Best way to get rid of mice – 5 top tips

For some homeowners finding the best way to get rid of mice in their house proves to be harder than finding the mice in the first place.

Many property owners, whether they have houses, flats or commercial premises, struggle to get rid of mice. They are only tiny, frail, little animals, so how hard should it be to evict a mouse? The answer, many find, is that it is not that easy.

So, finding just one way to remove mice may feel tough enough, let alone finding the best way to get rid of mice in your house. Because of this, here are 5 top tips for getting rid of mice:

Don’t encourage them in the first place

To be honest, this can be easier said than done. Mice have evolved to live close to us humans. They live in the walls of buildings and come out at night to forage in our living spaces. So, one way to deter them is to not leave out food. It’s not about being clean. Mice like clean properties as much as dirty ones. But packing food stuffs away in sealed containers, and keeping floors swept of dropped crumbs is one way to prevent a small mouse problem become a huge infestation. Without a generous food source, mice populations cannot expand.

Don’t use mouse poisons

The best mice poison is no poison. Putting out bait to kill or deter mice does not work in the long-term. Mice have evolved behavioural strategies to work their way around baiting regimes. They are also becoming frighteningly physiologically resistant to mouse poison, or rodenticide. To the extent that the British Pest Control Association recently said mice could become the biggest pest problem of the next few years.

Don’t use mouse traps

Sorry, but the same issues about baiting also apply to mouse traps. Mice learn to avoid them. There is also an ethical issue. Glue traps are nasty things. The mice that are caught in them die slow, agonising deaths. They might not be dead by the time you find them, and then you will have to kill the mice yourself. Not a pleasant prospect.

Buy a cat - well, possibly

Okay, this is an obvious strategy, but it’s not a perfect one. A cat can cost about £1,000 per year over its lifetime to feed and medicate (those expensive vets!). That’s a big pest control budget to get rid of mice. Some cats are not good mousers, either. Also, there is research to show that the presence of cats makes mice breed faster, so you could make your problem worse! This is why we have recommended to the Mayor or London, Sadiq Khan, that he should not give in to calls for him to buy a cat to tackle a mouse infestation at London’s City Hall.

Stop mice getting in

This is the strategy we would recommend. If mice cannot get into your living space, they cannot reach their food supply. They then either starve, or must move elsewhere. This is the principle that underpins our mouse proofing service. By blocking every possible way a mouse could get into your living space, you cut off their food supply. They then have to leave of their own accord.

The best way to get rid of mice in your home or business premises is not to use traditional poisons or traps. It is not to buy a cat. It is to protect your property from the inside out.

There is a one-off cost. You have to be sure the mouse proofing has been done properly. There is no need to buy poisons or traps over many months, only to find the underlying mouse infestation is still present.

You can also feel good about the fact that you have not threatened your pets, or wildlife by using deadly mice bait. Birds of prey, including rare owls and falcons, are regularly killed by eating mice which have rodenticide in their system.

So, the best way to get rid of mice in your house is the natural way.