How to get rid of mice in your house

If you have mice in your house, you don’t need to have an exterminator deal with the problem if you can’t afford it or you don’t want chemicals in the house. Here is what you need to do to get rid of the pesky rodents.

Do a big cleanup
Vacuum up crumbs EVERYWHERE. This means crumbs under the kitchen table, checking underneath the coach cushions (yes, pick up the bigger pieces and vacuum under the cushions!), vacuum all carpets and rugs, and even underneath the rugs incase any stray crumbs have gotten in. Don’t forget places underneath appliances where things can get kicked under. Check your kid’s rooms for old plates too!

Check your pantries
Take everything out of the cupboards, vacuum up crumbs and wipe down each shelf. Check boxes for nibbles. Seal all bags. Make use of plastic containers to seal as much food as you can. Even using large Rubbermaid in your kitchen until you get rid of the mice is preferable.

Educate
Make sure your kids know not to leave food anywhere and to be extra careful eating anywhere in the house where they could leave crumbs behind that mice find tasty.

Find their entrances
Find all the places where mice have gained entry. Remember they can get in by the tiniest of cracks – as small as 1/4″. You can place steel wool in all the cracks you find because mice cannot chew through it (steel wool can be purchased at hardware stores). Check all holes in the drywall, such as plumbing, light fixtures, baseboards, plugs etc. On the outside of the house, block all exterior holes too.

Attack with peppermint oil
Purchase peppermint oil (at craft supply stores or drug stores, some dollar stores carry essential oils as well) and put several drops on cotton balls. Place one in your pantry, under your fridge, and anywhere you see evidence of mice, such as their droppings or where you know they got into the house.

Traps
If you know the mice are still in the house, you need to use traps. We do not recommend using sticky paper type traps as they are inhumane because mice do not die right away. Using poison is dangerous if you have kids or pets in the house. Snap traps will kill mice immediately so they do not suffer. And live-capture traps are available but they are expensive. You also do not want to release the mice too close to home, however you also don’t want to make the mice problems for someone else, so be sure to release in a wilderness area.

Kitty Cat
If your kids have been begging for a kitty, this might be the perfect time to get one, to help with the mice problem. Do be aware that cats like to present caught mice to their owners!

Preventative
Once you have eradicated the mice, you can use this tip to prevent mice from coming back by planting this herb.