5 Easy Tips on How to Get Rid of Mice in Your Attic
You may expect to find mice in the house when you hear little footsteps over your head or you find little mice dropping in the attic. The size of such small intruders may be harmless, but once established, they may be able to chew through wires, insulation, and even the structure materials, making a previously comfortable dwelling into an expensive nightmare.
We are aware of the tenacity rodents have at Speedy Pest Control. The good news? You need not have much trouble reclaiming your attic. We will consider five simple and efficient methods of eliminating mice out of your attic and never see them again.
Find Out How They Are Getting In.
You can never struggle against something that you do not have. The first and the initial thing to get rid of mice in your attic is to find their points of entry. Mice will squeeze through holes the size of a dime and therefore any tiny holes in your walls, vents, or roofing are an invitation.
It should begin with the inspection of the following areas:
- Soffits and intersections of roofs.
- Air vents and chimneys
- Fissures about windows or utility pipes.
- Floor joints and insulation of attic.
You should then close them with steel wool coated with caulk or a solid wire mesh as soon as you see some openings. One should not use foam sealants or plastic materials; mice can chew through such materials very easily. Not only does closing places of entry eliminate entering mice, but it also traps the already existing ones and the next action becomes even more effective.
Cleanse and Purify and Take Away.
Mice are intruding in your attic because of two main reasons; food and shelter. When they find either of them, they will stay–when they find both of them they will multiply.
This is the way to make your attic less welcoming:
Keep all the food in airtight containers (no cardboard boxes).
Declutter- get rid of cardboard, paper and fabric heaps where mice nest.
Clean with a vacuum and sweep away any crumbs or pet food fragments or any type of organic matter.
Have garbage areas around your home well sealed.
As soon as their hiding places and food resources are exhausted, there will be less reasons to hang around among the mice. It is also much easier to notice any sign of activity in the future with the help of a clean and clutter-free attic.
Set Traps Strategically
Now that you have closed the points of entry and eliminated the cannon fodder, you will now have to hunt down the ones that survived. Attic mice can be effectively removed using trapping which is non-toxic but requires proper implementation.
The number of trap options:
Snap traps – The most common and the most effective ones in case of minor infestations.
Electronic traps – Kill fast and do not make a mess.
Live-catch traps – These are the best in case you would want to relocate mice at a distance other than your residence.
Set traps at areas of movement like droppings, chewed materials or walls as this is where mice love to move about. Even a small smear of peanut butter, chocolate spread or even oatmeal can act as a resistless temptation. However, do not crowd traps into an area, some well thought out traps are much more effective than a lot randomly placed.
Check traps every day and get rid of mice that are caught. Change bait after every few days to keep the bait efficient.
Keep Mice out of the house with Natural Repellents.
Natural repellents can be used in case you want a natural or greener method of scaring rodents. Mice are highly sensitive to smell and do not like certain strong scents which are pleasant to human beings.
These are natural mouse deterrents which should be tried:
Peppermint oil: Wet the cotton balls and put them in the corners or the places of access.
Clove or cayenne: Sprinkle the powder in problem areas.
Waste cat litter: Rodents are sensitive to areas that have the smell of predators.
Although these techniques will not resolve an infestation in full-scale, they are excellent in prevention or in discouraging any new mice to enter the house. The latter should be mixed with trapping and sealing to achieve long-term outcomes.
Get the Professionals on Board When It Counts.
Sometimes you have done your best and still those squeaky tenants are not going to go. When traps fail or the infestation symptoms persist, we require the services of a professional pest management service company such as Speedy Pest Control.
A professional team will be able to do the following to you:
- Carry out a detailed inspection and find out all nesting areas and concealed points of entry.
- Apply modern equipment and effective methods of extermination that would help to remove the problem to the source.
- Enforce prevention measures to ensure that mice do not go back.
- Provide follow-ups and service inspections to protect them permanently.
The DIY methods are effective when it comes to small infestations but when mice begin breeding (which can occur every 20 days) you will need to call in professional assistance to ensure that they are removed in the shortest possible time and safely.
Bonus Rule: Establish a Routine of Inspection.
The best cure is prevention and more so in cases of rodents. Once in several months, visit your attic and look out whether there are any droppings, shredded insulation, chewed wires or strange noises. This is because where it is detected at an early stage, removal becomes much easier, faster, and cheaper.
The mice are cunning creatures, yet not undefeated. By a few efforts, and by following the proper formula of sealing, cleaning, trapping and deterrence you can make your attic, and all your home, entirely mouse-proof. However, when such a situation occurs, then you can always rely on Speedy Pest Control to put order, security, and comfort back in your house.
Your attic must be a serene place of storage, and not a home of the rodents. Act now and get those poor fellows, who are little, to go off.