How To Get Rid of Mice In Your House
If you've been hearing scratches in the walls, you're probably anxious to know how to get rid of mice in your house. While one mouse in your house might seem cute, an entire colony of mice in your house can be gross and scary. They get into your pantries, eat your food and leave little mouse droppings everywhere. Plus, you can hear them scratching around at night and they creep you out. Unlike insects, however, which you have no qualms about mercilessly destroying, the mice are mammals, have fur and take care of their young. You don't really feel to great about poisoning them or catching them in painful traps. Fortunately, there are humane ways you can relocate your unwelcome mouse housemates.
Begin by excluding future mice from your home. Go through your entire house and figure out where the mice are getting in. Mice can squeeze though any spot that is more than one quarter of an inch wide. Fix broken screens and seal cracks in doors, windows, siding and such with a silicone based sealant. Next, eliminate the mice's food source. Put all of your food in airtight glass or plastic containers or in your refrigerator. Clean your house and make sure that you haven't left any food out at all, including fruits and vegetables on your counter. Seal your trash in airtight containers as well.
Now you will have to humanely trap the mice you already have living in your house. You can buy humane mousetraps in home improvement stores. Buy more than you think you will need and set them all over your house, especially in places like pantries and under your sink. Some of these traps come with mouse food and others will need to be set. Remember that the trap won't work if you still have food lying out all over your house. These traps should capture the mice live. Once capture, you have to drive the mice at least a quarter mile from your house to prevent their return. Set them free in a park or nature preserve; not on your neighbor's lawn.
