When mice get cold they seek shelter. And guess what? Your garage is one of the first stops for mice and rats to make their way into your home.
If you’re dealing with a rodent infestation, you’ll find everything you need to know about getting rid of mice in your garage below.
If you’re ready to exterminate your mouse and rat problem, let’s get started!
Signs of a Mouse Infestation in Your Garage
You might have mice in your garage and not even know it! If they found their way into your garage through a hole or crack, they can come and go as you please. These are the signs you need to watch out for if you suspect that mice are in your garage:
- Droppings
- Gnawed furniture or floorboards
- Tracks
- Visible mice
- Mouse nests made out of fibers
- Foul odor
If you find one or multiple of these signs in your garage, it could signal that you have mice lurking about. No need to worry, before you call pest control you can try various at-home methods to remedy the problem.
Why There’s Mice in Your Garage
Food and Water
If you keep your garbage can inside of your garage, the leftover food and water can attract mice. Mice like to eat seeds, grains, and fruits, or anything high in carbohydrates. By the time your garbage can is full and ready to be emptied, nearby mice will find their way inside and start chowing down.
When they don’t have food to eat, they are also known to munch on cardboard and paper. If you have leftover cardboard boxes inside of your garage, it may be attracting them to your home.
If you have any standing water in your garage, it can also attract rodents. If you leave any pet food and water out, it should be relocated. Leaking pipes should also be fixed.
Clutter
Mice make nests, so if your garage is a disorganized mess, mice will find a snug home within your garage clutter. While house mice tend to stay indoors year-round, field mice seek shelter during the winter months. Your messy garage can provide a warm and inviting environment for shelter-seeking mice.
It’s a good idea to get organized, not solely for the sake of it, but to see every inch of your garage. You might not be aware of where the mice are hiding or how they’re getting inside of your home. It’s the perfect time to get a good look at where exactly the mice are hiding.
Cracks and Holes
Do you ever leave the garage door or window open? Mice can make their way into your garage through the tiniest of holes. The biggest part of a mouse’s body is its skull, which is as big as a pencil tip. Even the tiniest crack or hole can become an entry point into your garage for these critters.
7 Ways to Get Rid of Mice in Your Garage
1. Set mouse traps
Mousetraps are one of the best ways to remove mice in your garage. Common wooden mouse traps are your best bet for light infestations.
It can take multiple traps to capture one mouse so be generous when laying down the traps. Place the traps perpendicular to the wall so that the mouse runs right into the bait rather than over it.
If you’re utilizing baited traps, then tie down the bait with string so the mice don’t run away with their prize. You can use pet food, peanut butter, bacon, dried fruits, chocolate, or hazelnut spread as bait options. Whatever you have laying around the house should be sufficient.
If you find that after a day or two your traps aren’t working, then try moving them around your garage.
2. Keep it clean
Mice are love to gnaw on cardboard, paper, and electrical wire so if your garage is a mess, it’s a good time to give your garage a deep clean.
If you have a ton of clutter around, then start throwing away what you don’t need. Donate what you can and throw away the rest. This will reduce the areas that the mice can burrow in when they’re seeking warmth.
Another tip is to use peppermint oil diluted in a water bottle and spray it around your garage. The strong smell of the peppermint oil is off-putting to mice.
3. Seal the gaps
Considering that a mouse’s skull is as big as a pencil tip, they can easily make their way into your home through any gap or opening. If you haven’t already, it’s a good time to learn how to seal your garage door from the inside. This will also prevent any water from making its way into your garage, reducing any potential rodent attractants.
When your garage has been cleaned, look at the floorboards. If you see any holes or cracks, you can fill them with caulking. You can also check behind electrical outlets to ensure that mice aren’t finding their way through the space.
4. Use bait stations
Bait stations are not traps, but rather a device that holds bait blocks within it to prevent pets or children from accidentally touching the poisonous bait. What happens is the mouse will take a bit of the bait, and then die outside of the bait station. This can be a preferred method if you aren’t having any luck with traps or having children running around the house.
You might find that utilizing both bait stations and traps might be effective. Always wear gloves when handling bait stations to avoid touching the poison.
5. Remove Pet Food and Water
Any standing food or water may attract mice and having your pet’s food stored in the garage may be attracting unwanted rodents.
Also, remove any stored pet food that’s sitting in the garage. It may be inconvenient to do so, but it will prevent any further infestations from occurring.
6. Get a Cat or Dog
There’s a reason why barns keep cats around, they are a mouse’s worst enemy. If you have a family cat, let them into the garage and see if they are interested in taking care of the problem.
Certain dog breeds can also be good at exterminating mice. Rat terriers are aptly named as they are capable of killing hundreds of rats in short spurts. Hopefully, you don’t have that many rodents to deal with, but dogs can be a good option as well.
7. Call Pest Control
Depending on where you live, it can cost upwards of $600 dollars to get hire a mouse exterminator. If you have mice inside of your walls and are unable to remove the mice yourself, it might be time to call a professional.
The good thing is the professionals normally take care of the problem. Do your due diligence when hiring a professional and you shouldn’t have to worry about mice in your garage again.
Final Thoughts
Fly , rat, and spider infestations are a real problem in your garage. If you learn why these infestations happen, you’ll know what to look out for year-round so you can prevent the problem before it gets too much to handle.
Most infestations have common fixes like cleaning your garage, patching up any holes, and removing any standing food or water. If you take care of these simple steps, your garage should become a critter-free zone!
