The kids are asleep, and a piercing scream comes from the bathroom. Mom is in her towel hopping around as a mouse scurries beneath her feet. The bathroom door flies open, and steam billows out the door, setting off the hallway smoke detector. This is no way to start the week.
What causes those pesky little creatures? Is it a dirty home? You are just tryin’ your best. What more could be done? Not only are they annoying and give their human friends the heebie jeebies, but they are a health hazard, spreading disease through feces urine and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While an unkept home may sometimes be part of the cause, it is also important to note that more people are talking about mice this time of year. The temperatures are going down, it’s raining and soon there will be snow. Like humans, mice don’t want to be out in the cooler weather, so they take shelter in our homes.
To rid the home of mice, it’s important to think about what motivates them to stay, and the number one thing that causes them is food and water! A good way to help eliminate those furry monsters faster is to eliminate their food source by immediately cleaning up any food or drink waste around the home, taking any garbage out more frequently and storing food in sealed containers (including pet food).
Mice are also looking for a cozy place inside your home to call their home, so it’s essential to seal up any small spaces where mice could be hiding. Mice can fit in a hole the width of a pencil, that’s pretty tiny! Use calking to seal up spaces around the home with significant gaps. Another trick is to stuff steel wool in the cracks first, then calk or spray foam over them.
Perhaps the most obvious way to help eliminate mice is to set traps. Consider your level of comfort before selecting a trap. While a glue trap may seem easier, it also means you could trap and have a live mouse you will need to dispose of, whereas an old-fashioned trap will kill the mouse immediately, so no wiggling little fur ball to carry to the trash.
If children and pets are in the home, traps need to be hidden and out of reach. One idea is to put traps out in the open areas only at night when you know the little ones are tucked into their beds safely, and when you know mice are at their busiest. Traps are most effective when placed next to the wall where they typically travel most.
Have you tried everything and still have mice? The best solution is to treat yourself and hire a cleaning service and an exterminator! Holidays are coming up so why not?! Give us a call and we can help you during the busy season.