Seems mice have been the topic of conversation of late. Last week it was all about how they added to the Hallowe’en ambiance. This week? How they’ll eat you out of house and home, or at the very least leave their little offerings of poop so that you can’t eat your food anyway.
I have to start by saying that really, you want to prevent the mice from getting in your house in the first place. But how do you do that? The trick is knowing what’s on a mouse’s house hunting checklist:
- warm
- dry
- near a water source
- safe from cats, rats, weasels and ratter dogs
- lots of cracks and crevices in which to scurry, hide and travel from room to room without being seen
- and last but not least, an abundant food supply
In fact, it’s this last one that will make or break your efforts to keep the mouse population at bay in your rural home.
I think the whole time I lived in the city (20 plus years), I think we had mice maybe once. Then there was the old house that had rats in the walls… but that’s another story. Overall, it wasn’t an ongoing problem. So when we moved to our little homestead in the forest, I had no idea what I was in for. None. So naive, so, so naive…
It started slowly. We moved in in April, so the weather was warming and the mice were moving outside anyway. But the house had been empty for quite some time before we started our renovations. Then it was another 6 months of us just being there during the day, painting and refinishing floors. And it’s a log cabin, with lots of little cracks and ways for mice to get inside. So basically, it was their home. Period.
That fall was when it hit me square between the eyes – we were sharing our home with a mama mouse and her babies. Which sounds sort of cute until you find their poop all over your kitchen counter (gross, gross, gross!). And they nibble big holes out of your expensive organic avocados, rendering them inedible for fear of some horrible rodent-spewed epidemic. The weirdest thing they ever ate was a jalapeno pepper. A jalapeno pepper!!! I can’t even eat a whole jalapeno… Crazy.
So I learned quickly that there are a few things that will reduce the attractiveness of your kitchen to your little four-legged friends. Here are a five to get you started:
- Check your cupboards (even the upper ones) for any holes that could allow a mouse to get inside. I’m talking the size of a dime and sometimes less, depending on the size of the mouse. If you find a hole or crack, fill it with a bit of steel wool or caulking, or seal it up with some sort of attractive trim.
- Put all grains, flour and other staples into glass jars or canisters, sealed tight (yes, even if they are in the sealed cupboards – you just never know).
- Place all fruit or any food left out on the counter in a metal mesh bowl with a lid. At the very least wrap them in thick produce storage bags so the smell won’t emanate (at least not so strongly). Caveat: I’ve had mice chew right through those bags to get to a ripe banana. Not mouse-proof, but mouse-resistant.
- Make sure all your dishes are washed before you go to bed, or at the very least rinsed well. Any food left on dishes is gourmet to a mouse. Yummy! Also be sure to wipe down the counters with a vinegar/water solution (one part vinegar to 4 parts water should do it) or your favourite kitchen counter cleaner. Any smell of food will lure them in like ribs grilling at a tailgate party.
- Vacuum and sweep – a lot! If you’ve got children (or a messy spouse), check their seats and the floor for crumbs after meals. Preferably after they get up. Those little bits of food you see on the floor? They could feed a whole mouse family. And keep them coming back for more. For-ev-er.
Of course, the best fix is to figure out how they’re getting into your house and sealing up the access points, but if you live in a ‘holey’ old house, that can prove challenging. But if you put these five fixes into action, it should reduce the attractants in your home for the mice, and they might move on. Hehehehehe… kidding. They’ll never move on. Unless you get a cat. Even then they’ll probably just tease the cat. But at least they’ll eventually stop pooping on the counter.
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Wish I had all this wonderful advice when I lived in the hills of Vermont! Great tips!
Thanks Victoria! We just moved into an old Victorian, and there are LOTS of cracks and crevices here. I’ll definitely make those food storage adjustments you recommended. I fear I may have seen a trace of poop in the pantry recently….
I love your humor, Victoria, in spite of all the mouse poop….!
Great advice (AND made me laugh)!
Great advice Victoria, essencial if you want to avoid these uninvited guest! Right to the point…
I heard peppers (peppers) work to keep mice out. So i made some chilli seasoning and steak seasoning all these have red peppers, black pepper and cayanne peppers in them so ill guess ill see ifbit works.. Anyone else ever heard of the pepper trick?
Yes! We tried peppermint, but not the peppers. I’m just not diligent enough. Do let us know how it goes!
Thank you for the useful information. I’ve only seen a small mouse/rat? One small poop near the hot plate. I hate and am scared of mice/rats, I just froze when I saw it and then went in the opposite direction. I’m also going to use pure peppermint oil. My partner will have to get rid of the mice after they die in the mouse traps. I hope there aren’t too many in the house.
Thanks so much for your comments. I have to admit that I need to update this post to reflect all of the things we’ve tried since – which ones work and which ones don’t… Living in an 85 year old cabin, let’s just say that keeping the critters out is a constant surveillance battle. SO many tiny spaces they can get in. But deterrence is definitely key – this year we’re finally going to get the whole cabin rechinked, which will hopefully deal with it once and for all. Good luck!
hello! im divested! mouse just walked by my feet as i sat on my sofa!!! shocked i am depressed! im elderly and can barely walk so now what!!
They are a challenge to get rid of. Blocking all the entrance spots is about the only way – and removing anything they might find tasty. Hope you found a solution!