The Best Ways to Get Rid of Mice

by Yvette Clark

Overview

If you hear the sounds of tiny feet scuffing in your cabinets and behind the stove, and if your cat or dog has taken to staring intently at walls or under the refrigerator, chances are that you have mice in your house. And if you haven't seen evidence of them yet, you soon will. If you have a mouse infestation, you may be battling these little creatures for years to come if you don't completely tackle the problem right away.

House mouse.
Get Rid of Food Sources

One of the biggest reasons you have mice in your house is that you provide an easy supply of food for them. They're adaptable and opportunistic feeders, and nearly anything edible can attract them---even when it's in cardboard or plastic. Prevention here is relatively simple: Wash dishes nightly and place all of your stored food in heavy plastic, tin or glass containers. That makes it impossible for mice to get to the easiest sources of food in your house. Mice will also eat pet food, including dry dog and cat food, so feed pets at specified times and keep their food covered the rest of the time. The garbage can is another easy place for mice to find food, so equip it with a tight cover. Once you eliminate the mice's indoor food supply, check outside. Food sources like bird seed, dog or cat food, and accessible garbage cans can attract mice to your house if they're anywhere within 50 feet.

Prevent Mice from Entering Your Home

Mice can come into through holes and cracks in your foundation or walls as small as a dime. Walk around the exterior of your home, looking for even the smallest hole. When feasible, seal these holes with caulking. Another option is to stuff them with steel wool---one material mice can't eat through. While you're checking the exterior, also look for uncovered vents that may allow access to your home---even dryer vents can give mice access to your home. Cover all vents with a small-weave, heavy-gauge hardware cloth. Mice can also squeeze under doors if there is any room at all. Installing door sweeps on any exterior doors and on your garage door ensures that they can't get in this way.
Get Rid of the Mice You Have

If you have any pets or children in the house, the best way to get rid of the mice you have is through humane traps. Humane traps entice mice in with bait and then trap them in a small metal or plastic box. The mice are safely contained, and you can then release them away from your house---preferably in a natural area so they don't become someone else's problem. Be sure to take them at least a mile away, though, or they may come back. Another non-toxic and humane approach to indoor mouse control is to soak cotton balls in peppermint or spearmint oil, and place them in all of the locations that you've seen evidence of mice. The smell will make your home inhospitable to the mice.