How To Prevent A Mice Infestation

CONTENTS

• What attracts mice into your home?
• Mice Prevention
  • Sealing cracks in the facade of the property
  • Removing presence of food and water
  • Maintaining plants in the garden
  • Keeping your garage clean
  • Ensure external doors remain closed
• Our hoarder cleaning services

• Always be on the alert

Mice are a common household pest in the UK and can be difficult to eliminate. There are many different types of mice in the UK, with the Woodland Trust providing a useful guide about how to identify some of these.

Members of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) noted a 51% rise in rodent presence during the nationwide lockdown in 2020.

This shows why it is important to hire professional mice removal services if you find yourself with an infestation.  Mice can also pose a risk to your health if you come into contact with them, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read on below to find out more about how you can prevent a mice problem from occurring in your home, as well as why they may be attracted to your environment.

What attracts mice into your home?

The sight of mice in your home is bound to be an unpleasant experience that leaves you wondering where they came from.

Mice are scavengers who are always on the hunt for food and shelter. Unfortunately, our homes provide the ideal place for mice to find what they are looking for. This is particularly the case when we heat our homes in winter or leave our external doors open in summer.

Poor hygiene practices at home often attract these rodents. For example, leaving food out on the counter and not cleaning up after ourselves gives mice the opportunity to find sources of nutrition. Rubbish bins not sealed properly are the perfect place for mice to not only search for food but provide a nesting space to them as well.

Mice prevention

From improving hygiene habits to maintaining your garden, there are steps you can take to deter mice from your property and prevent an infestation. 

Mice are stuck if they do not have a space in which to flourish, and will seek other areas to settle rather than in your building.

Sealing cracks in the facade of the property

Mice are resourceful rodents who will scurry through any gaps in your property in their search for food and shelter.

They are able to fit through tiny holes in buildings, and if the hole is too small, the mouse will chew on surrounding surfaces until the hole is big enough for it to squeeze through.

To prevent this, ensure that any cracks in your property are sealed. This includes bricks, windows, and even chimneys. 

Be aware of open gaps through pipes in basement spaces too. Mice will take advantage of any hole if it means there is a chance of nourishment at the other end.

Removing presence of food and water

Inside your home, keeping a tidy and clean space is one of the most effective ways of preventing a mice infestation.

Get into the habit of cleaning up food once you have finished eating and do not leave it out on the side for mice's prying eyes. Additionally, hoovering up crumbs and ensuring bins are sealed at all times will stop mice from finding sources of food to feast on.

Food containers should also be covered to not allow mice access, which includes pet food and bird feed. Practices such as these will take away the chance of a mouse's favourite thing: food.

Maintaining plants in the garden

Maintaining grass and plants in your outdoor environment will eliminate areas for mice to mask themselves.

Ensuring you clean up leaves and piles of debris within the garden will also eradicate cover for these rodents.

Make sure that trees do not become overgrown too, as mice can use them for climbing through windows. Paying attention to the state of your garden will give mice less of an opportunity to have a habitat in which they can flourish.

Keeping your garage clean

As well as settling into your house, mice are also known to live inside cars. They can cause problems for your vehicle by interfering with the electrics. 

Ensure that boxes stored in there to not allow any spots for mice to cover. They will take advantage of any area where they can settle.

Though the garage may not be the first place you look for mice, keeping an eye out here is a good idea of preventing a mice problem.

Ensure external doors remain closed

Make sure that all doors and windows in your home are kept shut as much as possible to prevent mice wandering into your home with ease.

In the summer, this may seem like a difficult task. However, it is a good way of avoiding a mice infestation.

If you do need to open windows within the property, consider installing a window screen. This will provide a barrier to stop mice from crawling in through open windows.

Our hoarder cleaning services

Mice can often be found lurking in the home of a hoarder. If they are identified, the issue will need to be dealt with promptly.

Here at ICE Cleaning, we provide hoarder cleaning services throughout the UK. We will help to eliminate any pests found during the clean, and will dispose of them in the correct manner afterwards.

Our services are available 24/7, 365 days a year. In the event of an emergency, we can even be there in 60 minutes to begin work and restore your property to a safe environment.

To find out more about the hoarder cleaning services we offer, please click here.

Always be on the alert

If you find yourself impacted by a mice infestation, you must call in the professionals promptly. Mice removal services will be equipped with the knowledge required to get to the source of the problem and eradicate the pests altogether.

Your local council may also be able to help with your mice problem. Please click here to use their postcode finder to report any pest problems you encounter.