How to Get Rid of Mice in Walls

Take immediate action to get rid of mice in your walls because they can cause damage to your home by gnawing on wires, chewing through the drywall, and spreading diseases, such as hantavirus and salmonella, through fleas and ticks. Mouse urine, droppings, and saliva can contaminate food and surfaces, the scurrying sounds can get irritating, and the destruction of wires can also be a fire risk.

Try these do-it-yourself methods when you notice a mouse problem; the longer you wait, the worse it gets.

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How to Identify Mice

Mice are small rodents that typically have gray or brown fur. They have pointy noses, long tails, and large ears. Mice usually live in fields and forests but will enter homes and other buildings for food and warmth. Mice and rats are sometimes mistaken for each other. Rats will enter a home or building for the same reasons. However, house mice are 10 to 20 times more common than rat infestations.

Rodents enter homes through small openings, such as wall gaps or floor cracks. Once inside, they may build nests out of insulation or other materials they find in the walls, crawlspace, attic, or garage. They also chew on wires or other parts of the home, which can cause damage.

Potential food sources might include:

• Easy access to a garbage can
• Open food sources in pantry or cabinets
• Pet food left out
  

5 Ways to Get Rid of Mice in Walls

The best way to keep mice out of walls is to make your house unattractive to mice. Seal mouse holes, remove food and water sources, place traps, scent the home, and keep the outdoors areas uninviting.

Place Traps (Most Effective)

Before placing snap traps, confirm you're dealing with mice, not rats. If you use mouse traps when you have rats, the traps will not be big enough to deliver a lethal blow to the rats. The mouse traps will teach rats that the traps are dangerous and will become wary of future rat traps, making their eventual elimination harder.

If you are dealing with a severe mouse issue, consider using glue traps. These are not as humane as other traps, but other traps must be emptied and reset each time they catch a mouse. Glue traps can be very helpful when placed once to catch multiple mice before they need to be switched out.

If you're unsure if you have rats or mice, call a local pest control company for a second opinion.

Get Rid of Food and Water Sources

Mice are attracted to a wide array of food sources. They are opportunistic feeders, which means they will eat just about anything they can find. Outdoors, mice eat:

• Insects
• Fruits and vegetables
• Seeds
• Compost
• Trash
• Carcasses of dead animals and birds

Indoors, mice are attracted to:

• Cereals and grains
• Pet food
• Bread, crackers, cookies
• Cheese, meats, seeds, nuts

Crumbs attract mice, so make sure your indoor and outdoor spaces stay free of food debris. Also, consider possible water sources that could draw mice into your home. Enticing water sources include:

• Yard water fixtures such as ponds
• A leaky garden hose (or even an irrigation hose)
• Damaged or leaking pipes
• Animal water dishes
  

Seal Mice Out of Your Walls

Mice are notoriously tricky to keep out of homes and other structures. An adult mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime or chew holes to make them larger for easier access. Once mice access a building, they can quickly build a nest and start breeding.

Mice crawl through gaps in the walls, under the siding, and around the foundation. Seal any cracks or holes around the exterior of your home. Inspect the vents around your home, especially the crawlspace and attic vents. Use a flashlight to look for any damage to the vents. They can enter through the garage, too. Ensure your garage door sweeps are free of gaps and holes; they should seal tightly against the ground.

Steer clear of using spray foam to seal homes against mice since rodents can chew through spray foam like popcorn. Instead, fill holes tightly with steel wool or fasten wire mesh patches over entry points using screws. Make sure the gaps in your mesh are small enough that mice can't fit through—1/4-inch should do the trick. Wear thick gloves when working with steel wool to protect your hands from its abrasiveness.

Reduce Yard Debris and Easy-Access Vegetation

Removing potential nesting sites around the home is essential to avoid a mouse infestation. Outdoors, mice will often build nests in locations like:

• Hollowed stumps
• Dense bushes
• Among rocks
• Piles of leaves
• Wood piles

You might not be able to remove a woodpile from your house, so consider moving it further away from your home. If it's right up against the foundation, mice could access inside the walls, especially if gaps are under the siding. Mice can also get into homes using the surrounding vegetation. They like to use dense vegetation as cover and will use plants to climb up to access your home.

Perfume the Home With Scents That Mice Hate

Get rid of mice in the walls of your home by scenting your house with peppermint oil. Mice will avoid homes that are treated with it. Try placing cotton balls doused with peppermint essential oil in spots where you have spotted mouse droppings. Perfume the home with peppermint oil in your vacuum cleaner bag to help freshen the air and keep them away. Other smells mice detest include crushed pepper flakes, cinnamon, citronella, and vinegar.

Signs of a Mouse Infestation in Your Walls

Mice and rats are nocturnal. If you're hearing scurrying sounds around the dark, it's likely rodents. The sounds you hear during the daytime could be a bird, a squirrel, or even a yellow jacket nest, depending on the time of year. Besides an actual sighting, mouse signs include:

• Scurrying sounds: When it comes to mice in the walls of your home, the most telltale sign of their presence will be the sounds of scurrying inside your walls.
• Mouse droppings: If you find tiny droppings the size of a grain of rice or smaller, it could be mice.
• Smell: Mouse urine and feces have a sour, ammonia-like odor.
• Small holes in food containers: Inspect the food pantry or cabinets for chew marks in grain boxes.
  

What Causes Mice in Walls?

The main reason for mice in the walls is because they have found a way in from the outside. Your home is attractive because it's weatherproof, and you likely have food and water. Stop them from accessing the house. Major access points from outside include:

• Foundation cracks
• Vents
• Weep holes (in brick walls)
• Unsealed holes for pipes, hoses, and wires from outside
• Builder's gaps between the roof and gutter
  

How to Prevent Mice in Walls

The best way to prevent mice is to keep them from feeling welcome inside or outside your home.

• Clean up any potential food sources.
• Remove safe spots where mice seek shelter, such as ivy or other dense vegetation.
• Ensure gaps around your home are properly sealed (not with spray foam).
• Use the proper traps and equipment to control mice.
• Use essential oils to clean with scents that mice detest (peppermint, citronella, cinnamon, vinegar, ammonia).
• Keep a tidy yard; bird feeders can also be a mouse magnet.
• Ensure your foundation has no gaps or cracks.
• Clear debris and excessive vegetation outside of the house.

When to Call a Professional to Treat a Mouse Infestation

If your mouse situation is especially puzzling, or you believe poison or other chemical controls might be necessary, it's best to call a pest control company. When baits are improperly placed, they threaten the local animal populations. Baits should be kept in locking, anchored stations to keep children, pets, and other animals from accessing them.

If you think you have a rat problem, the animals are larger, more aggressive, and will bite when threatened. It's best to leave rats to the experts. When shopping for pest control, look for a local company specializing in integrated pest management (IPM).