How to Keep Mice Out of Your House

You’re getting ready to watch TV; you’ve got your blankets, popcorn, hot chocolate, and now you’re searching for something to watch. What you probably want to see: Game of Thrones, Friends, or Elf. What you probably don’t want to see: a mouse running past your TV! Don’t let this happen to you, we’ll tell you how to keep mice out of your house!

Signs of Mice

An adult mouse is between 5 ½ – 7 ½ inches long with a 3-4 inch tail. They have large ears, tiny black eyes, and a gray body. If you spot a white mouse, it’s probably a neighbor’s former pet.

You’ll know a mouse is living with you when you see/hear:

• tiny, brown mouse droppings found near food
• chewed cardboard, paper, or fiber are great nesting material found in drawers
• a musky, ammonia-like smell
• squeaking or the sound of small, rapid footsteps between walls, ceilings, and floors

You’ll want to get rid them as soon as you notice the signs. They can bring fleas, mites, ticks, lice, harmful bacteria, and many baby mice with them. Female mice typically lay 5-10 litters of about 5-6 young each year!

Getting Rid of Mice Naturally

You’ve probably heard that sounds, flashing lights, peppermint oil, and even Irish Spring soap act as mice repellent. But it’s not always the case. Once these rodents have found food in your home, they’re unlikely to leave. There are additional steps you can take to get them out.

• Make sure you seal all food in airtight containers. This is the best way to get rid of mice. Mice are drawn to any food sources you may have laying around. Open boxes of food or food stored in cardboard, like rice, cereal, and pet food, are likely their food sources. Mice have an amazing ability ro climb and jump so keeping them up high might not make a difference.
• Take out your garbage regularly. Garbage is every rodents dream buffet. There are many food options inside and it’s only stored in a plastic bag that they can easily rip through.
• Seal all cracks and holes inside and outside your home. Mice can enter your home through cracks and holes the size of the width of a pencil. Install door sweeps to keep any rodent from entering under door ways and make sure window screens are secured. If you have a chimney, keep it cleaned and seal any additional holes or openings.

Maintaining the inside and outside of your house will help with your rodent control. It’ll prevent mice from getting in and cut off supply to any food they might look for.

Using Mice Traps

Mouse traps are the most common way to get rid of mice. There are dozens of different ones you can find online or in your local stores. You can lure any mouse in by using peanut butter, put it inside the cage trap or on the snap trap.

If you opt to use a trap that catches the mouse without killing it, remember to release the mouse only where allowed by local ordinance.

If you decide to dispose the mouse, glue traps and ones that snap work best. Be careful not to get your fingers caught!

Call an Exterminator

Mice exterminators are your best defense against rodents. We know where these pests are hiding and can recognize the signs of an invasion. We place bait and traps where we know the mice frequent and we’ll continue to place them until your home is rodent free. We’ll eliminate any entry points around your home and prevent mice from getting into your home.

We care about your health and want to help you keep these pests away. If you need help getting mice out of your home, call us today at (631) 864-6900 [Suffolk County] or (516) 864-6900 [Nassau County]. You can also contact us here.