How to Keep Mice Out of the House: 8 Foolproof Tips (2024)

Mice are pests that can cause a lot of damage if they get into your house. Fortunately, there are preventive measures you can take to keep them away from your home.

These measures can go from identifying and caulking potential entry points to repellents and ultrasonic devices.

In this article, the mouse exterminators at Elite Pest Control present 8 foolproof tips to keep mice out of the house.

1. Caulk potential entry points to prevent mice from getting in

How do you keep mice away from your home when they are determined to find somewhere warm and inviting to spend the winter? Unsurprisingly, rodent infestations rise in the winter in Quebec.

The first step is to close off all potential entry points. Mice are very agile and can squeeze through holes as small as a dime.

Caulking is a great solution to prevent infestations. Seal all the cracks in your foundation and the joints of your pipes to keep mice from getting in. You can also install wire mesh screens to block the entry points.

If you’re not confident that you can do this perfectly, not to worry! We offer a professional home sealing and caulking service. Our team uses the best sealants on the market and can act quickly to protect your home.

2. Keep food sealed and inaccessible to rodents

Mice enter houses for two main reasons—looking for food and a warm place to shelter from the cold when temperatures drop.

To prevent rodents from being attracted by the food in your house, keep your kitchen clean and store dry goods in metal or glass containers.

If you leave garbage with food waste on your balcony, food splatters behind your stove and open cereal boxes in the cupboards, mice will smell a feast and come calling.

3. Store trash in well-sealed, airtight garbage cans

Without a proper lid, garbage cans near your house or garage are a siren song for mice and other pests like rats and raccoons. You can secure the lids with straps or heavy rocks to keep critters out.

If possible, keep garbage cans several dozen metres away from your home and elevate them slightly off the ground for optimal pest prevention.

4. Use repellents

Mice can’t see very well, but their sense of smell is exceptional. There are some odours that can be very effective at repelling them.

Essential oils

Using essential oils is a great solution. Here are the essential oils that are most effective at keeping mice away:

• Peppermint
• Sage
• Lavender
• Eucalyptus
• Laurel
• Clove

Create repellents by soaking cotton balls in essential oil and placing them in closets, passageways and potential entry points. You can also make little sachets of dried cayenne, mint and cloves wrapped in cheesecloth and place them in areas where mice are likely to hide, such as underneath kitchen appliances and in the walls.

Baking soda

Baking soda is another product that is commonly used to repel mice. Sprinkle it around areas where the mice are likely to be, or mix it with mouse bait: cereal, dried fruit, pea butter, etc. Note that you should avoid the mouse bait method if you have children or pets, because they might be just as tempted by the mouse bait as the mice.

5. Use aluminum foil

Mice hate the sound and smell of aluminum foil. They also can’t grip onto it, despite generally being good climbers.

If you want to use aluminum foil to keep mice away naturally, wrap it around the objects you want to protect. Mice will avoid them completely.

6. Maintain your garden to keep mice away

In order to keep mice away effectively, it’s not just the inside of your house that needs attention, but the outside as well. Here are a few steps you can take around your garden to keep mice from being drawn to your home:

• Keep your grass short to prevent mice from making a nest near your home.
• Dispose of garden waste. Pests love easily accessible yard waste. It provides them with a great place to hide and reproduce, but given their prodigious reproduction rate, you don’t want to give mice the opportunity to breed in your garden.

7. Invest in ultrasonic devices

Ultrasonic devices are an effective method for keeping mice out of your house. Instead of catching mice, like mouse traps do, ultrasonic devices emit sound waves at a frequency that mice find absolutely unbearable. Ultrasonic devices with a sound frequency of 10,000 Hz are most effective at keeping mice away.

It’s best to buy several of these devices and replace them every 3 weeks.

8. Don’t count on your cat

One of the most enduring clichés about cats is the idea that they are expert mouse hunters. While their presence can help deter mice, the hunter stereotype is a common misconception.

Not all cats are hunters

It’s not a given that cats will help you get rid of mice in your home. Most domestic cats don’t have a well-honed hunting instinct, and they tend to be well-fed enough that they aren’t motivated to hunt down every mouse in the area.

Having a cat around will scare mice off whether the cat is lazy and well-fed or not, but it’s best not to rely solely on them as a deterrent.

Use cat litter

One effective way to use your cat to keep mice away is to use its litter. As mentioned above, mice have a very good sense of smell that helps them sense predators—in this case, the cat. Litter tainted with the scent of a cat is a natural mouse repellent.

To keep mice away with cat litter, sprinkle some along the walls where they usually pass. The more strongly the litter smells, the more effective it will be. To intensify the scent, you can mix in a few drops of white vinegar.

Contact Elite Pest Control to solve your mouse problem

It’s essential to keep mice out of the house for health, safety and sanitary reasons. There are a variety of methods you can use to keep them away. Our professional exterminators recommend being proactive to prevent major infestations.

If mice get into your home, it’s likely that an extermination will be necessary. If that’s the case, contact Elite Pest Control right away. Our experts will be able to help you get rid of these pests for good.