- Patch all possible entry points. This can be extremely difficult in older houses, but it is the most guaranteed method of prevention. Even a small hole big enough for a mouse’s head to fit through can turn into a veritable “mouse highway” into your home.
- Use steel wool to plug all mouse holes. Steel wool blocks the holes and is tough enough so the mice cannot chew through it to reopen their holes.
- Use a mouse beeper. These devices emit a frequency only mice can hear. It doesn’t affect us or our pets, but it makes things annoying for the mice and, usually, they leave.
- Keep food stored securely. If there is nothing for mice to eat they will not find your home so welcoming. Make sure all food is stored in airtight containers, strong enough so that mice cannot chew through.
- Peppermint oil can keep mice away as well. It is such a powerful scent, it overloads the sensitive olfactory senses and they will try to avoid it as much as possible. It is also strong enough to mask the scent of any food in your home. Try dabbing a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball and placing them near any places a mouse may enter your home.
- Place trash cans as far away from your home as possible. The smell attracts mice and if it is close to your house they can then become curious and enter in.
- Try using a “Have-a-Heart” trap. These traps are built so mice can get in, but can’t get out. Once you catch a mouse, take him far away from your house and release him. It is recommended to release them over 200 feet from your home.
- If you have a cat, try placing the kitty-litter boxes near the areas a mouse may come in. Upon entering your home, they will smell the cat urine and usually abandon hopes of raiding your home, choosing to leave rather than risk getting eaten.
- Poisons are common, but are not recommended. They can be dangerous to those living in your home, and, since they do not work immediately, they poisoned mouse can crawl away and die in an impossible to reach place. They will then decompose there, creating a smell that will linger for weeks. If this doesn’t bother you, then by all means, use a poison.
- Keep stacks of wood or brush far from your house. These often harbor mice and if they are in close proximity to your house, it can be a temptation for the mice to enter into the warmth and safety of your home.
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