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Perhaps you saw a mouse scurrying across the bedroom floor one night. Maybe, you only hear the rustling in the wings. Either way, an encounter with these rodents is enough to make anyone lose sleep.
How do you keep the critter away from you and your family? After all, no one wants to risk being bitten by a mouse. Although this is very rare, you might have concerns that some rodents are famous for being vectors of disease. So, let’s rather play it safe and look at several easy and practical tips that you can do right now to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
Practical Tips to Banish Rodents
When it comes to keeping mice out of your bed, you first need to get them out of your house. Putting down poison isn’t always feasible, especially when you have kids and pets. However, rodents are creatures of comfort and they’ll soon go elsewhere if you make life hard for them!
Close Holes and Gaps
Mice are masters at squeezing through cracks and crevices. Even tiny openings in dividers, doors, and windows cannot always block a determined mouse. You should check every door and window to ensure that the hole isn’t wide enough for the mouse to enter.
Bin The Trash
Mice love trash. It’s like a restaurant to them! Put the garbage bin a couple of feet away from the house and don’t leave bits of trash outside the container. Keep the bin clean and buy one that keeps pests like mice and cats from opening the lid.
Maintain Tidiness
The trash can is not the only food source that attracts mice and rats. They will quickly return to a kitchen where the counters contain crumbs and leftovers. Seal any packages they might chew through and make sure your pet’s food is not available to mice during the night.
Check Your Roof
When mice move in, they live and even breed in the ceiling. If you suspect that you have unwelcome guests living inside your roof, get a pest expert to check the area and look for tell-tale signs of mice.
Contact a Mice Exterminator
If you have a severe infestation – or you don’t have the patience to deal with a few mice on your own – it might be time to call in the experts. They’ll remove the animals quickly and provide advice on how to stop a future infestation.
Bonus Tips – Go The Smelly Route
If you don’t want to contact an exterminator or use traps, then another ideal route is to use smells that rodents absolutely detest. You can get rid of mice by placing certain oils on cotton balls and pushing these into cracks where you suspect they live or enter the room.
Camphor
Camphor is a powerful mouse-repellant. You can readily find camphor at online shops or neighborhood general stores. Simply place a couple of camphor cotton balls around the house (remember to keep them away from pets and children).
Alkali (Ammonia)
Blend two spoons of an ammonia cleaner, a quarter cup of water, and two cups of smelling salts. Put this concoction where mice frequently show up. Seriously, these rodents cannot stand the smell of alkali and it’s been proven as a dependable way to get rid of mice. Keep in mind, however, that your family might not fare well with the chemical smell. If so, try one of our other suggestions!
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil can also be used to repulse mice. Simply dip cotton balls in peppermint oil and put them near a mouse stopping zone. You can likewise utilize lemongrass or castor oil. Peppermint smells better than alkali blends and it’s often more effective than camphor.
Pepper
Pepper is a bad thing if you’re a mouse with a delicate nose! You can use any pepper for this but be careful if you have pets who also like to sniff around the house. Sprinkle a little pepper wherever you suspect your mouse friends are hiding and they’ll soon leave.
Diseases Associated with Mice
Besides creeping you out by climbing into your bed, some mice might actually be carrying a deadly disease. Once again, this is rare. Not every mouse is a virus-ridden monster but if you’re interested in the diseases that have been linked to mice, here they are.
- Hantavirus: This is spread by deer mice. It can only be caught if you inhale particles of the infected mouse’s urine or droppings.
- Leptospirosis: Infection requires direct contact with mouse droppings.
- Salmonellosis: This disease is often caused when a person ingests water contaminated with mouse urine or droppings.
- Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM): This can be caught if you come into contact with mouse droppings or urine.
- Bubonic plague: Mice do not cause bubonic plague. Some rodents have fleas infected with the plague and if the flea bites a person, they can get infected.
A Quick Summary
While mice in the bedroom are not uncommon, they rarely go near sleeping humans. But why risk a mouse on your face, right? Keeping the house clean, removing all available food sources, and placing smelly cotton balls everywhere will soon kick your mouse friends to the curb. You can also seal all entrances and get experts to assess the situation or get rid of the rodents for you.