Mouse problem at home - please help!

[Anonymous]

My house is 80 years old and has had mice ever since we bought it 3 years ago. They seem out of control now. I have 4 and 6 year old kids, as well as a cat and a puppy. What can I do to get rid of the mice but not risk harming my kids or pets? I hired a company last summer but it did nothing.

I can’t keep living like this and I don’t know what to do.

[Anonymous]

Mousetraps.

[Anonymous]

How did the last company attempt to exterminate them? Is the cat not keeping them out of your living space?

I would hire another company that gets great reviews.

[Anonymous]

You can use live traps if you are worried about the animals or kids getting injured by a snap type trap. I'd avoid poison if possible since the dog/cat might consume it or a deceased rodent.

[Anonymous]

First thing is trying to close all holes where the mice come in. A tiny hole is all they need. We have a 90 yr old house and trying to close the holes has helped but has not solved the problem, tiny mice still come in, especially in the winter. We have two female cats. They are super good hunters and usually get the mice. Even when they don’t get them, they immediately alert us when a mouse is in because they spend hours pointing to a corner or any place where the mouse is hiding. So the mouse cannot happily go around rhe house. Sometimes we get the mouse and kick it outside, sometimes the cats get to it first. For an old house, I don’t think there is any final solution that you never see a mouse again

[Anonymous]

We moved into our 70 year old house and had a mice problem. It took the second exterminator to find where they were coming in from. A hole under our front stoop. He plugged that but said we had to continuously set traps for weeks until the numbers died down. Up to that point, we'd only seen one or two. By the end of those 'weeks and weeks', we'd captured almost 20! They were living in our attic.
Anyway, we haven't had mice since.

I understood why fairy tales always included mice - they have lived amongst us for centuries.

Good luck, OP. The trick is finding their entry point.

[Anonymous]

We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

[Anonymous]

PP again. Dont store food in the garage. Not even extra dog food. If you have to do so for storage purposes, put it in plastic tubs so the mice cant get into it. You dont want to attract them into your home at all, and if they are attracted by food into your garage they may then try to find a way to get into your home to find more (and with older homes there probably is a way bc mice just need a hole the size of your finger in order to get in). Also pay attention to how you store food in the kitchen and stuff like covers on the trash cans.

[Anonymous]

NP. We too are having mice problems this summer in our 70 year old house and these replies are very helpful. We have a service that comes once a month to refill the poison but they don’t seem very good at helping us identify the access points, especially since I thought they were gone after we’d found and filled up a hole behind our stove last month with steel wool. We came back from a week away to find droppings in the basement. Do now it seems like they’re getting in somewhere else or going to a different part of the house. Our service comes later today to look at that but I’m wondering if it’s time to eat the cost of that service (we have a contract through the rest of the year) and try a second exterminator who can help more with finding access points throughout the house. It’s driving me crazy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

I’m stoked for this homeowner that the mice are gone. But fwiw, I think all of the “closing” of holes is basically theater. The sump pump and dryer vent are just easy places to “find” a “hole” and contractors of all kinds love to tell you about how the last guy was an idiot and they are your hero. Ditto behind the stove - my mice also like to come and go there. But it’s not like they can’t find another way from the wall behind the stove out into the kitchen. I’m not saying he was scamming you - putting out a poison that works is effective. I’m just saying pest contracts are mostly a sales job and all of the other stuff is, in my opinion, basically fluff. This is just one homeowner’s perspective obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

I’m stoked for this homeowner that the mice are gone. But fwiw, I think all of the “closing” of holes is basically theater. The sump pump and dryer vent are just easy places to “find” a “hole” and contractors of all kinds love to tell you about how the last guy was an idiot and they are your hero. Ditto behind the stove - my mice also like to come and go there. But it’s not like they can’t find another way from the wall behind the stove out into the kitchen. I’m not saying he was scamming you - putting out a poison that works is effective. I’m just saying pest contracts are mostly a sales job and all of the other stuff is, in my opinion, basically fluff. This is just one homeowner’s perspective obviously.

This perspective makes me quite nervous. Isn’t it possible to cover those standard holes with a metal mesh or anything similar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My house is 80 years old and has had mice ever since we bought it 3 years ago. They seem out of control now. I have 4 and 6 year old kids, as well as a cat and a puppy. What can I do to get rid of the mice but not risk harming my kids or pets? I hired a company last summer but it did nothing.

I can’t keep living like this and I don’t know what to do.

You made me double take on that... I read it as "My mouse is 80 years old."

Go out and hire another company. Do research first before you pick up the phone though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

I’m stoked for this homeowner that the mice are gone. But fwiw, I think all of the “closing” of holes is basically theater. The sump pump and dryer vent are just easy places to “find” a “hole” and contractors of all kinds love to tell you about how the last guy was an idiot and they are your hero. Ditto behind the stove - my mice also like to come and go there. But it’s not like they can’t find another way from the wall behind the stove out into the kitchen. I’m not saying he was scamming you - putting out a poison that works is effective. I’m just saying pest contracts are mostly a sales job and all of the other stuff is, in my opinion, basically fluff. This is just one homeowner’s perspective obviously.

This perspective makes me quite nervous. Isn’t it possible to cover those standard holes with a metal mesh or anything similar?

Yes, you use copper mesh or the stuff that you buy to scrub pots and pans with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

I’m stoked for this homeowner that the mice are gone. But fwiw, I think all of the “closing” of holes is basically theater. The sump pump and dryer vent are just easy places to “find” a “hole” and contractors of all kinds love to tell you about how the last guy was an idiot and they are your hero. Ditto behind the stove - my mice also like to come and go there. But it’s not like they can’t find another way from the wall behind the stove out into the kitchen. I’m not saying he was scamming you - putting out a poison that works is effective. I’m just saying pest contracts are mostly a sales job and all of the other stuff is, in my opinion, basically fluff. This is just one homeowner’s perspective obviously.

This perspective makes me quite nervous. Isn’t it possible to cover those standard holes with a metal mesh or anything similar?

Yeah of course and you should, my point is just that houses aren’t air tight. Especially older houses. Mice are itty bitty tiny. They can squeeze through a hole the width of a pencil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in NoVa and use Pest Now. They have been great. Highly recommend. We have been dealing w a large mouse presence (at least it seems large to me based on the large amount of poop discovered in random places in my home) since Spring and are finally nearly 100% mouse-free.

Agree with pp re finding the entry points. Ours was a sump pump cover that wasnt completely covered and an old dryer vent that wasnt properly closed off. Also you have to find out how they are getting through your house—we had a hole behind our stove that they were using to easily access our kitchen from their homes in our walls, as well as a hole under the sink. These were all holes caused by the previous owner doing diy work and not understanding what they were doing.

Anyway, our PestNow guy (Donovan, he is awesome) walked around the inside and outside of the house with me during his first visit to look for entry points. Also make sure there arent any cracks they can use in the garage to enter the home. We ended up having to hire a handyman to help us take care of closing up the access points.

I disagree about the poison vs traps though. We used traps initially and caught plenty of mice but there is no way to kill them all if you have a problem more than 1-2 mice. The poison is completely sealed in a plastic box that is designed for only mice to enter and exit, and it is locked so your kids/pets cant get in (unless your pet is a hamster). They put the poison boxes places your kids/pets cant easily access (we currently have 3 or 4 in the basement in places like on top of hvac ducting and in the unfinished storage part) and it not only kills the mice but they are a good way to measure the mouse activity and whether what you are doing is working. We only saw one dead mouse in the basement and one living but very dazed and slow moving house in the kitchen following putting out the poison.

Finally, make sure to clean and disenfect all droppings you find because mice use their poop trails to help them find food sources again. We ended up removing and replacing a lot of insulation in our basement that was disgusting with the amount of poop found in it.

I’m stoked for this homeowner that the mice are gone. But fwiw, I think all of the “closing” of holes is basically theater. The sump pump and dryer vent are just easy places to “find” a “hole” and contractors of all kinds love to tell you about how the last guy was an idiot and they are your hero. Ditto behind the stove - my mice also like to come and go there. But it’s not like they can’t find another way from the wall behind the stove out into the kitchen. I’m not saying he was scamming you - putting out a poison that works is effective. I’m just saying pest contracts are mostly a sales job and all of the other stuff is, in my opinion, basically fluff. This is just one homeowner’s perspective obviously.

This perspective makes me quite nervous. Isn’t it possible to cover those standard holes with a metal mesh or anything similar?

Yes, you use copper mesh or the stuff that you buy to scrub pots and pans with.

No, not the stuff you scrub pots and pans with - I got a good natured lecture on the difference from my pest guy. The steel wool we buy for dishes rusts and breaks down, the stuff pest people use (and that you can probably buy yourself, not saying it’s some specialty thing) is some other kind of metal.

I think it’s really company by company. We had one chain and they did a crap job, we have had another chain now for two or three years and they always send the same guy (we have them come quarterly; our home was not maintained at all for a decade and we keep finding new fun things) who knows the house, remembers the hotspots and checks to make sure the “patches” are holding. I’d recommend ours but I’m no longer in the DC area. Good luck, OP. Last year was a bad mouse year across the board for a lot of people.