the mouse out.
Wear latex or rubber gloves when disposing of dead mice and dispose of them in a sealable plastic bag.
Be careful when putting out mouse baits. These poisons are harmful to children and pets. Never use them in an open area of the home. It's best not to use them in the living portion of your home at all.
