Your home is a lovely place to be – and unfortunately, mice think so too! Over the colder months, mice can move into your home without you noticing, and you can end up with a whole family living with you by Spring. Here are some signs that you have a mouse in the house, as well as some useful rodent control tips to get rid of your mice and prevent them from coming back.
The Problem with Mice
Cuter than their rat cousins, mice can be great pets – but wild rodents are a much more serious problem. They can chew into and contaminate food, eat electrical wiring and insulation, destroy documents and drywall, burrow into furniture and clothing, and spread diseases like Hantavirus, rat-bite fever, and salmonella. With their sharp teeth, they can chew into almost anything to make themselves a comfortable home where they quickly multiply, and the droppings they leave behind aren’t just smelly and unhygienic, they’re a trigger for respiratory conditions too.
#5 Signs You Have a Mouse in the House
- Droppings – Fresh droppings are a sign that you currently have a rodent (or a few) living with you. These droppings are dark brown and moist (they get grey and dusty as they age), and are commonly found around food sources, in drawers and cabinets, under furniture, or in other cozy, contained spaces.
- Smell – Mice carry their own scent as well as marking areas with urine and droppings. You might not be able to smell this scent when it’s quite faint, but pay attention if your dog or cat gets very interested in certain areas in the house, as their sense of smell is much more sensitive, and it triggers their hunting instincts.
- Noise – Keep an ear open for scratching noises, especially in the evening, as mice tend to be more active at night. Again, if you have a pet, they may react to this too. People often report sounds of scratching or skittering in the ceiling, between walls, or around cupboards and boxes.
- Roadways – Mice like taking the same routes around their territory, keeping close to shelter like the edges of walls, so look for pathways of dirty smudges along baseboards or floors. This is easier to spot in dusty, less-used areas of your home like your garage, attic, or basement.
- Chewing – Mice gnaw things continuously as they make their nests and look for food. Look for distinctive chew marks in dry food packaging, on cardboard boxes, on plastic containers, wiring, wood, and drywalling. If you find any chew marks on electrical cords or wiring, be sure to have it repaired or replaced as it is a dangerous electrocution and fire risk.
How to Get Rid of Mice
If you’ve spotted any of these signs, your next question will be how to get rid of mice in your home.
First, you need to find where they are getting in and repair it so that they can’t access your home, garage, or shed so easily. Next, you need to remove any potential food supply, getting rid of anything they have chewed into, and storing dry food securely, preferably in a new space they haven’t accessed. Seal your trash cans well too.
Next, set your traps. We prefer humane traps as bait traps are a danger to children, pets, and wild rodent predators like owls. The more you can support environmental rodent controls like owls, the better your local rodent population will be controlled and the less likely you are to have mice move in again!
Once you’ve captured your mice, which may take a few weeks, it’s time to clean. The urine, droppings, and mouse scent will attract new mice, so you want to wash everything down thoroughly with a detergent. You can also place cotton wool soaked in peppermint oil in areas the mice frequented, as the strong smell deters them.
This is the Easiest Way to Sell Your Home Privately in Fort Worth
If you want to sell your home fast and privately without the hassle and cost of deep cleaning, repairing, and upgrading your home, then your best bet is to sell directly to cash home buyers in Fort Worth. We also have plenty of homes for sale if you are looking to buy investment properties!
Our cash for houses Fort Worth team is happy to buy it for a market-related price – sight unseen and no upgrades needed. It’s completely COVID-safe because we don’t need to visit your home for viewings, and you can sell your home in 24 hours. Here’s how our process works:
- You enter your information on our website. We’ll contact you directly to discuss an offer for your property (you can also get a free property evaluation from our website)
- You can accept or reject the offer
- You can also call us directly on 469-858-0088
Our team is compassionate and highly motivated to offer you the best possible market-related price for your home, so you can sell your home in 24 hours. Not only does this cash go straight into your bank account as soon as the sale goes through, but you also pay zero real estate agent commission. It’s all about making selling your home as fast and as rewarding as possible!
At Shiny Key Properties, our trained consultants have years of experience in helping homeowners to sell quickly. To find out more about our cash for homes Fort Worth service or to speak to our cash home buyers directly, please contact us today and speak to one of our friendly team members.