Looking for a few simple ways to stop mice from getting inside your home, barn, shed, parked cars, tractor and everything else?
Let’s face it, mice can cause a lot of damage! Not only are the tiny creatures a bit startling to find living among you and your belongings, they can destroy your property and cause serious damage in the process. Even worse, they can bring disease along with them.
As the weather begins to turn cooler in the fall, mice begin to look for a comfortable space to overwinter. And they will set up shop in any place they can find with adequate cover from winter’s fury.
Mice are notorious for nesting in the engines of parked cars. And not just cars that have been stored for winter, but ones that were simply parked for a day or two without moving. And as if nesting wasn’t bad enough, they often chew through wires and hoses in the process, causing extensive and costly repairs.
Mice have also ruined their fair share of stored lawn mowers and power equipment too. Whether nesting inside of equipment or boxes or setting up shop in the walls of your home, they can create an absolute mess of any space.
The Battle To Stop Mice From Getting In…
One thing is for sure, when it comes to stopping mice from coming indoors or keeping them out of your outdoor sheds, cars and lawn equipment through the late fall and winter months – it can often seem like a losing battle!
The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, using a simple three-prong approach, you can keep interior spaces clear of mice, and protect sheds, barns, vehicles and equipment that might be in more vulnerable locations.
How To Stop Mice – 3 Secrets To Success
#1 Keep Doors Shut!
In the battle against keeping mice out of your home and outbuildings, it all begins with not giving them a free pass. Mice are extremely opportunistic. An open garage, barn or shed door is an open invitation to set up shop.
Plain and simple, shut doors every time you enter or exit. In early Autumn, mice are on the move looking for winter shelter. If a shed or garage door is left open for hours on end, they can easily enter. Before you know it, they have set up shop in boxes, containers, or inside the hood of your mower or car parked inside.
In addition to keeping your doors closed, take time to inspect the weatherstripping around doors and even windows. If you can see light under or through them, mice can and will get in. Now is the time to replace your bottom garage door seals. They are one of the easiest entry points of all!
Not only will it help keep mice outside, it will help keep drafts and cold out too. But remember, make sure to keep those doors shut too!
#2 Seal Everything – How To Stop Mice
Speaking of weatherstripping and sealing, now is the time to take action sealing small entry points too. Make sure dryer and vents have screens in them, especially vents in garden sheds. These are easy entry paths for mice to enter.
In addition, check any and all locations where electric, water or drains may enter a structure. There are often dime to quarter size holes around pipes, all of which are plenty large enough to allow entry. Seal or foam these off to make it impossible for entry.
Finally, one of the most important things you can do is to seal all vulnerable items within a garage, storage room or shed. And by by sealing, it needs to be hard plastic, not cardboard or paper bags.
Not only are paper boxes and bags easy for mice to chew through, they become instant homes or home-building material for them. In fact, they are heaven for a mouse. Plastic air-tight totes are the way to go! They make it virtually impossible for mice to find a home.
Store away everything you can in totes, especially sources of food for mice. Bags of dog or cat food, and even bags of grass seed are all wonderful sources of food for mice. By storing these food sources in air-tight containers, they have no food source and can’t survive without moving on.
#3 Use Natural Repellents – They Work! – How To Stop Mice
Finally, there are some incredibly powerful natural repellent packs and sprays (see below) on the market that do wonders to keep mice far away.
Not only are they good for protecting spaces, they are even more valuable for placing inside of equipment, vehicles and small areas where mice love to live. If you want to protect equipment and wires, these are the way to go!
Two of the best natural repellents of all are peppermint oil and cinnamon oil. Mice simply do not like the strong scent of either. The oils can be used as a spray to scent openings and areas where mice like to frequent.
Even better, these scents have been made into all-natural packets or sachets that can be placed into engine compartments, vehicles and any small spaces that mice love to live, chew and destroy. They are extremely effective at protecting these spaces.
3 Great Mice Repelling Products:
- Bonide Mouse Magic Mouse Repellent Scent Packs
- Grandpa Gus’s Extra-Strength Mouse Repellent, Cinnamon/Peppermint Oils Repel Mice
- Mouse and Rat Repellent Natural Non-Toxic Spray for Indoor and Outdoor Use
Best of all, these are all natural! There are no toxic chemicals or questionable ingredients that can be harmful to your family or pets. Here is to keeping mice out of your home, storage spaces and equipment this year!
For more on protecting your home and garden from pests, check out our Pest category on the blog.
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