Yes, You Have Mice in Your House!

Did you know that mice can squeeze their way into an opening the size of a dime? Weighing only one-half of an ounce, they are excellent swimmers and stellar athletes! A little mouse can jump an entire foot into the air! That's higher than most humans!

At an average length of 5.5 to 7.5 inches, light grey with a 3-4 inch tail, females can give birth at only 2 months old! Even more astonishing is the ability to give birth to a dozen babies every 3 weeks! That’s a 19 Kids and Counting show we don’t want airing in our home!

In the summer, mice will live in underground burrows or trees; but when it gets cold, they want to bunk up with us in our nicely heated home. While a resident, they like to cause damage while looking for food – chewing on electrical wires, important papers, storage boxes and bags; and nesting in our clothing and linens. And let’s not forget the possibility of sickness and disease caused by their excrement.

A home inspector is in your house only 2 to 2.5 hours, while the mice far outnumber us and live just outside - and inside - your door 24 hours a day, every day. In certain regions, up to 85% of homes will have mice each fall or winter.

There are several methods to eliminate mice from our homes once they are in, such as adopting a cat, placing peppermint essential oil-soaked cotton balls or spraying a hot pepper solution in areas they frequent, and either kill-traps or live-traps.

Preventing them access in the first place is ideal, and there are several ways this can be accomplished. Here are a few tried and true:

• Inspect the foundation, walls, and eaves of your home to be sure possible points of entry are blocked. Fill any holes, gaps or openings outside and inside your home with steel wool, copper mesh, or even good old duct tape. Be sure the weather seals at the bottom of your doors are in good condition.
• Place your garbage cans and recycling bins as far from your home as possible. Secure lids by tying them shut, using bungee cords, or heavy rocks.
• Hang your bird feeders further away from your windows, rather than up close where seeds on the ground invite the mice to move in.
• Maintain a clear space right up against your foundation to eliminate hiding spaces as mice look for a way in.

While no method to deter mice from taking up residency in our homes is fail-proof, doing what we can to keep them out will help keep our homes healthier and happier throughout every season.