Mouse-Proof Your Home This Summer

Remember children’s movies with animal characters, like The Aristocats or Cinderella? These cartoon films taught you lessons you’ll never forget, not to mention they spurred your love of fluffy creatures.

But as cute as Monsieur Roquefort the mouse looks to the aristocats or how helpful Jacques and Gus seem to Cinderella, you know that mice in real life don’t hold the same appeal. Whether you shriek at the sight of mice in your home or pick the critters up by their tails and toss them outside, you still don’t want these furry pests anywhere inside your house.

You’ve heard that mice carry unsanitary bacteria and diseases. And mice also eat all of your food, get into stored items, and leave their droppings for you to find.

Even though mice usually avoid homes in summertime, you’ll still want to take measures this season to keep mice out of your home later on. Here, we’ll tell you more about the problems mice cause as well as the different ways you can mouse-proof your home.

Diseases Mice Carry

Aside from the fact that mice are often dirty, these rodents also carry several diseases that could greatly affect you and your family. Wild mice also have fleas, and these bouncy bugs carry other harmful diseases. Common diseases that mice transmit include:

• Salmonellosis
• Lyme disease
• Leptospirosis
• Hantavirus
• Bubonic plague

Additionally, mice destroy your home’s structural integrity. Mice often scratch and claw at your home’s frame and they also gnaw on electrical wiring within your walls. As a result, you’ll see many other pests in your home and you’ll need to pay for expensive repairs and maintenance to avoid fires, cave-ins, and other issues.

How Mice Enter Your Home

Even if you perform regular repairs on your home, mice can still find a way inside your sanctuary. In fact, mice can squeeze into holes as small as 1/4 of an inch in diameter-that’s about the width of your pinky finger!

You might keep your house tidy, but still unknowingly invite these rodents into your garage or home. Food, pet food, and garbage produce highly appealing odors for mice. Mice will find a way inside your home to partake of any form of sustenance they can. These scavengers enter your home through the following areas:

• Window sills and ledges
• Attic and Dryer Vents
• Pipes
• Open windows and doors
• Foundations
• Fence rails
• Chimneys and fireplaces

Now that you know how mice can enter your home, it’s time to protect your home from a future invasion. Ways to Keep Mice Outdoors

1. Strategically place bait in/around your home.

We will place bait in safe and irretrievable places where mice travel most. Attics, crawlspaces, under cabinets, utility rooms, garages, storage rooms, and wall voids are the most common areas where these nocturnal critters take route. With their keen sense of smell they find and digest the anticoagulant bait, which then takes care of any odor, disease, and clean-up. Now that’s the worry free way to go!

2. Store pet food in airtight containers.

Though you might store your 75-pound bag of dog food in a large, plastic or metal trash can, these containers still release a pungent smell that attracts mice. These rodents will then gnaw and chew at potential entry points to gain access to the delectable kibbles. Once the mice realize they can’t get into the trash bin, they’ll move into your home for more easily accessible foods.

Instead, purchase an airtight container and store your dog or cat food inside it. This strategy keeps the smell of dog or cat food away from mice and your home free from infestations.

You should also apply this tip to garbage cans. Mice will eat anything, including your trash. Buy an airtight garbage bin to store your filled trash bags in until trash day.

3. Seal visible holes and gaps.

This method sounds easy enough. If you see any dime-size or larger holes in or around your home, seal them up immediately. You can use aluminum coverings or another durable material. Not sure what works best? Talk to your local exterminator or pest control expert.

4. Get a cat.

Pets won’t always keep mice outside, but mice avoid areas that smell like felines. And if a mouse courageously comes inside your house, remind yourself of Harry Potter-Crookshanks consistently hunts for Scabbers until one day the rodent disappears. The same principle applies to mice in your home. Cats love to chase mice and rid your home of the creatures.

Though you still have a few months before the winter months strike, you should still make every effort to mouse-proof your home during the summer. Try out these tips so that you and your family can enjoy your home year round.

If you notice a swarm of mice in your home after you’ve taken these measures, be sure to call a pest control specialist to eradicate the infestation immediately. You may also want to consult with contractors who can repair any unseen access points in or under your home.