If mice are in your home, they’ll usually be found in the kitchen. The reason is obvious: the kitchen is where they’re most likely to find food.
You can keep throwing down traps and poisons to try and kill all the mice in your kitchen, but making it inhospitable for them is a much more effective and long term solution.
It’s also worth noting that mice repellents that are often advertised online are completely worthless. Peppermint oil might temporarily deter mice, but not nearly enough for them to give up on an easy meal, and electrical “ultrasonic” mouse repellers are a complete scam.
Mice breed rapidly, often breeding at a faster rate than you can reliably trap them. And even if you do manage to wipe out the entire family, if mice found their way into your kitchen once, they will do it again.
Full-home mouse proofing of the interior and exterior requires professional surveying and work, but there’s plenty you can do yourself to get mice out of your home – and keep them out.
If you want to reduce your risk of a mouse infestation in your kitchen, strict hygiene is a must. While rats are willing to travel long distances to find their food, mice prefer to nest near a reliable food source. Deprive them of food and they’ll move elsewhere.
Many of the kitchens that we visit with mice infestations look spotless on the surface, but our investigations reveal enough food to feed a whole family of mice many times over.
The most common issue is food falling between, behind or under work surfaces, appliances or kitchen units. These hard-to-reach spots can be difficult or impossible to clean regularly.
Closing up any troublesome gaps between kitchen units and appliances will make it far easier to keep your kitchen clean and prevent infestations not just of mice, but also cockroaches, ants and other insects.
Mice are agile climbers who can fit through a hole the size of a ballpoint pen. They can easily squeeze through the narrowest gaps in cupboards, and even find their way into toasters and ovens to nibble up crumbs. We’ve even found mice in fridges!
You should empty out your cupboards and check for any holes or gaps that a mouse could crawl through – or any that they’ve gnawed themselves – and fill them in.
Make sure that you use a rodent-proof filler and not expanding foam, which is easily gnawed through, or wire wool, which is a fire hazard.
Cereal boxes, packs of pasta, bags of pet food and other packages which are often left out in the open can easily be chewed through without you noticing.
Pick up a forgotten sack of flour left on a shelf and there’s a good chance it’ll pour out through a hole chewed through the corner.
Investing in a set of gnaw-proof, airtight food containers and pet food bins is an easy solution to stop attracting mice to your kitchen, with the bonus of keeping everything a bit more organised and tidy.
If you’re struggling to keep mice out of your kitchen, book an appointment with our team of BPCA-certified pest control experts.
We guarantee to exterminate any mice currently in your home and proof against future infestation. Call us now or request your call backto talk to our friendly customer services team..
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