How to Get Rid of Mice From Your Attic

Mice love attics. They are the perfect chilling spot for these rodents, including others like roof rats and squirrels. If your attic has become a nestling ground or relaxation area for mice, you, your loved ones and your pet may be prone to some health hazards. Mice aren’t just disease carriers. They are destructive rodents that can cause a lot of damage to your property, starting from your electrical wiring, piping, insulation, cardboard boxes, paper—anything their incisors can chew into. When mice are done with your attic, you expect them to leave lots of litter, droppings, and damage in their wake. Here are some of the best ways to get rid of mice from your attic.

Signs that there are Mice in your Attic

It is important you confirm the presence of mice in your attic before taking any steps. Even if you haven’t seen a mouse scurry past your legs or display its fast-roping skills, you must inspect your attic for signs of mice. Here are things you should look for:

Droppings: Where there are droppings, there are usually mice. Droppings are signs of mice infestation in your attic.

Footprints: Footprints of mice in dusty areas of your attic indicate mice infestation.

Scratching sounds: Do you often hear funny scratching sounds from your attic? You may have a mice problem.

Bite marks: Mice will chew anything. Seeing bite marks on wood, piping, etc., may be a sign of mice infestation.

How to Get Rid of Mice From Your Attic

1. Locate and Block Off All Entry Points

The best way to begin your mice cleanup is by locating and blocking off all possible and current entry points. To do this, examine your whole house. Keep an eye out for open holes, gaps, and other crevices, no matter how small.

Your search should cover your vents, eave gaps, rooflines, damaged door seals, etc. Inspect your roof, including other small openings that lead to your attic. Remember, mice are small, so they can squeeze through tiny holes. If you find holes or openings, seal them off with rodent-proof sealant to deter mice from reopening the holes.

2. Prune Trees and Shrubs Close to Your Home

Mice are skilled climbers and jumpers. Their ability to jump and climb makes it easy for them to access your attic through outgrown trees close to your home. To reduce the chances of mice sneaking into your attic via trees, you’ll have to trim overgrown tree branches and shrubs.

Your attention should be on those close to or in contact with your house. Trimming these branches or shrubs destroys the ladder for those mice.

3. Set Traps

After adopting measures to prevent mice from sneaking into your attic, you may want to focus on those already in your attic. How do you get rid of them? Of course, you cannot talk them into leaving, so you’ll have to use traps to eliminate them.

Traps are efficient. However, their success depends on the type, number, and positions of your traps. For a high kill rate, you need to position your traps in high activity areas in your attic. You can identify these areas by following their tracks or droppings, usually along walls and corners.

Aren’t a fan of traps? Why not contact a mice removal service for help? These professionals who offer mice control services can help eliminate mice and other rodent in attic. They can also help rodent-proof your home.

4. Store your Food Properly

While this isn’t a tip for eradicating mice from your attic, adopting it can save you and your loved ones from illnesses caused by eating contaminated food.

Mice are known carriers of diseases like Hantavirus, salmonella, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis, which spread through their waste. Storing your food properly will prevent mice from leaving their droppings in them, thus protecting you and your family from these diseases.

Storing your food sources appropriately isn’t enough. Ensure that no food remnant—no matter how small—is left out in the open to eliminate any food source that may entice mice.

Conclusion

How you handle the mice in your attic is important. If you fail to adopt the right measures, you might experience a full-blown mice infection that could turn your home into a mice circus. However, if you use the right tips, like those listed above, you stand a good chance of eradicating the mice from your home before they multiply. 

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash