Of course, mice can hardly be blamed for trying to borrow shelter when the temperature plummets outside. For whatever reason, however, they can’t be relied upon to pay bills (trust me, I’ve tried) and though it may only be a handful of cold mice seeking for somewhere to hunker down for the cold months, they’ll soon turn your home into a mini mouse kingdom.
So, what do? Well, to begin with it’s probably best to find out for sure if you have a mouse problem or not.
Inspecting your home
The best time to check your home or garage is at dusk, when things get quiet and dark. Using a flashlight, hone in on places of potential entry, as well as keeping an eye out for tell-tale signs of mice such as gnaw marks, droppings, or tiny bits of paper.
Sanitize the area
OK, so you’ve found evidence that Mrs. Frisby and her brood are living in your home. Time to panic? Certainly not.
Make sure every possible entry point is cleaned, and cleaned well. No food particles left lying around and definitely no pet feed. Mice will eat and contaminate both human and animal food. Once you’ve ensured there is no food source lying around, do a deep clean.
Line entry points with aluminium
One of life’s great mysteries (and something I didn’t know until I wrote this article) is that mice stay away from aluminium foil like it’s the devil himself. Of course, using foil doesn’t make for the nicest aesthetics, but it will keep them away. It’s certainly ideal for covering holes in the basement or wrapping up non-perishable foods.
The catch and release mousetrap
These are actually far more simple to construct than people think. All you need is materials you’ve likely got lying around the home. See the video below for more:
Cotton balls in peppermint oil
Soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them strategically around any areas of your home you suspect mice might try to get in. Rodents as a collective don’t like the smell of peppermint, but it will keep your house smelling fresh (unlike other mouse deterrents such as garlic and cayenne pepper).
Baking soda
So, we’ve established rodents generally hate things with a strong smell. Sprinkle baking soda anywhere you’ve noticed mice droppings or signs of mice.
Those with pets should take care to keep the soda in a container with a mouse-shaped hole, or else somewhere your furry friend can’t get at it themselves.
Bars of soap
Similar to the effects given by peppermint oil, strong-scented soaps are another great alternative for keeping mice and other rodents at bay.
Place the bars of soap around doors, windows and any other openings you might have. So long as the soap has a potent scent, it should do the job.
Dryer sheets
The last bastion of defence. Tucking these strong-scented sheets into gaps and cracks will stop rodents from entering. Don’t forget to change them every two weeks or so to ensure the smell remains strong!
We hope these tips were informative and useful for you.
If you, or anyone else you know, wants to keep mice away this winter, be sure to share this article on Facebook and help us spread the information around.