How to Get Rid of Mice in Your Home Naturally
Mice Prevention and Removal Without the Harsh Chemicals
Nobody wants to find (or hear) a mouse in the house. Mice can create several problems in your home, including smell, mess, damage, and sanitation issues.
The Spruce / Paige McLaughlin
When dealing with mice, the first and most crucial step will be identifying with 100% certainty that you're dealing with mice and not some other critter. The activity and evidence left behind by mice can easily be confused with other animals, especially rats and bats. How do you know whether you're dealing with mice or something else, and what are the best natural methods to get rid of mice?
Warning
Mice, rats, and bats are all capable of carrying and spreading disease. To avoid contact with disease-causing droppings, insulation dust, and other hazards, you'll need to make sure you're using proper PPE (personal protective equipment) before you begin.
What Do Mice Look Like?
Mice are small, quick animals that are well-adapted to living in tight spaces and squeezing through small openings. If you ever see a mouse scurrying around your home or yard, it's important to take the necessary steps to keep them out of the house.
Mice are small (7.5" from nose to tail when fully grown), with thin bodies, short legs, and prominent whiskers. They also tend to have large ears and a narrow snout. When it comes to their coloring, mice vary in shade, most commonly ranging in color from brown to gray.
The problem? Mice and rats look very similar (especially when the rats are juveniles), and control for these pests is not the same. Mice and rat control should be handled differently.
4 All-Natural Ways to Get Rid of Mice
A good place to start to eliminate your mouse problem is with these all-natural control methods.
Reduce Food and Water Sources
Start your mouse control efforts by identifying, reducing, and removing possible food and water sources around your home and yard. If mice are having their food and water needs met on your property, it will be hard to get them to leave.
Any of the following could be a food or water source for a mouse:
Bird feeders
Compost
Open garbage receptacles
Fountains
Ponds
Irrigation hoses or leaky hoses
Not all of these sources can be easily removed, but by removing and reducing as many as possible, you avoid mice treating your yard like a late-night drinking and dining spot.
Remove Their Cover
Mice are good at hiding. If they are making their way into your home, you're going to want to find where they could be getting in.
Aim to move the following mouse hiding places away from your foundation:
Stacked firewood
Dump items that need to be removed
Pallets leaned up against your siding
Dense ivy or vegetation around your foundation
Tip
Mice and rats are attracted to warm air escaping from gaps in your home's exterior. Removing clutter and ground cover reduces hiding areas for rodents and prevents them from finding gaps to chew through for access.
As the weather gets cold and mice and other animals start seeking out warm places to hide, it will be easy for them to go from hanging out on the side of your home to chewing or clawing their way in. Deter mice, rats and other wildlife from hanging out at your house by removing clutter and ground cover, especially around your foundation. A good rule of thumb? Leave at least 18" clear around your foundation.
Identify and Seal Entry Points
Warning
Working on a ladder can be dangerous, and attics and crawlspaces can feel very tight. If you are not comfortable on a ladder or if you are claustrophobic, this is definitely the time to hire a pro or find someone else who is willing to help you inspect.
Rodents are very good at squeezing into small spaces. This is especially true for mice. All a mouse needs is a gap the size of a dime, and where one mouse goes, more will follow.
If you suspect mice are getting into your home, you're going to want to perform a full interior and exterior inspection to find exactly where they're getting in. Remember, you're looking for any gaps the size of a dime or larger.
You'll need the following equipment to perform a proper pest inspection:
Proper PPE including long sleeves, pants, boots, gloves and eye protection
A high-quality (ideally 300+ lumen) flashlight
A ladder
A mechanic's mirror
Once you're all dressed and ready to go, start with a full walk around of your home while you keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Not only should you be looking for gaps along the foundation and roofline, but also illuminate any vents or screens with your light and make sure they are undamaged and firmly in place.
Use your mechanic's mirror to look underneath where the siding meets the foundation of your house. If there are gaps in this space, mice can easily climb into your crawlspace.
Set Traps
Traps are an important part of getting mice out of your house, especially if they have made their way inside and you have just sealed up entry points. If you seal up an entry point with mice still inside your home, they will die inside without any way to get out, which can cause stinky smell issues inside your home.
Place traps inside, in the areas where you have sealed up entry points. As the mice attempt to leave, the hope is they will run into a trap instead, which will help you remove any remaining mice that were left inside when you sealed up any holes.
If you are not certain whether you're dealing with mice or rats, don't place snap traps. Snap traps are size specific. Mouse snaps are used for mice, rat snaps are used for rats, and if you use the wrong-sized traps, things can quickly become much more complicated. If you're not sure whether you're dealing with mice or rats but you need to seal entry points and place traps inside, don't despair.
In the case that you're not sure whether you're dealing with mice or rats, consider using glue trays instead. These are not the most humane option, but a rat glue tray is capable of trapping both rats and mice, regardless of size. Snap traps need to be emptied and reset after every trap, whereas glue trays can trap multiple rodents before needing to be changed. Just be sure to wear gloves.
Warning
Traps can be dangerous, especially for pets and curious little fingers. Make sure that you place traps out of the way in discreet locations, where dogs, cats and kiddos can't easily access them.
Signs of a Mouse Infestation
Typically, the two most obvious signs of mice in your home are scratching inside the walls and finding droppings, though you may notice other signs of activity as well.
Just keep in mind that hearing animals in the walls or ceiling doesn't mean you have mice. It could be any number of pests including:
Mice
Rats
Squirrels
Birds
Bats
Raccoons
When dealing with rodents, you'll often find other indicators like nesting materials, gnawing on items, and strange odors. Rodents like mice and rats are nocturnal, so if your dog or cat is acting especially alert and strange in the evening, your pets could be picking up on rodent problems before homeowners do.
Tip
Droppings can indicate the size of the animal that left them. Larger droppings belong to bigger animals like rats and raccoons. Smaller droppings could be from a mouse or bat. To identify the animal, squish the sample between your fingers. Bat droppings crumble while mouse and rat droppings squash flat.
What Causes Mice in the House?
Our homes and structures often provide mice and rats with everything they need to survive, like food, water, shelter, and warmth. If there are additional conditions around your home that are especially inviting to rodents (like bird feeders, compost, and water sources), they're not likely to go away on their own.
If you want to keep bird feeders in your yard, keep them as far away from the house as possible to avoid inviting mice and rats closer to your home. Also understand that if there are gaps around your home that remain unsealed, rodents can easily find them. Mice and rats are so sensitive to airflow, that just walking by a gap in your siding can pique their interest due to the warmth and smells. Keep an eye on your home and make sure there aren't holes or gaps rodents could climb into (or chew out).
Tip
Check the bottom of your garage door if you see mouse or rat droppings in your garage. Rodents often chew out the rubber garage door sweeps at the corners to make an entrance. Replace the damaged garage door sweep with a steel one to keep rodents from chewing through it.
Natural Ways to Keep Mice Away
Mouse control is a multi-step process, and will require extra diligence if you want to stay away from baits and poisons. Follow these steps for natural mouse control around your home:
Reduce and eliminate food and water sources such as compost, bird feeders, and leaky hoses.
Remove rodent hiding places up against the home, such as woodpiles, debris, and dense, ground covering plants.
Inspect your home thoroughly and regularly to identify possible rodent entry points. Properly seal them with chew-proof materials.
Use snap traps or glue trays inside, especially in areas where you have sealed up any holes.
When to Call a Professional
Understandably, many homeowners want to use all-natural methods for mouse control. Just be prepared that this isn't always possible when a mouse issue is severe, and trying to force all-natural controls to work when they aren't could make eradicating mice (or rats) from your home more difficult.
Don't get discouraged if you're still having a hard time after attempting these methods. Controlling mice naturally can be tricky, even for the most seasoned professionals! If you've diligently tried everything with little to no success, seek out a professional pest control company that specializes in Integrated Pest Management. They'll look at the ecosystem surrounding your property and help identify and address the root causes of your mouse issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will spray foam keep mice out of my home?
Spray foam is not the right tool for sealing rodents out of your home. Rodents can chew through it very quickly, meaning more work for you in the long run. Once you've identified entry points, seal larger ones by screwing a piece of 1/4" mesh over the top, and seal small gaps by packing the hole tightly with steel wool.
Will any scents keep mice away?
Certain scents will be overwhelming to mice namely essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, bergamot, clove and cinnamon. In fact, research proves that certain oils applied daily are more effective than rodent repellants.
Can dryer sheets repel mice?
Contrary to trending beliefs, dryer sheets are not an effective tool against mice. Though some believe the scent will deter them, it is not a proven method and is normally not recommended by professionals.
Read Next: 4 Destructive Things a Rat or Mouse Will Do in Your House
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