Mouse phobia nanny ready to move home to escape mice

Nanny Chantelle Edmundson has told how she was ready to leave her “dream” home to escape the mice that had infested her flat.

Chantelle is mice phobic and was physically ill when she discovered the mice running around her one-bedroom flat in Streatham South London.

On top of that, a vet told her the mice were almost certainly responsible for making her pet Jack Russell, Hartley, ill with a stomach complaint.

From despair to joy in one day

Even though she had only moved into her flat on Streatham Common, three months previously, she was fully prepared to leave when the pest control crisis hit her.

However, by calling London pest control service SUPERPROOF, and having her flat mouse proofed, the mice were banished, and Chantel is now very happy to stay put.

She said: “The service was amazing. I went from living in despair at the idea that I would have to leave the flat I loved, to knowing I can stay here for ever because the mice are gone.”

Chantelle, aged 27, had no idea of the looming pest control problem when she moved into the property in the London borough of Lambeth. There was no sign of mice, and everything was perfect.

Then, just before Easter, her pet dog fell ill and she felt she had to stay up with him before taking him to the vet the next day.

She said: “It was 2.30 in the morning, and I suddenly felt a mouse run across my foot. I then saw it run to the back of the toilet. I’m phobic about mice, and it made me physically sick.

“I called my mum at four in the morning, crying my eyes out. I was so upset she thought someone must have died. I just hate the idea of mice living in my space.

“I was so shocked I called an emergency pest control company, and they came out the next day, and sprayed some kind of poison foam behind the toilet.”

If mice stay - I’m leaving

Despite this pest control measure, Chantelle later saw a mouse running down her hallway, found mice droppings in storage boxes, and started hearing them in the walls.

“It didn’t give me a lot of confidence when the emergency pest controller himself advised me that I would probably have to leave the flat to live somewhere without mice.

“I went from not knowing I had a mouse infestation to feeling surrounded by them. The flat is my dream home. I really wanted to keep it. But I immediately started looking at other flats to move into. If I couldn’t get rid of the mice, I couldn’t stand the idea of staying where I was.”

Chantelle went online and found information about peppermint deterring mice. She bought a bottle of peppermint oil and spread it liberally around her flat.

“It was so strong that my eyes were watering. I also bought some peppermint tea bags and placed them where the mice were coming from. I went back the next morning, and the mice had eaten them! So, peppermint as a mice deterrent was a waste of time.”

Chantelle’s next move was to search online for more permanent and scientifically-proven ways to get rid of mice, which led her to calling SUPERPROOF.

Mouse proofing - the last chance

She said: “They explained the process, and said it would take a whole day to proof my home. I was sceptical at first, because I didn’t see why it should take so long.

“But, I thought, give it a try. They seemed to know what they were talking about and didn’t give me any hard sell, which I appreciated. The technician who came around was very polite and explained the whole process.

“The work was very thorough, and I could see why it took so long. There was a lot more to it than I thought.”

The SUPERPROOF technician found traps and poison left unseen behind cupboards which revealed there had been a long-standing mouse control problem in the flat, probably going back years.

Chantelle said: “Clearly, other pest control companies had been in the flat, but their techniques hadn’t worked. I was alarmed to see that the poison foam material was still soft and could have been licked by my dog, which could have poisoned him.”

After a full day spent by SUPERPROOF thoroughly mouse proofing the flat, blocking all ways mice could get in so it was protected from the inside out, the mice were gone.

Chantelle said: “Because I was so scared, one of SUPERPROOF’s managers even came out to double check the proofing to make sure all entry points were blocked, which I think was great customer service.

“It has completely sorted my life out. I can keep a flat I am very happy to live in without being scared.

“If you have a phobia of mice, you must have certainty that the problem is solved, and SUPERPROOF gives you that. Especially with the 6 month guarantee you get.

“It costs more than traditional pest killer services like baiting and trapping, but the emergency pest control service charged half what SUPERPROOF did for something that didn’t work.”

Fortunately for Chantelle, her landlord was also impressed and has said he will pay the pest control bill. Having a permanent mouse control solution, and a very happy tenant was worth the cost.