How to Get Rid of Mice in Your House: A Simple Guide

Did you know that 21 million rodents invade U.S. homes each year? Rodents, such as rats and mice, are annoying pests to find in your home, but they can also spread diseases and chew through electrical wires in your home.

If you believe your home is infested with rodents, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. But how do you do this and what is the most effective way to ensure they don’t come back? We’ve got you covered, keep reading to find out how to get rid of mice in your home.

How to Get Rid of Mice

Finding an expert who can safely remove pests from your home is a great option. Look for local pest control services in your area. However, if you want to try and get rid of mice by yourself, here’s what you need to do.

1. Secure Your Home

To prevent mice infestations, the first thing you need to do is secure your home and block off all possible entry points. Mice can squeeze into tiny holes and gaps in your home. If you can poke a pencil through a crack or hole, then the chances are that mice might be able to get through it too.

Seal any cracks and holes up, whether they are in the foundations of your home or in the walls. Choose a sealant that mice aren’t able to chew through, such as steel wool or caulking. Don’t use materials such as wood, rubber, or plastic, as mice can gnaw through these materials. 

2. Set Up Mouse Traps

If you’re wondering how to catch a mouse, you need to buy and set up mouse traps in your home. Look out for signs of where the mice have been, for example, mice droppings and set the traps in those areas. 

There’s a range of traps available and your best bet of catching the mice is by using a selection of them. Use the classic wooden snap traps in conjunction with bait traps, glue traps, and multiple-capture live traps. Some mice might be more attracted to a certain type of trap than others, so do try out all the different options.

Remember, the more traps you set up around the house, the higher the chance of catching all the mice. 

3. Use Bait That Mice Like

Mice are curious creatures, but they’re more likely to approach a mousetrap if there’s food in it that they want. Use food that you know they’ve been eating in your home. Or opt for mouse favorites such as cheese, peanut butter, oatmeal, dried fruit, chocolate, or bacon. 

Try tying the bait to the trap with dental floss or gluing it to the trap. Replace the food every two days, to ensure they’re attracted to the trap. If your food bait plan for getting rid of mice isn’t working, you could try using nesting material as bait, such as feathers or cotton wool.

4. Position Your Traps Carefully

The placement of your traps is just as important as the bait and the type of traps that you use. Place traps perpendicular to your walls with the trigger facing the baseboard. This will increase your chances of catching the mice because they’ll run into the trap as they run along the wall. 

Mice don’t venture too far from their nests to find food. They usually only go about 20 feet away from their nest to find food, so be sure to place traps near their nests. As previously mentioned, to find out where their nests are, you should look for mice droppings, but you should also look out for things that look like they’ve been chewed.

To further increase the likelihood of catching your mice, change the location of your traps every two days.

5. Help Prevent Infestations By Cleaning

Mice can survive on very little amounts of food a day. Cleaning your home regularly won’t necessarily get rid of them but it will help to prevent them from thinking your home is a good place to be.

Remove crumbs by vacuuming and wiping down your countertops. You should also ensure that all food is stored in containers that mice can’t get into. For example, store pasta and flour in glass or airtight containers. 

Don’t forget about your garbage, mice might be rummaging through it if it is just left out. Ensure your garbage is stored in a metal bin that they can’t chew through.

6. Get Help From Your Pets

Cats are great for helping with mice extermination as they love to hunt them. Dogs might also enjoy hunting mice, so if you have pets you might want to think about getting them to help you.

If you don’t have a cat or a dog, you could ask your friends or neighbors if you could borrow theirs to help you deal with your mice infestation. Alternatively, you could get a dog or a cat to help you deal with the problem. It should be noted that not all cats or dogs will be interested in hunting mice though.

If none of the above works and your home is still infested with mice, it might be time to call in the experts.

For everything you need to get rid of mice and rodents from your home (not including the cat) visit Martens Reedsburg True Value Superstore today. We also have the supplies you need for cleaning and sealing your home's entry points.







Source: articlecity.com