How to get rid of small mouse in house naturally

Temperatures inevitably drop during the winter months, causing mice to seek refuge from the cold and cozy up inside your home. Even if you think all the openings to your home are sealed, mice know how to wiggle their way inside, especially when threatened by freezing temperatures. While they may look harmless, mice can cause damage, possibly carry diseases, and even become a fire hazard, which is why it’s imperative to take action immediately.

When Natural Remedies are Useful in Keeping Mice Away

We know how stressful and surprising it is to experience a mouse sighting inside your house. Even more daunting is the thought of getting rid of it! While more serious infestations warrant seeking professional help, there are a number of natural home remedies that can assist in keeping mice out of your home. Home remedies are often favored in pest control because they are non-toxic, effective, and, in many cases, the more humane option. Keep reading to learn about the six natural ways to get rid of mice this winter!

Top 6 Ways to Rid of Mice Naturally

The following list describes six popular methods of using things lying around your home to prevent mice infestations during the winter.

1. Peppermint Oil: Mice are known to not be big fans of peppermint. Apply peppermint oil drops to cotton balls and place them in entryways, kitchen cabinets, and any other suspected entry points. You can even try planting mint along the exterior of your home.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar & Water: Spray this mixture around the perimeter of your house as well as in any access points inside. Make sure to re-apply the solution once a month.
3. Fabric Softener Sheets: Mice can’t stand the smell of fabric softener. Stuffing these sheets in suspected entry points will not only keep mice at bay, but keep your home smelling fresh and clean!
4. Steel Wool: This is a great option that has proven to be effective in keeping mice away, because they are unable to chew through the the tough material. Simply stick steel wool in any crevices or holes in your home, using a bit of silicone to keep it in place.
5. Used Kitty Litter: It is well-known that cats are natural predators of mice, and any mouse will scamper away when they suspect a cat lives in the home. Place tubs of used kitty litter near suspected access points in your home.
6. Instant Mashed Potatoes: This is a frugal option of getting rid of the mice in your home. Sprinkled instant potatoes will likely be ingested by the mice, who will not be able to tolerate or survive the expanding flakes in their stomach.

Naturally Preventing Mice During the Winter

Along with the methods listed above, there are several easy steps every homeowner can take to keep on top of controlling mice infestation in their home.

• Regularly inspect your home to look for signs of mice.
• Scope out any possible entry points and seal or close them off.
• Always keep food sealed and securely stored; never leave it out.
• Keep inside and outside areas tidy and free of exposed garbage.
• Make sure any foliage or tree branches are at least three feet away from the foundation of your home.
• During the colder months, keep birdseed to a minimum.

As always, make sure to call a professional if these natural home remedies do not work or if you need assistance. At Rentokil, we are dedicated to helping our customers stay pest-free during the winter and year-round!

Think you just saw a mouse? You’re not alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Housing Survey, nearly 15 million households reported seeing rodents in the last year. “Living with mice isn’t just unsettling, it can make your home less healthy,” says Dan DiClerico, the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Improvement & Outdoor Director. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that mice can spread diseases to humans directly through feces, urine or saliva, and indirectly through ticks, mites or fleas that have fed on the rodents.

We know — you didn’t need any more convincing that mice are a menace. But it’s important to appreciate the many ways rodents in your home negatively impact quality of life. Now for the good news: containing a mice infestation, or better yet, keeping one from happening in the first place, is easily done with the right combination of prevention and containment.

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Here are the best ways to get rid of mice naturally, without killing them or calling a pest control professional:

1. Lock them out

Do mice have access to your home? Are you unknowingly advertising a warm space for them to hide and feed? Check your home for spots mice could be able to get inside and block them off.

Locate entry points by looking for droppings and holes that are dime-size or larger. Yes, you read that right — mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Focus on tight, warm areas, like around pipes or at the back of cupboards. Pack those tight spaces with steel wool, which mice can't chew through to get back in.

2. Keep it clean

If cleaning day has been taking a back seat in the business of daily life, it might be time to bust out your cleaning gloves and scrubbers, and clean your whole house from top to bottom.

Mice love a dirty, cluttered house, since it offers plenty of places to hide and lots of scraps to scavenge. Nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix, though! Deep-clean your kitchen and any other rooms where you’ve seen evidence of mice. Eat at the table to reduce enticing crumbs across various rooms, and avoid leaving food out on the counter, where it’s accessible to mice. Store dry goods in airtight food storage containers that are impervious to the sharp teeth and claws of tiny scavengers. Keep pet food stored away in containers too, so that mice don't have access to it.

3. Remove their access to food

Eat at the table to reduce enticing crumbs across various rooms, and avoid leaving food out on the counter, where it’s accessible to mice. Store dry goods in airtight food storage containers that are impervious to the sharp teeth and claws of tiny scavengers. Keep pet food stored away in containers too, so that mice don't have access to it.

4. Repel mice naturally

Break out your peppermint or clove essential oil, and soak a cotton pad with it. Put the cotton ball where mice like to hang out — your cupboards, drawers, and entry points — to repel them naturally.

1. Live-catch traps

These traps catch the mice without killing or harming them. They consist of a chamber or cage with a trigger-activated door, which won’t reopen until you release the mouse far from your home.

2. DIY glass-and-coin trap

This may sound like a joke, but it actually can work! Put bait inside a large glass that is propped up on one side using an upright coin. When the mouse runs in for the bait, the coin will fall, and the mouse will be trapped in the glass. Then, you can release the mouse wherever you want … outside of your house.

3. DIY bucket, stick, and cup trap

Another one that seems right out of the movies: Use a stick to skewer a plastic cup, then lay the stick across the top of a bucket, and place bait (peanut butter works great) on the cup.

The mouse will try to run to the cup to get the bait and then fall into the bucket.

If doing it yourself isn’t your style, don’t resort to crueler methods of getting rid of mice, like glue traps and conventional mouse traps. Instead, look up a humane and eco-friendly pest control specialist to help you out with the dirty work.

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