How to Avoid Getting Mice in Your Home this Fall
Fall is upon us! The season of crunchy leaves, cooler nights, and pumpkin spice is almost here.
Unfortunately, the mice are also on their way.
Like humans, they seek out areas of warmth and comfort when the temperatures start to drop. While you don't want them to freeze, you also don't want them to treat your kitchen cupboard like their personal Holiday Inn.
Today, we're sharing our advice on how to keep mice out this fall, so you can enjoy all the good things the season brings!
Tips to Avoid Getting Mice in Your Home
1. Keep Your Kitchen Clean
Wondering how to keep mice away? This one step can make all the difference. Mice love to seek out places to nest and eat. Where can they do both? A dirty kitchen. They're fond of any sort of clutter, including old cookware, cardboard boxes, and plastic containers. They're also drawn to the slightest scent of food, even those tiny, sticky tidbits on your counter or the crumbs in the bottom of your half-opened cereal box.
Keep all of your food sealed tightly and toss anything that's out-of-date. In addition, make it a daily habit to wipe down all of your kitchen surfaces and vacuum after you eat. Without an easy food source or a place to settle down, it's unlikely mice will stick around for long.
2. Seal All Cracks
If you have any openings near your windows or walls, it won't take long for mice to notice them and sneak inside.
Before the first chill hits, take a walk around your home and note any holes, cracks, or gaps around your windows and walls.
Think you're safe because you don't see any major issues? Remember that the average house mouse is extremely flexible, fitting into spaces only one-quarter of an inch wide.
Take the time to seal any spaces you find. When one mouse sneaks his way in, it isn't long before his entire family joins him, and these aren't the kind of holiday guests you need.
3. Trim Your Yard
It's a simple formula. Fewer mice in your yard equals fewer mice in your home.
If your yard stays overgrown and full of weeds, you're practically inviting a mice population to make itself at home. To prevent them from nesting and making their way inside, trim all of your trees and shrubbery away from your house.
In addition, be sure to take clean up any yard debris, including brush piles, children's toys, and even cinder blocks, as soon as possible. All of these can turn into hiding spots for mice to take cover.
Do you save food scraps for a compost pile? If so, keep your compost bins tidy to prevent unwanted visitors from raiding your stash. In addition to mice, opossums and rats are also fond of compost!
In addition to providing plenty of natural hiding spots, overgrown yards are also full of things that mice love to eat. From fruit, nuts, and berries to fallen birdseed and spilled garbage, you could be laying out a four-course feast for nearby mice without even realizing it.
4. Cover Your Trash
To keep mice away, make sure your outdoor trash receptacles are always tightly covered. It's also smart to invest in metal trash bins over plastic ones, as the latter is easier to chew through.
You can even find special trash bags designed to deter mice and other rodents. Not only are these stronger and more durable than most, but they're also infused with mint, which mice can't stand!
Though they're unappetizing to you, weeks-old casseroles, rotten meat, and moldy bread entice mice to head your way. If they find what they're looking for near your home, it won't be long before all their friends follow suit.
5. Store Your Pet Food Right
Are you used to laying out bowls of kibble and water for your dog and letting him graze all day? If so, it's important to understand that you might be feeding more than just your beloved pet.
Remember, animals are drawn to any food source. Rather than keeping it in the bag, transfer all pet food into a glass or metal container with a tight lid.
How to Keep Mice Out For Good? Hire a Pest Control Expert
Looking for the quickest and most effective route to a mouse-free house? Let a pest control expert take care of the hard work for you!
This professional can take a look around your property and help you safeguard it from unwanted visitors this fall. This way, you don't have to spin your wheels or waste your time trying DIY methods that are only partially successful
Why Choose Viking for Pest Prevention?
Wondering how to keep mice out of your house this fall? Hire the best. Viking Pest has been providing pest control for families and businesses since 1980. Viking is a full-service pest control company offering control and prevention for ants, spiders, termites, and bed bugs to name a few.
With locations servicing NJ, PA, MD, and DE, Viking is the local business that you love, with the coverage that you need. Viking offers all clients a FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate given by a Pest Management Professional.
Call us today! One Call Gets Them All!
