Eliminate Mice and Prevent Additional Ones from Entering Your Home
Posted on: 12 October 2016
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If you spotted a couple mice in your home's kitchen and are fearful about the population increasing, take action to eliminate the ones that are present and prevent additional ones from entering your house by completing the steps below.
Materials
- crackers
- soft cheese
- peanut butter
- butter knife
- bird seed
- newspaper
- humane mouse traps
- caulk
- caulk gun
- file
- putty knife
- self-adhesive weatherstripping
- scissors
- peppermint oil
- cotton swabs
- cotton balls
Catch the Mice That Are Present
Purchase a couple humane traps that will allow mice to enter but not exit. Once you have captured all of the mice in your home, you can release them back into the wild so that they can find a more suitable place to live. Spread a thin layer of cheese or peanut butter across several crackers. Sprinkle an even layer of birdseed on top of each one. Lay a sheet of newspaper in the bottom of each tap. Place a couple treats on each sheet and wait for the mice to enter the traps.
Seal Holes and Cracks
Inspect the walls of your home and the section around each window and door. If you spot any holes, fill them with a layer of caulk. Once caulk has been added, smooth it out with a file or putty knife and wait for it to dry. If there are any gaps by the windows or doors, secure strips of self-adhesive weatherstripping over them to minimize the size of each one. Not only will the caulk and weatherstripping deter mice from entering your home, they will also assist with keeping the inside of your home at a comfortable temperature.
Discourage New Mice from Staying
Although sealing the holes and gaps may prevent most mice from entering, there is still the possibility that they could enter your home during occasions when you leave windows or doors open in order to let fresh air in or through another small hole in your home that you did not previously spot. Peppermint oil will discourage mice from staying in your home if they happen to gain entry.
Apply a few drops of oil to a cotton swab and wipe it along the edges of counters and tables or any other part of your home where you previously spotted mice. You can also pour a few drops of oil onto cotton balls and place the cotton in various parts of your home. The aroma that the oil emits will be unappealing to mice and prompt them to exit your home right away.
Contact a company such as Xtermco Inc for help or more information.