How to Get Rid of Mice Fast Using Home Remedies

You are here because you are living in fear of mice and all the scurrying sound they make as they plague your house. Here are some home remedies that may help get rid of mice permanently.

Why mice are in your house

Rodents like mice will only appear in your house if you give them a good reason to. Here are the most common things that may attract mice to your house.

Food and nesting material

House and field mice will venture far and wide (as far as 50 feet away from their nest) in search for food and nesting materials. You are sending an open invitation to rodents if you have food or organic waste in the house that are left out in the open. Regular cleaning and decluttering are important steps to avoiding a mice infestation problem at home.

Access to water

Rodents like mice may venture into homes when the weather is extremely dry or hot. Mice could be attracted to small puddles of water in your house. This could be a result of a leaky faucet or pipe. It could also be due to water dripping from appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators.

Shelter and warmth

Homes can have a lot of hidden spaces where mice can shelter without feeling vulnerable. This would explain why mice are a bigger problem in winter than in summer. The cold and wet weather conditions force mice to come inside buildings in search of harborage and a regular source of food and water.

Home remedies to get rid of mice

Get rid of all food source

Mice will set their sights to a different house if your home doesn’t offer anything they need for their survival. You would be winning half the battle if your house is spotlessly clean. Get in the habit of vacuuming the house on a regular basis. Make sure not a single crumb of food is left out in the open. Use airtight containers to store away foods. Throw away food waste into rodent-proof bins. You don’t want to give the mice a single whiff or hint of there being food in the house.

Get rid of clutter

Get rid of any organic materials that mice may use for their nests. Paper, for example, is an appealing nesting material for many species of mice. Get rid of all the unused newspapers and magazine lying around the house. Cardboard boxes should also be discarded or stored in a place that’s out of the rodent’s reach.

Seal up all entry points

Look around the house and seal up all possible entry and exit points. Start at the ground and work your way up. Fill any holes, cracks, and crevices you can fit your finger through. Use weatherstrips to reduce any gaps along windows and doors. Don’t forget to check the pipes. Mice and rats can easily make their way inside homes by chewing through plastic pipes.

Set up mice bait bucket traps

You can now focus your efforts on catching the mice once you have rodent-proofed your home. A simple way to catch mice is by using a bucket trap. All you need is a tall bucket, a toilet paper tube, and some peanut butter. The first step is to place a tall bucket or a trash can underneath the edge of a table or kitchen counter (make sure the mice can access it). Next, fold the toilet paper tube so it forms a flat-sided tunnel. Dab a bit of peanut butter on one end of the tube. The final step is to balance the tube along the edge of the table so that half of the tube is sticking out the air. The mice will scurry into the toilet paper tube to get to the peanut butter. Gravity will cause the mice to fall into the bucket!

Avoid using rodent poison

Rodent poison is effective at killing mice but using it can leave quite a stink in the house. Mice don’t die immediately after ingesting rodent poison. They still have time to scurry into an inconspicuous space (e.g. space behind the wall) before meeting their death. You may, as a result, end up with dead mice smell around the house because you aren’t able to easily find and get rid of the decomposing mice.

Frequently asked questions

What smell will keep mice away?

There are certain scents which mice may not like such as the scent of peppermint oil, cinnamon, mothballs, and vinegar. Using smell, however, isn’t a very good way to repel mice. It may work in small, enclosed spaces but won’t do much in keeping mice away if you are marking the scent in a well-ventilated space.

How many mice are in your house if you see one?

Rodents like mice tend to live in groups when they are living in a confined structure. If you’ve sen one mouse, it’s likely there are more scurrying around in hidden spots.

How do you know when all mice are gone?

There are a few ways to find out whether you have been successful or not in getting rid of all the mice. Aside from not seeing any actual mouse, you may no longer see any mice droppings. You may no longer hear any scratching or scurrying noises behind the wall or ceiling.