Have you discovered mice in your basement, attic, walls, ceilings, or even your kitchen or pantry? If so, you are probably horrified by their presence and disgusted by the mess they are leaving behind. And that’s not all you need to be worried about! Mice can be extremely dangerous inside your house and potentially harmful to your family and pets.
Mice spread several diseases through direct contact with their fur, saliva, and the feces and urine that they leave behind on floors and other surfaces. Some of the diseases are caused by breathing in dry mouse feces, and mice can easily contaminate food sources by getting into food packages inside cabinets in your kitchen and pantry. They cause salmonellosis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, and a variety of other diseases. Secondary diseases can be transferred through fleas and ticks that mice can carry into your home.
Mice have teeth that constantly grow, so they must continually gnaw on things to keep their teeth at a manageable length. They will chew on anything they can, including furniture, walls, floors, insulation, window and door frames, boxes, shoes, and other personal items. The damage can be extremely costly, especially if they begin to chew electrical wires, cables, or plumbing pipes and can cause disastrous fires or flooding inside your home.
It's clear mice have no business inside your home, so prevention is the best solution. Here we have provided a few DIY tips to help you strive for a mouse-free house:
Do not leave food and water easily accessible to mice
- Clean up spills right away
- Keep counters clean at all times
- Put foods in containers with tight-fitting lids
- Take the trash out regularly
- Keep garbage covered tightly
- Store bird and pet food in sealed containers
Make your home less attractive to mice
- Get rid of clutter in your basement, attic, and storage areas
- Keep items on shelves and up off the floor
- Eliminate outdoor clutter and debris
- Trim back shrubs and other vegetation around the home
- Keep your lawn mowed regularly
Prevent mice from gaining access to the inside of your home
- Seal off any openings larger than ¼" including around windows and doors
- Fix cracks and crevices in your home's foundation and garage
- Install seals to cover gaps under doorways
- Tightly seal areas around utility pipes that go from outside to inside
- Repair or replace damaged or missing screens, vents, and chimney caps
All of these DIY solutions are a good start, but it is always best to have professionals take care of an infestation. An experienced professional will take care of your mice problems, effectively and efficiently, as well as assuring you a mouse-free home. Aiken Pest control, servicing the Central Savannah River Area and Midlands of South Carolina can help you achieve your goal of a mouse-free home, giving you peace of mind your home is protected.