How To Keep Mice Out Of Your Home

Keep mice out of your home, because they are a nuisance and something that many people will have to deal with at some point in their lives. Even in a warm climate such as Florida, mice can find their way into our homes. This is especially common as temperatures start to cool off. By taking a few precautions you can keep mice from ever making their way into your pantry. If you already have a few unwanted house guests getting rid of those in your home and then sealing everything properly will help keep your home clean and your family healthy.

Why Mice Are So Bad For Your Home

No one really wants to live with mice around, but its more than just inconvenience or the startle that they give, that makes them so bad. These rodents carry diseases that can spread to humans and make you and your family very sick. This is the real danger of mice, and why you should have a professional address any mice infestations you have as soon as possible. Your family’s health, not inconvenience is the biggest issue at hand. There are several diseases mice can pass to your family and many of them are not pretty.

·       Hantavirus

This disease can be life-threatening and is passed to humans when they breathe air contaminated with an infected rodent’s urine, droppings, or saliva. The closer we are to rodents nests the more likely we are to catch Hantavirus. Symptoms typically include fatigue and body aches; as the disease progresses headaches, dizziness, and inability to regulate body temperature can begin to take effect.

·       Mice & Bubonic Plague

Yes, Bubonic Plague as in the “Black Death” that killed off a third of Europe’s population in the middle ages is still a real thing. This is passed from rodents to fleas; which if they bite us can cause fever, headache, and inflammation. Although less fatal than it used to be, getting the Plague is not on anyone’s To-Do List.

·       Rat-Bite Fever

Despite the name you don’t actually have to be bitten by a rat to catch this potentially fatal disease. You can get this by eating food that has been contaminated by an infected rodent. Symptoms begin around 3-10 days after exposure and include muscle pain, headaches, and vomiting.

Now you understand the real threat mice and other rodents pose to your health. Let’s talk about how to take care of them and keep mice out permanently.

Keep Mice Out Of My House

When you discover that mice have taken up residence in your home, there are several steps you should take to keep mice out.

·       Contact a Professional

Some homeowners want to try to tackle rodents on their own, but the best option to quickly and fully get rid of these pests is to have a professional address the problem. The sooner you have a professional come out, the sooner you can get rid of them. This means less damage they can do to your home, and the less likely you are to get sick.

·       Throw out Contaminated Food

As mice can get into our cabinets and chew through bags and boxes of food it is essential to thoroughly examine everything. If there are holes or openings in your food’s packaging that a mouse could have gotten into, it is a good idea to get rid of it. Contaminated food is one of the easiest ways to catch diseases from rodents, so it is better to err on the side of caution.

·       Seal Entry Points

Once professionals have removed the mice from your home it is time to make sure that none can get back in. This is also easier for professionals to do as they know what to look for and common entry points for rodents. If you decide to try to do this step yourself, you will need to spend some time both inside and outside of your house looking for any gaps. Keep in mind that mice can squeeze themselves through holes the size of a pencil, so this step will require an eye for detail.

·       Clean Everything

Anywhere mice could have been should be cleaned. They are very dirty creatures and leave behind germs that can make you sick. Sometimes it is hard to see evidence of where they have been. Take the time to clean thoroughly. You could even turn it into an early spring-cleaning session.

Discovering mice in your home is not something that anyone wants to deal with, we really want to keep mice out. Take some of these steps like sealing holes and cleaning up to prevent this from happening to you in the first place. If you find yourself in the unlucky situation of needing a professional to come remove these pests, know that you are in good hands with us.