Home Remedies To Get Rid of Mice

When you’re experiencing the pitter-patter of little feet and it’s not a walking, talking bundle of joy standing on two legs, you may have a furry intruder in your home that needs attention. Hiding in a kitchen cabinet or tucked away in the corner of a shed, mice find ways to enter the cleanliest of homes, apartments, and other human dwellings. When the thought of using poisonous bait or inhumane traps is too much to bear, consider the following home remedies before resorting to other tactics.

Home Remedies To Get Rid of Mice

Signs of a Mice Problem [1]

A mouse is a nocturnal creature, meaning they do their dirty work when the sun has set and the lights are out. Mice are rarely spotted during the day unless a heavy infestation exists. Usually, a mouse problem is detected with one or more of the following signs:

  • Droppings: Mouse feces are moist, soft, shiny and dark, becoming dry and hard within a few days. Old droppings will look dull and grayish in color.
  • Little Holes: When small holes with chewed edges appear on items, such as cereal boxes, this is a dead giveaway that a critter is gnawing away at your packages. Scan your pantry and look for tooth marks and shredded paper.
  • Sound: At night, you may hear unexplainable movement, as well as gnawing or scratching in the walls or an attic.
  • Odor: Mice can cause a musty odor to infiltrate your home.
  • Nests: Hidden in boxes, mice will use chewed paper and cloth to create a nest for themselves in basements, attics, sheds, and drawers

Mice Home Remedies

When it comes time to get rid of mice, many people wish to repel and drive out critters before clearing away traps, locating dead carcasses hidden in walls, and shelling out the money to hire an exterminator. If you are looking for home remedies to get rid of mice, consider the following suggestions:

a) Peppermint and Peppermint Oil:

In just about every home remedy circle, you will hear that mice cannot stand the scent of peppermint or peppermint oil. Soak a cotton ball in the oil of peppermint and place it at a suspected entryway.

b) Remove Food Supply:

While mice enjoy a nice meal of cereal grains and crumbs, they will also adapt to anything else they can sink their teeth into. If you remove their food supply, most mice are forced to look for other places to eat. Remove edible temptations from low kitchen cabinets. Place cereal and other boxed items in glass containers and plastic Tupperware.

c) Mint:

Keep new mice from entering your residence by adding mint plants to the foundation of your house. If you are already battling a mouse problem, sprinkle mint leaves in the parts of your home that the mice like to frequent. Mint is known to repel mice in most cases, but you must remember to replace old leaves with fresh ones on a regular basis.

d) Bay Leaves:

Some people have been successful in keeping mice away by sprinkling bay leaves in their kitchen and about the pantry.

e) Mothballs:

Mice have a reputation for setting up shop in a shed or garage for the winter season. If you place mothballs around your garage, mice will look for other places to live. In the house, mothballs are used to deter mice from kitchen cupboards, drawers, and other storage spots.

f) Steel Wool:

Mice enter your home in the most creative manner, but once you have pinpointed an access point, use steel wool to block their way. The material is much harder for mice to gnaw through than other options, like wood and newspaper.

g) Onions:

ghr-mice2The smell of onions has helped some individuals solve their mouse problem, as they say the odor is offensive to the pests.

h) Baby Powder:

When you are having a problem locating the point of entry of your uninvited guest, use baby powder (or flour) to check for tracks. Scatter a small patch on the floor along a wall or other frequented places. Some people like to bait a mouse by placing a cracker with a bit of peanut butter in the middle of the patch. Hopefully, you can locate their access point or at least, determine the direction in which they originate.

i) Ammonia:

Some people have driven away their mouse by leaving small bowls filled with ammonia in the places they like to frequent. It is said that the scent repels mice.

j) Peanut Butter:

ghr-mice3Are you looking for an effective bait to lure your unwanted visitor? The next time you lay traps, use peanut butter as bait – a treat that a mouse cannot resist. Since the peanut butter is sticky, he or she is unable to swipe it before setting off a trap [2].

Resources
[1] http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L384.htm
[2] Reader’s Digest Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things; pg 251

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462 Comments
  1. roland has posted a tip on May 4, 2009, 8:23 pm

    I read somewhere that you can add ½ cup of soap detergent and one tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to one gallon of water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz this home repellent around the home, as well as nooks and crannies. This is a much desirable alternative to laying down toxic poisons in your home.

  2. Keri whitmire has posted a tip on June 5, 2009, 8:26 pm

    if you find a mouse in your house and you have a cat or cat’s.Just turn them lose in your house and show them the mouse and let them do the dirty work.I have seen it done before.Trust me it works.

  3. Celeste has posted a tip on June 6, 2009, 5:12 pm

    I use the peppermint oil and it works GREAT! Mice hate it and as long as you re-apply the oil at least once a month, you’ll never have to worry about the little buggers.

  4. Brian has posted a tip on August 2, 2009, 5:46 am

    If you use a gassy drink like coke and put it into a small container where the mice frequent, the mice will drink it.

    Whats with that you might be thinking.

    The mice cannot burp or fart, they get bloated on the gas and die.

    I might try the Peppermint oil now though. 8-)

  5. miss b has posted a tip on September 8, 2009, 11:41 am

    ok..perppemint oil… that s a new one. I will try that one.. moth balls not to well for me. Thtas funni though….they will get bloated and die brian? lol

  6. Linda has posted a tip on September 24, 2009, 7:22 am

    I don’t have a tip, I have three cats and a mouse problem under my sink, cannot figure out how they are getting there, I have plugged all the holes that they can get in, and I checked my dryer vent that is on the outside of my house, but that vent goes directly into my dryer……help?

  7. Jessica has posted a tip on October 6, 2009, 7:00 am

    Linda-

    Try sprinkling baby powder down and see where they are coming from underneath your sink!

  8. sonia has posted a tip on October 6, 2009, 10:19 am

    i havent slept in a weeek… will definetly try the pepper mint an let you know!!… have got traps out not working! their too clever.

  9. Lucy has posted a tip on October 18, 2009, 12:45 am

    Well I will try the Peppermint Oil because my home is infested and is driving me crazy….I also live the idea of the gassy soda thats so funny

  10. Little T has posted a tip on October 27, 2009, 9:19 am

    October 27th…I stayed up all night listening to a mouse conference…Aside from being petrified I was disgusted knowing that these little critters are having a ball in my apartment while I’m in bed paralyzed with fear. My landlord had the exterminator put poison and traps with peanut butter…which only helped for about a week.
    I’m going to try peppermint and sonic plug-ins this week.
    About two weeks ago I found a mouse just sitting on the hallway floor. I looked at her and she looked at me…we did not move. I immediately called my neighbor and she came over with a shoe box and removed the mouse. It was weird because when my neighbor picked up the mouse there was a bllod spot. My neighbor believed that she was in labor considering her size…I was surprised at how fat the little critter was thinking shit …must be having a fiesta all night with the froot loops. Anyway…wish me luck people.

  11. BA has posted a tip on November 1, 2009, 6:07 pm

    I think I am goin to try the ammonia one I tried 2 find the peppermint oil but can’t find it. And I read fox urine works but that’s just nasty but if it works 4 ppl so b it.

  12. tina has posted a tip on November 2, 2009, 10:08 am

    I found out the little shits were coming from next door. We are in a new house and bloody builders were useless, holes everywhere. My husband took all plinths off bottom of kitchen cupboards and filled with expanding foam also sprayed peppermint oil under there. I am so scared of them i have everything to keep them out!! outside filling all holes with wire wool and peppermint spray again ha ha.Read you have to spray quite often though. I have had them 2 years running!! Wish i could buy an owl to sit in my garden that would do the trick as they can eat up to 15 a day .

  13. Sheila has posted a tip on November 11, 2009, 5:10 am

    I have had them for about 2 years when the kitchens were replaced in my block of flats. I have tried the plug in thing and have not heard them for about 3 weeks. I used to always have moth balls around the flat but my children did not like the smell. I think I will go back to the moth balls and try the peppermint oils also

  14. Tracy has posted a tip on November 13, 2009, 5:20 pm

    I have a mouse problem. I live in an apartment and would like to think there is only one but the droppings are making me believe they are multiplying. I have tried traps and the sticky glue pad with no luck.

    I searched the net and found something called critter out. Has anyone heard of this stuff? The advertisement says it repels rodents and it has a money back guarantee but people will say anything to get you to buy their product.

    I have read some of the other tips and I will give them a try as well.

  15. shaaronie has posted a tip on November 13, 2009, 6:57 pm

    We too had a mice infestation problem and I was considering the peppermint oil but on some sites, it said it didn’t work. I don’t know if that’s because the peppermint smell dried up and wasn’t replaced? Well anyway. I was on a site last night that said to place small bowls of pine sol (original) in the house (keep away from kids and pets). They hide out in our kitchen and come out seeking food after dark. I placed a bowl on top of the stove and a lid with Pine sol under the stove, and so far, so good. By now, I would have seen a mouse at least 2 or 3 times. Pine sol sure does stink!

  16. jo has posted a tip on November 14, 2009, 7:38 pm

    pepermint oil confined a mouse to a closet then we used a gluboard and he’s gone but somehow more are coming in ??? the apartment managers weren’t helpful really I’m spending money I can’t afford that, now I’m seeing the peppermint won’t work and the oil loses its power after one day, Now I’m starting over, it cost $7 an oz I bought $30 worth thinking it worked I am so bummed out now I have to deal with traps because I won’t use gluboards anymore and the 2 i have aren’t catching a thing it’s dreadful to find mice poo o the back of your couch they are patying on my couch while I sleep YUK!!! and are so nasty they poo all over just YUK no one has any answers I’ve looked on-line for hours it’s time to trap them and start a fire with my landlord….

  17. Natalie has posted a tip on November 16, 2009, 8:49 pm

    I am going to try the peppermint oil and coke! And if I find where they are getting in, the steel wool too. I have the sticky pads now but the mice get on them and then dive to the floor where the pad gets stuck to the carpet more to them and they are able to peel themselves off. I must have some bald mice running around. I also have the round traps w/ PB in them that are supposed to enclose the mouse when he gets in there but its been a week and they have not gone in one of them yet!

  18. amberly has posted a tip on November 17, 2009, 1:27 pm

    no tips but the oil is in little bottles it is for like making hard candy it is flavor oils

  19. Carrie Lowery has posted a tip on November 25, 2009, 12:39 am

    I have used the electronic traps. I loved them because they kill the mouse, then I flip the lid dump it out and reset…no bloody mess b/c it electrocutes them :) Anyway, the 2 I have got wet :( so I’m out of luck at the moment. I had paid $20 or less for them a few years back but now they’re about $33. Here’s the site for them so you can check them out
    http://www.victorpest.com/store/rodent-control/electronic-mouse-trap
    I had bought mine at Wal-mart but haven’t looked recently. I’d like to buy more soon, but in the meantine I was looking for something cheaper to tide me over.
    Yes, cats help. Unfortunately my hubby is bothered by allergies to them :( But if we trap a mouse the kids will go get one and that takes care of it. Better to have them IN the house. We have 6 outside and it just doesn’t cut it. When they’re in?…much better!

  20. dj has posted a tip on November 30, 2009, 8:04 am

    Did the peppermint oil work b/c moth balls didn’t!?!

  21. janie s has posted a tip on December 19, 2009, 3:29 am

    I’ve been checking around the web for over an hour.

    Peppermint oil has been a consistent suggestion. Placed on a cottonball near their entry and will keep them from coming in.
    A better tip with the peppermint oil was to put it in salt and pepper shakers. Seems the cottonballs dry out quickly. The S&P is the full liquid. It does have a tendency to dry quickly as if it were open alcohol. So they need to be checked weekly.
    Peppermint oil is used for baking and can be found in the baking aisle at the grocer. You’ll find it where you find vanilla extract-most of the stockers will remember where the VE is quicker than the peppermint oil.Same shelf.

    I saw a suggestion to plant mint outside around the house. Good idea.

    Steel wool mixed with caulking, in holes near the water pipes, under kitchen sink and pipes to the washer.Make sure it is smooth and flat to keep them from having something to pull on with their teeth and destroy the barrier.Fill all holes 1/4″ or larger.

    The pop in a pie tin has been mentioned often. Bloat, die.

    A jar lid with a dry mix of plaster of paris and cornmeal 50/50 along walls. When they drink water after eating this, the compound becomes solid in their stomach. I dont have time to be nice to mice. They cause disease and illness. Similar to salmonella-food poisoning.

    To clean and disinfect areas, LysolR has been recommended-along with any product that contains chemical PHENOL.

    The Victory brand traps were said to have an “s” for the sensitivity of trap to snap. Put the food end next to the wall. Buy several- they will get the logic quickly- place in a row no more than 10″ apart. The first time you bait, leave trap unset. They’re smart. Let them enjoy the yummy on the trap the first time. Next time you bait it, then set it. One person put bacon on the trap with a string so he wouldnt have to keep baiting it.Put the bait close so that mouse will have to stick his head far into the trap.

    If you reuse the trap (UUUUGGGGHHHHHHH), disinfect with 3tablespoon bleach per gallon of water.

    I used a product that I plugged into an outlet and it put out a high frequency sound. It worked amazingly. They were inexpensive and I got them at a large inventory, full-service type hardware store. I plugged one into an extension cord, and lowered the cord behind the stove. It worked well. I put a 2nd one in another outlet in the furnace room. I unplugged them around spring and got them back this winter. They probably came from two houses near me that are rentals and empty. Another house was destroyed so they came from there as well I’m sure.

    I left the computer to assemble another trap I read about.
    Get a bucket and fill it half full with water. Tie a ruler to the handle. Put peanut butter on the end of the ruler. Position ruler over the bucket, level. (Put something on the other end of ruler so mouse can run up it to the ruler). Mouse will go for the peanut butter on the end that suspends over the water, the ruler will drop, the mouse will fall into the water and the ruler will pop back up in place. I got mice under the sink for sure. I assembled this and came back to the computer to write this and I can hear sound. Can’t wait til morning. My dog acts like he cant wait for me to go to bed so he can check out the noise.I just hope they cant swim. If they can I’ve provided them with a pretty good meal. They’ll need that water to wash down the PB.
    But I’ll get back to you if this doesnt work, all kidding aside.

  22. janie s has posted a tip on December 19, 2009, 3:35 am

    I forgot to add that I overlooked my unattached garage. Someone else mentioned it so I have to treat that as well.

  23. Kati has posted a tip on December 20, 2009, 12:58 am

    To the people who have used mothballs – camphor works the same way but is less toxic. Also both are toxic to children and pets. Not many people know that. In addition, apparently mothballs and camphor will have a chemical reactions with each other. So do not use them together. I’m not sure what happens. I think they cancel out each other effects.

    Also, I really think it depends on your mouse colonies as to what works to repels them! Camphor or mathballs didn’t work for me. peppermint made them freak out but sisn’t keep them out of my apartment. But my mother uses camphor on the farm and it works great!

    That was some time ago. I’m in a different place now and have discovered mice again. The blasted things are in my couch! I’m about to move and of course I don’t want to bring the little buggers with me. I can’t afford to get a new couch either. I’m hoping one of the rememdies will work on these ones :(

    Good luck all. I’m a wildlife enthusiast and I still can’t stand the lil’ f@&%ers!

  24. Becky has posted a tip on December 21, 2009, 4:59 am

    my name is Becky…and i have a mouse problem lol, anyways i live in an apartment and it was all good and peachy until one day i was cleaning out the closet and found a Lil hole in the wall the size of a quarter, i didn’t really think nothing of it until when i started to clean and a Lil mouse ran over my foot. so i covered up the hole and went on with my business, everything was alright until just a few days ago when i started hearing sounds in the kitchen, i went to go look and i noticed a Lil critter running back and forth through a TINY crack in the wall from the sink to under the fridge. I got a flash light went and sat in the floor and stared at the mouse under the fridge for about 5 mins, it didn’t seem to mind me too much as to say that it just continued sitting there eating an onion peel. i went to the store that night got one of them D-con things and placed it where i had been seeing the critter. i didn’t think that the D-con would kill it right away so i got all creative and tried somin, i had some of them fly catcher sticky things a hangin that i hadn’t taken down from summer yet, so i took em down cut em into strips and placed them on the floor right where i would see Ralph (thats what i named him) run. i waited for a while then heard somin a russlin around, when i went to check by god i caught the fucker! pardon the French but thats what i said! i was amazed so i calmly peeled the paper off the floor and wrapped Ralph up real good so there would be no way in hell he could get out and i threw him in the big garbage bin, thought it was a smart idea until…yesterday i saw another mouse and laid the fly sticky thing down and i guess it came un-sticky through the night and the little shit took it, yall heard me right he took it! i could barely see it through the Lil crack that i had seen the first’n through…now i aint got no more fly trap things and im hoping that the d-con works but im still gonna try the peppermint thing but what kind of peppermint, i know theres oil but could there be any other kind or peppermint smelling thing i could use? peppermint oil is only sold at specialty shops around here and is expensive and an hour and a half away, so if anybody has any comments please leave em for me.

  25. Penny has posted a tip on December 26, 2009, 11:32 pm

    I think the best thing to do is not to leave any type of food in kitchen that is not in plastic containers. I had droppings all in my base kitchen cabinets. I only kept dog treats, etc. in them but they were chewing up the packages to get to the treats. I totally removed everything and put it elsewhere. Have not had any more problems since.

  26. Carolyn Meredith has posted a tip on January 4, 2010, 8:43 pm

    Unfortunately ,I have no tip, as I have tried just about every mouse deterent ,traps, etc. on the market. Today, I did the pepperment oil thing in my kitchen drawers where I see the most sign of activity (mouse shit).Hopefully this will be the 5th and last time I have had to clean out all drawers,and their contents.If this doesn’t work, I will use the “electric” device – my last resort. These critters are freeking me out!
    For the drawers I soaked a cotton square with the pepermint oil for each corner of the drawers. Beneath the drawers , in the cabinets underneath , I put out poison and traps, hoping they will get to that first. I also read that dogs are better than cats for catching mice.Interestingly, soon after I finished with the drawers, I heard some activity ,but couldn’t determine where it was where it was.

  27. EbonyBeauty888 has posted a tip on January 7, 2010, 1:06 am

    I see that a lot of people have tried glue traps and said that they had no success. I also once wondered why I couldn’t catch a mouse either. Next time you use one, try putting on rubber gloves when unwrapping the packaging and installing the trap. Using gloves helps avoid transmission of your scent to the trap. Mice are clever and can pick up your smell on a trap and aviod them. Mice love peanut butter and you can try putting some as bait, in the center of the trap. Hope this helps!

  28. mbjb has posted a tip on January 12, 2010, 11:42 am

    My neighbor did some renovations and all of a sudden we have these mice. Try glue traps with a dog treat on it…works great. Also we used the decon blue pelets at night,in the morning their gone and so are the mice…good luck!!!

  29. Bobbi has posted a tip on January 16, 2010, 8:23 am

    Im sorry 2 tell yall but NOTHING works their like furry roaches they will NEVER go away…..I have spent hundreds on so called home remedies….thousands on exterminators….and still have em..the dogs catch their occasional ones,they are so brave now a days they actualyy crawled on my daughters legs when she was on her floor in her room doin her hair(now tell me how gross is that)So anywho these $ spending or should i say waisting tips are just that…A WAIST theire here 4ever……

  30. teena has posted a tip on January 19, 2010, 9:53 pm

    i think it is just one mouse i found where he came in under my patio and cemented it up, i also put one of those sound waves and placed it where he was coming in, now my problem is i cant catch him, i put down glue traps, didnt work, i put down peanut butter with posion, didnt work(ate around the posion, i put down the traps that enclose them , will not go in, i dont hear him as much as i use to, i use to hear him every night scratching in the wall, now i make hear it once a week, i have OCD when it comes to cleanliness so my house is always clean, i hadnt heard him for at least two weeks but my daughter dropped M&M’s and apparently one went under my desk where we couldnt see it, and last night i heard it eating the candy, i’m going to try the snap traps and see if i cant catch him

  31. Kelli has posted a tip on January 25, 2010, 4:55 pm

    If a mouse ran up my daughter’s leg…I think I would be moving!!! I can’t imagine that…I am dealing with one (at least 1) in my home right now…but have about 8 traps set. I will catch him/her. It is on like Donkey Kong!!!!!!

  32. Cari has posted a tip on January 26, 2010, 8:09 am

    I use the sonic devices already. I have some small plug in ones and some stronger ones. I have 6 in my house and still have a problem. I have glue traps all over as well with peanut butter and there to smart to get on them. I guess i will try the peppermint idea and see if that works because my daughter and I are scared to death of them little things. I think if i had a sonic thing in every plug-in in the house i might not have a problem. Wish me LUCK

  33. izzy has posted a tip on February 2, 2010, 2:23 am

    I have tried the one you plug into a wall outlet and the mice were gone. i have not seen any for the last 6 months. It works great.I believe it works on sound waves.

  34. bernadette has posted a tip on February 2, 2010, 11:50 am

    i have triedthe glue traps and even spent over $80.00 on the Ridex electronic device, what a waste of money. I am going craxy they are all over. eating everything they can get their hands on. i can not have a cat because of allergys. I will try the peppermint oil next but at my wits end for now.

  35. Jessica has posted a tip on February 24, 2010, 8:53 pm

    I am going to try the peppermint oil. We have a terrible mouse problem. We just moved into our house a little over a month ago. I find mouse poop everywhere, including our bedrooms & on our beds! We do not eat in our rooms at all! I clean it up every day and its a daily task. Its even in our silverware drawers. I thought we plugged all of the mouse holes but they still manage to get in our house. They were housing in our stove for a while. We pulled off the back of it and we found where they made a nest in our insulation. It was so gross, no wonder why everytime we would cooked in our stove it would stink so bad. It must of been mouse urine and mouse poop cooking. My fiance’s mom keeps buying us those electronic mouse repellants but they don’t work! She’s bought three for our kitchen. And we’ve bought those mouse traps that don’t kill the mice, they just lock them in there. We haven’t caught one single mouse! They are either too smart or can escape. Good luck everyone with your mouse problem also! I just called GNC and they carry the peppermint oil. So I will be purchasing it tomorrow.

  36. Jessica has posted a tip on February 25, 2010, 7:29 pm

    Walmart also carries the peppermint oil. Its next to the vanilla extract down the baking aisle.

  37. paula has posted a tip on February 27, 2010, 1:19 am

    3 years ago, we moved from an apt. into a house. We thought we had “a mouse” when winter came. Tried EVERYTHING with no luck and when what we thought was “a” mouse changed, I got the glue strips as bad as I hated to…but one can only stand so much poo AND pee (that was something I didn’t know/think of that they also leave behind) and germs etc. …but if you don’t get a good brand, the glue strips won’t work..that’s the trick with those. Within one week we caught 8-10 mice!!! I was sickened!! Then the fun part starts..washing and cleaning everything! Hope this helps someone! Until a week ago, never had seen any signs of anymore…going tomorrow and nipping this in the bud!!

  38. paula has posted a tip on February 27, 2010, 1:57 am

    Forgot…what I think made the difference in the glue strips/traps working was putting one piece of my dog’s dry food right in the middle of the glue trap-that’s when we were able to get them. They had chewed a little hole in her bag of food so I know they liked it and this time it worked to my advantage!! I completely forgot about that! Good Luck to all!!

  39. darla has posted a tip on March 2, 2010, 10:54 pm

    I really don’t see how peppermint oil could work since I had a bag of peppermints opened on my cabinet and the mice got into it and helped themselves-empty wrappers left….. Glue traps work but they just seem to keep coming.

  40. mindy e has posted a tip on March 3, 2010, 4:27 pm

    I heard that mice hate Bounce dryer sheets. I am getting ready to move into a differents house and just found out that there were some old nasty mice carcases in the drop ceiling in the basement. Not to mention all their crap too. Thank goodness we found out before we move our stuff in there. So we are going to put bouce sheets and mothballs to try to keep them away. I’ll let you know if it works.

  41. phyl has posted a tip on March 9, 2010, 9:44 pm

    you could also try cement powder. Coat biscuits, not too much, they will eat the cement covered biscuit then get thirsty and go look for a drink. Once wet the cement powder will set in their stomach and kill them. I have done this and it works!! And no smell because their insides have set hard!!! Just be warned that when you do any major cleaning you may find stiff mice. DO NOT LET ANY PETS COME INTO CONTACT WITH THIS. I found putting the biscuits in a plastic container and put a small hole for the mice to get in worked, and kept the pets out! Good Luck.

  42. Darlene Bourgeois has posted a tip on March 11, 2010, 11:53 am

    Caught about 20 mice with glue traps but mice are smart now they stay away from them. Won’t consider poison because of dead body in walls stink. Anything other than peppermint,moth balls , and glue traps availability?Help???!!!

  43. bre has posted a tip on March 23, 2010, 4:53 pm

    I am a new home owner and the mice are driving me crazy i discovered two openings one int the furnance room(in the wall) and the exhaust for the dryer in the laundry room. with the glue traps we have caught 13 MICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE HUMANITY. I wanted to know a full proof way to keep them out. I read a previous comment where the young lady had vacant property around her. Same here; Please someone help me!!!! and how do you know the pee? I have found the poop but I don’t think I’ve found pee…..

  44. Nero has posted a tip on March 24, 2010, 12:17 am

    I had mice a few times, the first i tryed some poison baits but they never seemed to touch it. So then i used mouse traps but unless they are very sensitive you will be out smarted. They say peanut butter is good for baiting the traps as it sticks to it (True)but sometimes the bait will be taken , which is good in a way for you are gaining the trust of the mice for the snap….now i have a mouse running around ….. i have tryed the trap but this one seems to get away most of the time….. but i had realised the poison baits were missing it had taken the whole lot ……. scince then i havent seen it , but i dare say its still around……. i once tryed an empty soft drink bottle just laying on the floor with a little bit of liquid in it…… the next day i had found a mouse inside it trapped, as the bottle neck is narrow and is on an angle when the mouse was trying to get out , it couldnt as it would slip down back into the base again…… i guess thats worth a try

  45. frankie has posted a tip on March 25, 2010, 9:40 am

    i have two cats a mouse wouldnt last 5 minutes in my house yes u have to empty a litter box every day and feed them every day but the laffs they provide is well worth the mouse pertection they offer not recomended for bird lovers though lol

  46. Angie has posted a tip on March 29, 2010, 10:41 am

    At Wal Mart there are some white plastic mouse traps that have a red cup in the center for you to put peanut butter in. These traps are extremely quick and so far they are not messy. They have like little plastic teeth on them so when the mice try to get to the food it snaps their back and kills them. Right after I set them out I caught 2 within 30 minutes. I found that I have some coming in through the water line to the refrigerator and now that has alot of caulking around it too. And now that it’s time for spring cleaning I’ve been using laundry detergent and bleach to clean my walls with. Since I’ve started using this and pine sol on the floors they have disappeared (knock on wood)!! Hopefully they are at least gone for the season. PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK!! But still I think I’m gonna try the peppermint if I get more back especially around drawers. Wonder if outlining the drawers with it would work?? Good Luck Everyone!!

  47. pietro has posted a tip on March 30, 2010, 4:49 pm

    Just found out we have mice for the 2nd time. First was 10 years ago and we have been free since.
    Have been webbing to if there have been any improvements since then. Don’t see any evidence of improvements.

    10 years ago we filled up all the obvious holes and used the simple wooden mouse traps – and caught 40.

    If you aren’t having any luck then I believe the key steps are a] always use clean gloves to handle the traps and the bait to prevent human smell b] use peanut butter for bait and spread all across the trigger c] put the traps next to the wall/edge where the mice travel d] put multiple traps together [i usually put them at right angles since they may trip 1 while feeding on another e] be patient.

    If these fail then maybe you have super mice with enhanced IQ.

    Hope that helps [PS caught 2 already in 2 days with the traps].

  48. Kristyn has posted a tip on March 30, 2010, 9:08 pm

    No tips here, but my problem is that: i live upstairs in an apartment and have set glue traps when i moved in only a month ago because there where mouse turds every were…i wanna mouse proof outside but all i have outside is an upstairs deck and a roof, with a small crawl space storage. im gonna try the peppermint oil, but what scares me i find turds in the drawer with my silverware we use on a daily bases. theres no food there and the glue isnt catching them….i hope the peppermint works!!!

  49. Zahira has posted a tip on March 31, 2010, 8:56 pm

    OMG my mouse problem has gotten out of hand. It went from one to too many. I am terrified of these little creatures that I hate being home alone without my husband. I have to make sure someone is in the house with me, because if I see one I will FREAK OUT! They have been mostly in the kitchen, but last night mu husband seen one in the room. I am so scared, its to the point that I want to move out this apertment ASAP. Someone please help, I have a 1 year old daughter and to be this scared to go in the kitchen to make her something to eat is killing me. This rodent problem is interrupting my life.

  50. crystal has posted a tip on April 1, 2010, 1:21 pm

    my house is infested with mice. i can get them knocked down but then they come right back!! i am going to head to walmart this afternoon and buy anything i can. i would get a cat but my husband is allergic to them. the last time i set out poison they just ate it and DID NOT DIE!!!! i did not find one dead mouse or smell that nasty smell, but i found empty packages of poison??

  51. Jill has posted a tip on April 11, 2010, 5:52 pm

    I don’t have a tip but I hear you all!! I too have a mouse problem, and am sickened by it. I don’t even want to set foot in my home anymore. They are truely disgusting. I don’t walk into their homes and Pee and Pee all over the place, so why would they do it to me. I have had all I can take. It’s time to get those things out of my home, so I’m about to try all of your ideas, and I hope to God that one of them works.

  52. Eileen has posted a tip on April 15, 2010, 1:32 am

    I was so pissed off waking up every morning after working a long night for Verizon, and just after moving into a new apt. and finding little mouse turds all over my new stove and counter. Im a single mom of two teens and I don’t have the money or time to go and spend on mousetraps. I work crazy hours when I get home or up in the middle of the night i would find mouse droppings on my stove and counter. YUCK!!! This is so nasty so I had begun a daily routine which takes of at least 20 mins of your time taking all the grates off the stove and scrubbing and disinfecting them. Last night on a whim, I sprinkled COMET brand cleanser all the way in the back of my counters and stove and tried to spread some under my stove (just a sprinkling, DRY) and for the first time in several weeks i see not ONE mouse turd!!! YAY!!!! I dont think they will walk through it! I have tried being PC about getting rid of mice, but I am tired of sanitizing the whole bathroom and kitchen EVERY EVERY DAY because I think I might get a disease from mice. I tried this product on a whim (for mouse removal that is) and not one mouse even dipped their tiny nasty little feet in it! Will update and let you know!

    that powder…. hope it does! The mice don’t even walk through it will update in a day or two and let you know if this works!

  53. fred has posted a tip on April 18, 2010, 10:52 pm

    if they the mice are stealing the bait off your trap tie apice of yarn on the part you put the food and the mice will tug on the yarn and set the trap off try it it works great

  54. mimi has posted a tip on April 18, 2010, 11:04 pm

    i was laying in my kids room saying goodnight and long behold a mouse scurries up to the doorway. so i scream and they scream and he runs under the door to the furnice room across the hall. when i opened up the door i didnt find him but i believe i located the hole in which he used for escape. *sigh* now im going to have to check the cabinets, clean out the closets, etc…i will say the first thing im going to try to get rid of this lil guy is the peppermint oil, pine sol, the red mouse trap mentioned from walmart with peanut butter, and mint plants. lol i hope it all works…. thanks for the suggestions :)

  55. Kirsty has posted a tip on April 19, 2010, 4:16 am

    Thanks will try that just had 5 in the kitchen having a party turned the light on and did not even run away one even came out to say hi..

  56. M Williams has posted a tip on April 28, 2010, 7:10 am

    Peppermint didin’t work for me. I used it in my shed but the mice still keep coming in.

  57. Magpie has posted a tip on May 9, 2010, 9:24 pm

    I moved into a rented house a week ago and it became apparent very quickly that I have a mouse problem…I found one old fashioned mousetrap in the basement and a sonic repellent that was plugged in one of the outbuildings has been moved into the coridoor of our bungalow….I have set the mouse trap , baited with peanut butter, and wearing those plastic gloves you get with a hair dye kit.I plasec the trap just behind my bin in the kitchen and in the last hour…(it’s the early hours of the morning now) I have caught THREE !!!! I am not at all squeemish about the dead ones, so to dispose of the I put my gloves back on, pick up the fire tongs- I have a wood burning stove- and use the tongs to prise open the trap enough for the dead mouse to plop on the floor. Then I pick the mouse up with the tongs and put it in the fire. The tongs get a good burn too, to disinfect them. Then I run a mop with some bleach over where the mouse plopped out of the trap…and still with my gloves on I take the trap to the sink and rinse it with running water.I bdry it a bit with kitchen paper and re-bait it. With the risk of sounding like a serial killer…I am quite enjoying the satisfaction of WINNING !!!
    I will go to the hardware shop tomorrow and buy half a dozen more of these traps !
    Oh…I have decided to keep the jar of peanut butter out of reach of the kids and keep it for the sole purpose of mice catching, so as to avoid any risk of mouse blood getting ANYWHERE!
    Good luck everyone !

  58. Amber has posted a tip on May 10, 2010, 12:26 pm

    I had tried everything, i think those nasty lil furballs got too smart. I baited the snap traps with everything i could think of and yet nothing, THE ONLY THING that i found to work were the poison pellets. It was hell to clean up though. I got up for work one morning and saw one in the middle of my hallway (which i almost stepped on) having seizures. ICK! Had to get my husband to get that one. I didn’t realize how well they worked until doing some deep deep cleaning a few months later and found 8 mummified bodies in the back back of my closet, broom closet, and behind the furnace. They never did stink. I am out on a new round, found evidence of some new ones a few days ago, and saw him about 30 minutes ago. I am trying to figure out how to do this this time now that i have 2 rat terriers and 2 babies at home…

  59. kimberly has posted a tip on May 22, 2010, 2:09 am

    A Tip !!!!!That i do not have!”Sorry”If u want to think of this as a tip,Then,” Cool”!Always be ready to “jump Up!!!!I do not know why i am so so freaked out about My lil MICE,That showed up and they r staying,and all u can do is kill every one that dares to think they found a easy lil piece of cheese all setup for them “”THEN ITS THE END FOR “It was so fast ,WOW his head is up his ass!!THATS WHAT THESE LIL MICE has made me look like” A BIG ASS” With some thinking i am loosing it fast cause every lil swipe ,Sends me JUMPING LIKE A CRAZY “I just might end up on IN or ON “YOUR FREAKING LAP”ITS looking like A quick visit to “THE FOURTH OR FIFTH Floor “i know its not good what i MUST look like!!!! ILL STAY IF THERES NO MICE !!!!

  60. Stephanie has posted a tip on June 7, 2010, 11:50 pm

    I HATE MICE! In all my life, I have never encountered a mouse outside of a pet store. That is, until recently. The apartment we live in is infested now. For two years, we had one in the spring and one in the fall, so four total. They all met horrible deaths – pulverized with the business end of a Swiffer. However, this year, we have had an onslaught of vermin. They just keep coming. I saw one not twenty minutes prior to writing this. I think I hear them. . . . Anyway, we have used the glue traps with some success. A mouse will get stuck on one from time to time. I was told, that once you have an “infestation,” you will never be able to get rid of them. It merely becomes a game of thinning out the herd in between broods. We are moving in a few months, so that is the silver lining. I will try the peppermint oil and bay leaves. I already plugged holes with steel wool. They are just finding new ways to get inside – unexpected ways. So, my tip is to use glue traps, beat the crap out them with whatever you have handy, and save your money for new digs – a place that is mouse-proof.

  61. Terrie has posted a tip on June 9, 2010, 12:24 pm

    Discovered mice in my kitchen drawers during the cold. Used peppermint oil (just a few drops in each drawer) and they were gone. Discovered another one in my room -NOT GOOD – this morning. Going to try mothballs outside (live in a trailer). Have a cat – but he’s afraid of his own shadow! The mint sounds good too. I’m not much into traps – unless I could hire someone to take the trap out if the mouse gets caught (UGH!)

  62. melissa has posted a tip on June 12, 2010, 1:59 pm

    So, I have a mouse problem under my sink. I have a cat who has killed 2 but now it seems they moved into the wall and venture between my kitchen cupboards and bathroom cupboard. I bought mouse traps and used penut butter but they seem to be pretty smart, as they eat the peanut butter and dont trip the trap. In the bathroom, they ripped apart a bunch of toilet paper so I assume they are making a home in the wall. On my way to the store for mint leaves, steel wool, and ammonia to repel but what if they now maade a home? Please help! Tired of these unwanted guests!!!

  63. melissa has posted a tip on June 12, 2010, 2:01 pm

    Also, I didnt want to run into the same problem as kimberly.

  64. J.Proctor has posted a tip on June 14, 2010, 8:19 pm

    OK,I’ve used the Peppermint Oil.And By-Golly I think it’s working.Although,after putting 3 sm bottles of it into a spray bottle with very little water added.I sprayed my whole house.We could hardly breathe it was so strong.But,the smell is better than any bug spray.And my house smells fresh.Don’t know where they have went.But I don’t care.We was catching at least 30 every other day.So it was bad.Hope it stays this way.I will do this every month if it’s what it takes.Thanx for the info.WOW!!!!!

  65. Ken has posted a tip on June 16, 2010, 12:15 pm

    Thank you all for the tips. I have them in my pantry on the shelves, under my counter with the pots and pans and in my utensils drawer. I set traps a few months back and got three of them and thought that I had them, but it’s worse now and they wont’ go for the traps.

    I’m going to use the PB trick and feed them once with a non loaded trap.

    I just don’t understand the utensils drawer. There’s nothing there for them, but they pee and crap on everything and makes a constant mess for me. I keep most of what I use in the dishwasher like it’s my working drawer.

    The shelves in my pantry get coated with crap and it’s just disgusting. I’m going to try the mint and peppermint oil to keep them out of my stuff and the PB on traps to catch the little bastards.

    I’ve been here for twenty years and lost my cat two years ago and guess when I started having problems? She was good even in her final years.

  66. Liz =] has posted a tip on June 18, 2010, 4:13 pm

    Yuck, if there is anything I hate, it’s mice. Okay, guilty, I’m a fourteen year old girl who’s mom taught her that mice are nasty vermin…but still, who doesn’t hate those things?! The oldest trick in the book; get a cat. But as all things, cats don’t always work, and they can be lazy, not to mention, some people are allergic to cats. For those of you who do not own cats, or your cat is simply to lazy…Mothballs work. As do sticky traps, (they also work on voles…eek very ugly creatures). Thanks to everyone who has posted a tip, I’m sure your tip has helped someone.
    -Liz =]

  67. liz =] has posted a tip on June 18, 2010, 4:34 pm

    Btw, Becky, you’re tip/comment made me giggle so hard…my co-workers looked at me funny. haha…that just made my day.

  68. Reba has posted a tip on June 23, 2010, 8:00 am

    Okay, so I am headed to the store to get a spray bottle, amonia, peppermint oil, steel wool, bay leaves, mint plants, LysolR, or anything else that has phenol…..gotta get serious about this mouse problem. Did I miss anything?

  69. liz =] has posted a tip on June 23, 2010, 10:48 am

    For those of you using water traps, Mice CAN swim, sorta. The bucket full of water shouldnt be filled full, they will climb right out then. Probably half full should work, then the darn vermin can’t climb over the edge of the bucket.

  70. David has posted a tip on June 28, 2010, 7:19 pm

    Mouse problems relatively sorted. By some mircaculous stroke of luck. This evening I saw a mouse making a dash for the bedroom. Because of the warm summer nights we’ve been having obviously I’ve had the bedroom windows open. As the mouse made a dash for the door a draft caused the door to shut quickly thus trapping the elusive bugger between the door and the frame. All it too was a hard, sharp ‘whack’ from my work boots and ‘voi la’ Dangermouse was dispatched.

  71. danielle has posted a tip on June 30, 2010, 12:18 am

    DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT USE THE SONIC PLUG THINGS IF THERE ARE BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS IN YOUR AREA i got some and the mice were gone but then we started seeing brown recluse spiders EVERYWHERE. apparently something with the sonic plugs attracts them. by the way i live in idaho lol

  72. Doug has posted a tip on June 30, 2010, 4:49 pm

    Peppermint oil and i went a step further Only because as i grabbed the last bottle of P oil I saw a box of Peppermint tea bags…Wetting the bag with oil soooooooo far seems to have worked (4days)…I could not help but to wonder why Peppermint odor, so i bought one of the clorox tabs you drop in toilet tank…put it inside of bathroom cabinet…2 days and all seems well…T’you for all who offered there solutions or efforts…I was stumped, but believe now there must be a solve all Odor on the shelf…

  73. Mary has posted a tip on July 2, 2010, 7:05 pm

    Love all the tips. Window cleaner with ammonia seems to be keeping the mice off of our mailbox. Don’t know why they were climbing on it in the first place. It was loaded with “presents” the other day, and I cleaned it off with the window cleaner and there haven’t been droppings for a few days. Now I have to find something to do at my new school, where the teachers are telling me about a mice problem that won’t go away. We can’t use poisons or chemicals, can’t bring in cats, and have to watch what we use because of the kids’ allergies. The exterminator is supposed to be addressing the problem, but just today I saw a fat little mouse run in front of the file cabinet right past a glue trap in one of the rooms as I was talking to a teacher. Maybe I will try peppermint. Has anyone tried peppermint soap???

  74. Anna has posted a tip on July 4, 2010, 4:05 am

    I have tried not only the soda trick but also was told to try dry instant mashed potatoes because they are said to have the same effect as the soda. I saw no change. I soaked paper towels in expensive peppermint oil and stuffed them in some cracks and holes I found. The mice cursed me at first and then ate the papertowel. My mice are apparently college educated so traps arent working at all they even found a way to make other things set off the snap traps so they can get the food. And moth balls don’t seem to bother them one bit. I need a solution and I need one fast. I have gone through three brands of electric plug ins that will work for a week, week and a half at the most and then the mice become used to the noise. Unfortunately due to my lease a cat is not allowed and its a shame because i know it would work. I can’t poison because of my children. And just to show me how they feel about me being in what is now their house they make sure they take a crap on the glue traps…..While watching two little ones play a game of tag the other night I lost all my patience PLEASE SOME ONE HELP

  75. Nora Spikes has posted a tip on July 7, 2010, 8:16 pm

    Have mice problems, I did twice each time I thought there was only one but one female mouse can have up to 15 babies every three weeksIn my first apartment I noticed a mouse going for my bedroom from the kitchen. So I put down 8 old snap traps with a little peanut butter and a piece of dog food (Friskies) it really doesn’t matter as long as its dry food. It wasn’t more than 30 minutes and all 8 traps snapped, killed the little critters instantly. I reapplied the PB and dog piece to all 8 traps again and by morning 8 more had bit the dust.In less than three days I rid my apartment of more than a hundred mice using 8 old fashion wooden traps. By the way they came from under my water heater from the crawl space. My second home was my daughters home. At first we heard them in the walls next we found a box that had been full of clothes and pillows however the mice had made short work of the contents of the box and had chewed the contents into dust all of it for a nest. They had also eaten 60 lbs of dry dog food the new bag was left without a crumb. So I used my old traps again and bought 10 more. This worked for the first 50 or so mice but they were smarter than the Peanut butter. So next I used a small lid and Coke mixed with Dcon pellets. Mice love Coke and the PB traps. Yes mice can’t burp so they crawl off to dens and die eventually they stink up your home because you can’t get to them. But use Dcon pellets with the Coke and Dcon keeps the mice from smelling when they decay. A few of them imploded from the gas built up inside them.

    PB, dog food, and the old fashion traps do work and its humane and quick. Mice are also God’s four legged creatures. We all hate them because they are dirty and carry diseases. But they don’t deserve to die in pain or a long suffering death. Just think if a mouse gets caught on sticky paper they will chew off their own body part to get away.
    If you have heard a mouse scream in pain you would never use sticky paper again. If they can’t et away from the paper it takes days for them to die from starvation and that is just as bad. Please make their deaths quick and painless. It can be done. ust a tip from someone who has been there. Be humane please

  76. john brown has posted a tip on July 10, 2010, 12:14 am

    TRY PLASTIC SNAKES. Yes, you heard right. Find any and all wholes where they have been coming in and position a plastic snake in striking position by the whole (the snake needs to be big enough that it would be convincing to the mouse.) You may be LOL right now, but it is true. (This works for birds roosting in your trees as well). I used to have mice during every season change and I started this about 4 years ago. It took care of the problem. I didn’t do this, but it would be wise to try to seal up every whole with brillo pads or steel wool to limit access to your house. Make sure to tell your children to not tamper with the plastic snakes too and tell your family about the snakes so they don’t have a heart attack when they open the sink cabinet. I have not heard about the peppermint oil but this sounds good too.

  77. S.A has posted a tip on July 14, 2010, 4:16 pm

    Hi, iv just most into a house 5 months ago. Im terrified of mice and really am worried about them. I have tried glue traps and they have not worked. There were many little holes in the kitchen, behind the cupboard, fridge and cooker. I have had all the wholes blocked. For 5 days I did not see them.but 2day they are back.

  78. E Family has posted a tip on July 20, 2010, 4:54 am

    Nora, I agree. I had to listen to one freak out on sticky traps once. I advise using the no see traps that contain them. We got 3-4 within two days using this. We thought they were gone, but we were wrong. In our experience, you’ll need to buy a new trap because they will spray it with urine and we think its causing it not to work for other mice. Currently I am shoving two bay leaves and peppermint oil into any holes I find and then sealing them with steel wool. Remember that mice can squeeze into holes as small as a dime.

    In the past I’ve tried moth balls, but had no success. I seem to have success with steel wool and peppermint oil so far, but there are holes we haven’t plugged so more have come in. We also live in a duplex so it doesn’t help if the neighbors aren’t preventing mice from coming in too.

    Please, please, please I beg you all with pets and small children or crawling babies, DO NOT USE POISON. They will die in random places (I’ve seen it in a bedroom in a friend’s home) and children will find them before you do. You do NOT want your baby putting a Dcon filled mice in its mouth, it could kill your child or pet in the same way. Plus its usually a bloody mess depending on how much they inhale.

    If you’re going to use a no see no kill trap, DRIVE THE MICE AND DUMP THEM OUT MORE THAN A MILE FROM YOUR HOME OR THEY WILL FIND THEIR WAY BACK!! We have been dumping them in a wooded non-residential area so no one else finds them inhabiting their home.

  79. E Family has posted a tip on July 20, 2010, 4:56 am

    Excuse the typos in my post. I’ve been up battling our little rodent friends tonight. :/

  80. Roger R has posted a tip on July 20, 2010, 1:13 pm

    ACE HARDWARE:

    No Traps, No Poison. Buy the powdered can of BOBCAT URINE (it doesn’t smell or create problems). Mice and rodents will LEAVE in a heartbeat and go someplace else….FOR A LONG LONG TIME.

    This stuff is a powder and you just sprinkle it around. A Bobcat is the predator of rodents, and that’s all you need.

    You can also buy the Fox Urine they sell, and that rids your property of RABBITS. This stuff WORKS!

  81. tracy barker has posted a tip on July 20, 2010, 8:28 pm

    I have had a mouse problem in my she then someone told me to put powder potatoe mix down it does the same as poision only its safe around kids and pet I put it down in a dish one day and the next day I cheacked and their was the mouse dead on the floor I have left the dish fill and out and have not had any more mice since

  82. Jen has posted a tip on July 22, 2010, 3:11 am

    I recently saw a mouse in my kitchen counter!! Im really scared of them as soon as I saw it run I screamed and ran away. I told my husband and he asked me that where did it go and it what direction, but I was to scared to see where it went. I really dont know what to use to get rid of them because Im thinking they might be more than one. I have a little boy who is 2yrs old so I really dont want to use poison. I dont even sleep well because Im scared they can climb on my bed. Does the peppermint oil really work? Can someone help me with some more tips please!!!… Thank You

  83. apartment critter has posted a tip on July 26, 2010, 1:10 am

    My son told me months ago that he saw 1 and I thought he was crazy. Now I cleaned my bedroom noticed some droppings. I went crazy with the mothballs. Found my Body Shop peppermint foot spray and started spraying cotton balls. 3 hrs later I’m watching TV in the dark and I see one going bonkers and ran out my room. I pray it left , tomorrow I’m headed back to the Body Shop for 2 bottles lol!

  84. chris has posted a tip on July 28, 2010, 11:28 am

    I didn’t have mice until about a year ago. My neighbor cleaned his garage out real well and they must have moved on to our house. I don’t really have any amazing tips. But I do know that if a mouse is in your garage be aware that they will get into your car or into lawnmower engines. My father found mice in his garage after he moved stuff into it from a shed that he was tearing down. The mice had gotten into a generator B/S engine and ate the coil wire. Then they mice got into the engine compartment of his car and chewed on wires there. They must be attracted to the smell of the coating around the wires. He used Decon even in the engine compartment in frustration to kill the little bastards.
    Me personally I am going to try some Pine sol and maybe set some traps out.

  85. chris has posted a tip on July 28, 2010, 11:31 am

    Also someone had told my father to put out little cups of antifreeze. They told him the mice would drink it and die. Well they didn’t do that. And he didn’t let any of their animals around the antifreeze when he had it out.

  86. Chris has posted a tip on July 29, 2010, 3:19 pm

    I have read every posting here and I’m hoping that some of the ideas that are posted actually work because “Jerry” and all his “friends” (the mice) are grossing me out. They are very smart too. I have snap traps out and the mice are eating the peanut butter right off the trap and not setting it off. I set up glue traps and the mice walk all over them. I tried live D-con traps and they didn’t even touch them.
    I’m avoiding using poisons as I have 2 dogs, a cat and 2 children. I also don’t want to kill any other animals around my house.
    If anyone has anymore suggestions besides peppermint cotton balls, peppermint spray, Bobcat/fox urine, dry potato mix, moth balls, poisons, or live traps…..PLEASE POST IT.
    I NEED HELP AND QUICK!!!!!!!!

  87. grma jo has posted a tip on July 31, 2010, 1:29 am

    reading in old homeremedy book…mint will cause mice to be repelled..not gone forever..you must use everywhere..it also suggest Camphor…i am not sure where to buy camphor oil.. i use ammonia for scrubbing floor..& i still get mice in kitchen. i also use moltballs..again still get mice… traps work so do gluegtraps IF mice step onto them.. i tie a piece of jute string onto wooden traps tie string in double knot..clip ends close to knot..fluff ends of string…likely dip peanut butter..or jelly-jam just on tip of jute string..do not apply alot..mouse will pull at food tugging on string setting off trap…. traps are be;t set along wall with snap opening side facing wall…ive had mice in silverware drawer..after washing & bleaching i put everything in plastic container set traps in drawers & within short period of time caught a schrew not a mouse..fabric sheets i have been told do work..just not for me …i just bought mouse rid..pkg of 4 small bags smells like mint…as far as growing mint…i have mint growing i pick & crush & toss in chicken coop ..sheds & horse stalls..not sure if it works but makes those areas smell nice for a day or two.

  88. TD has posted a tip on August 12, 2010, 12:49 pm

    if your ok with using poison,then cut it up and mix with pb and put it on traps.that way if the trap don’t catch it the poison will.

  89. sinead doyle has posted a tip on August 14, 2010, 5:18 pm

    o tips bu just had a good read off these have just had a breakdown compleatly over stupid little feckers have had them on and off for the summer like come on thought it was only the winter :( he just ran across my bedroom floor got my hubby home from work as i had hysterics on the bed and myself and the kids are staying in my parents house cant do this any more … i hate being in my house

  90. Donna has posted a tip on August 15, 2010, 3:53 pm

    I like alot of the ideas here and since we live in the country, we do get lots of field mice, or since they are supposed to have 15 babies every 3 weeks(yikes!) I want to make sure there are none left when the cold weather gets here! I have found them in unusual places, once I was cleaning my clothes closet in my bedroom and could tell there was a dead one, but had to go through the entire closet and tear all the clothes out as well as other stuff to find it. I finally found him in the pocket of my hubbie’s flannel shirt! I also found they are really good at making nests. There was a nest I found in one of my husband’s boots, made partially out of the satin lining of a dress I really liked; it had eaten all the way up to half of the lining all the way around, boy I was mad! It’s like the movie Mouse Hunt or something. I know they can be out-smarted, though, you just have to keep at it, ’til you find something that works. I was told to place any old-fashioned type spring traps with them tipped up against something so that the mouse has to work for the food, and it creates an imbalance so it’s easier to catch the mouse by having it fall as the mouse is trying to eat it. The real problem with spring traps is getting one that has enough ‘hair-trigger’ in the spring to set it off. Some are better than others, just test them before you set it. If it is hard to set, because it keeps going off, then it will work better on the little varmints! Also, since they can lick the peanut butter off without having to actually sink their teeth in and pull, it’s easier for the trap not to be set off. So, my hubbie recommended to put in a piece of the type of ham or turkey lunch meat that you use for sandwiches, so they have to sink their teeth in and pull, which works great. I have caught mouse with peanut butter, but I have used the meat, too:) I know they can climb, because we have a couple of aprons that are hanging in a corner just at the entry of the kitchen on a nail, (I found droppings on the aprons), and (this goes to the using of a bucket of water, like what was recommended above)and one day I left a bucket of mop water right next to the apron spot, and was going to empty it the next day, next day there was a mouse in the bucket,yay! So, I should test this spot using this method more often,lol. I do hate the germs that come along with them, so I am going to definitely use some of the things I’ve seen on this site, and if I find anything else, I’ll add it:) We do have cats, and even though they stay outside, one loves to come inside and hang out occasionally and I put her to work, especially if there is noticeable activity. I also thoroughly clean my counters if I see any droppings in the kitchen area where we handle food, it’s just not cool to have that kind of disease-spreading vermin.

  91. Tonya has posted a tip on August 21, 2010, 5:03 am

    I read on another site to try putting Bounce sheets (or less expensive store brand) where there is mouse activity. It said they do not like the smell of the sheets and will avoid the area.

    After the battle I’m having, I may just move into the Bounce sheet BOX!! LOL!

    Good luck to everyone and thanks for all the tips and advice.

  92. Candymaker has posted a tip on August 22, 2010, 12:43 am

    If you can’t find the peppermint oil in the baking or craft foods department, ask the pharmacist to order it. Not sure why the pharmacies can order it, but they can! Or your localcraft stores should have it for candy making too!

  93. Brunswick, ME has posted a tip on August 23, 2010, 12:26 am

    No tips. Sorry.

    Can say that sticky traps didn’t work – take ‘em back to where you purchased them and stand toe to toe with store manager. GET YOUR MONEY BACK. I sure did.

    The Deon disc bates that you put bate in them from the bottem and then twist the disc to “set” it? Day five, 12 traps and no luck. THEY ARE GOING BACK TOO! I DO NOT recall the package telling me to wear gloves, so my human scent all over them is probably exactly why they’re not working.

    Thank you all for your many, many tips.I’m going to try everything but will start with the fox/bobcat urine.

    I’ve just spent the last 1/2 hour reading them all – carfully while taking notes. First, a shout out to my brave husband who wacked the stew out of ONE of the mice we had in the house for about a month now. Used my Wal Mart $2 crocs knock-off. Used one to corner the mangy thing, and the other to beat it unconcious.

    I’ve seen THREE frolicking back and forth between our bedroom and bathroom the last few night while in bed reading before turning out the lights. Guess they were getting thirsty from all the fun and were taking breaks having found access to water somewhere in the bathroom.

    Saw droppings on a pantry shelf that’s six feet from the floor…etc… We’re calling an extreminator tomorrow for an estimate. I will try the home solutions for another week, but then I’ve GOT to step up my game.

    Since mice produce so quickly, and they’ve been around for A little over three weeks – we’re already in this battle deeper than we can handle.

    I hope each of you finds a way to work out of mice mess. Hang in there.

  94. willie has posted a tip on August 23, 2010, 6:51 am

    tried steel wool doesnt work to well. duckt tape works great to cover mice holes cant chew thru.moth balls DO NOT WORK tried them they just stink.the plug in repellants dont work either i just use pellets that farmers use they work pretty good

  95. Loretta Connelly has posted a tip on August 25, 2010, 6:31 pm

    I had a funny thing happening concerning mice. I have a planter box just outside my window. The dirt has been shifted around and I thought squirrels were making the holes and storing food for the winter. Well, I discovered a mouse biting off leaves from the plants and carrying them down into a hole in the planter. I watched them for quite awhile and I was sitting not three feet away while they carried on their antics. Now my question is “Who made the hole” A squirrel or a mouse?

  96. DON’T Give a Mouse a Cookie | Interactive I – Lin has posted a tip on August 31, 2010, 6:01 pm

    [...] site did offer helpful homemade remedies like buying mothballs or using onions, bay leaves, fresh mint leaves or peppermint oil soaked [...]

  97. karen has posted a tip on September 4, 2010, 4:27 am

    It’s 3 am and I can’t sleep due to a mouse (or more) in the bedroom. We caught two last week (only after I demonstrated to my husband how terrified I am of the nasty vermin. Unfortunately my 5 month old daughter had to experience the fear as well). The beast is now in the kitchen, and he’s not very quiet either. Sigh. Big cleaning job tomorrow. I could just cry. Those sonic plug in things DO NOT work. Steel wool works here, but you’d have to find every last little hole to put it in, and who can do that? Traps aren’t working now either. About a month ago, I caught a mouse climbing the stucco wall outside. EWWWW! Unfortunately we live on an acreage surrounded by fields. I am going to try peppermint oil and bobcat urine tomorrow. I’m also going to buy Pine Sol and get a good mouser for outside. I’m so glad I found this site. Thank you for sharing your experiences and for the advice everyone!

  98. Suzzy has posted a tip on September 8, 2010, 2:16 pm

    We once had a hole chewed by a mouse. My husband put the steel wool in the hole to stop him from coming back in. The next morning, the hole was bigger since he had chewed right beside the steel wool.

    We have mice problems inside our home when the weather changes…then we put out a couple snap traps and DeCon and it normally gets rid of them completely. In the barn and shop, we keep poison out all the time. Blocks of green posion that we buy at the Lowe’s or the local hardware store.

    Making them leave isn’t a solution–killing them is the only way to even TRY to control this problem.

  99. Suzzy has posted a tip on September 8, 2010, 2:21 pm

    Another tip–If you smell a dead rat or other foul odor, try putting a toilet bowl deodorizer (the kind on a wire that hangs on the side of your commode) inside your air conditioner air vents. This neutralizes and refreshes the air in your home.

  100. sarah smith has posted a tip on September 10, 2010, 9:34 am

    Ok…so I don’t have a tip either….just to say…I am super freaked out by mice…..one time I saw a mouse climb into my ottoman and I moved in with my mom for a few days until my husband came home to set traps and atleast catch. One to suite me….I don’t know why they get to me so much…the other night I was watching a movie w my sister and we saw one…I screamed…scared my sister…they bring me almost to tears when I see them…I wouldn’t go to bed or move from standing on a chair in middle of the room until my husband causght it…sure enough not even twenty min after setting trap he caught one….ugh they are so nasty..I was feelin pretty good bout catching it until we caught two more with traps last night…I heard one go off at 5 this morning…I screamed and woke my husband up to go check it….I could go back to sleep….my biggest fear is one getting in bed w me at night….knowing we killed three this week only makes me think there’s a lot more….freaks me out…I’m so scared of mice that we put so much dcon out our poor kitten ate some and died….I think I’m gonna try the mint and dryer sheets….may put dryer sheets all around my bed and put peppermint perfume on before going to sleep!….good lucj everyone w tryong to get rid of your pests

  101. Sharon Cocanour has posted a tip on September 12, 2010, 11:09 pm

    The sonic plug in things definitely work! Someone posted that they attract brown recluse spiders which now becomes a new freak out. I’m assuming that just can’t be true.
    I do know you’ve got to cut off their–the mice–food supply. Be absolutely meticulous and kind of anal about doing this. Be a detective to figure out where they’re getting their nutrition.Take the garbage out every night. vacumn crumbs off carpets. etc.
    Thanks for all the great tips. I’ll post more when I win this WAR!!!!

  102. Tim has posted a tip on September 13, 2010, 3:56 pm

    These little critters are such a pain in the ass. I have a hunting cabin and everytime I go there mice shit all over the place, only thing I found to work is the snap traps with peanut butter. At first these little bastards were taking all the peanut butter (every last drop) and I couldnt figure out how the hell they were doing it. Then I really put a lot of peanut butter on the trap “bingo” caught one! ever since them Im 7 for 7 Its a game now… So good tip load your snap trap with peanut butter keep them at the trap as long as you can untill it goes off.

  103. Tim has posted a tip on September 13, 2010, 3:56 pm

    These little critters are such a pain in the ass. I have a hunting cabin and everytime I go there mice shit all over the place, only thing I found to work is the snap traps with peanut butter. At first these little bastards were taking all the peanut butter (every last drop) and I couldnt figure out how the hell they were doing it. Then I really put a lot of peanut butter on the trap “bingo” caught one! ever since them Im 7 for 7 Its a game now… So good tip load your snap trap with peanut butter keep them at the trap as long as you can until it goes off.

  104. Charlotte has posted a tip on September 15, 2010, 10:30 pm

    Seal every opening with steel wool.
    Install glass block windows in basement.
    Trim away ground cover from house.
    Keep food in covered containers.

    I am still trying to figure out how those pesky mice are getting into my basement. This has been going on for 29 years!!!!! I have had two different exterminators. I have gone down to my basement & turned off all the lights so that I could see if any light was coming in from outside. That would indicate a hole or opening that would need to be plugged. I have used liquid foam (which later hardens) around outside pipes leading into my house. I think that they have been coming to my house for so long that they have now developed a pattern & I’m doomed. I also think they smell their phermones (scents) & therefore will continue to come. The question is, “How do we break this pattern?”

  105. Tonya Kelly has posted a tip on September 19, 2010, 12:25 am

    No Tip (Yet) I have read EVERY LAST comment on this site!!! Nice to know I’m not alone!!! This is the second night in a row that me and my 4 yr. old are wide awake, because we’re scared to sleep because of a mouse!!!! I’m terrified that this repulsive, dirty, germ carrier will get on my bed!!!!

    Tomorrow I will be going to lowes, ace hardware, and walgreens bright and early!! I will be posting again in about a week to let you guys know what worked, and what didn’t, and update again in about 3 weeks to let you all know if the mice have stayed away!!!

    Wish me luck!!

  106. Sharon Cocanour has posted a tip on September 20, 2010, 12:05 am

    Has anyone had any luck with exterminators? I’m about there. Thanks!

  107. John has posted a tip on September 21, 2010, 6:01 pm

    I have used hedge apples for many years. I place them around the outside of my detached garage and around the house. Not had any mice problems. I threw some in a crawl space in a rental house I had when the renters complained of mice. They haven’t seen or heard any since.

  108. Mik has posted a tip on September 22, 2010, 8:23 am

    I have found the peppermint oil to work-in some cases. In a brand new house in a new subdivision, where mice and spiders and snakes and everything else were being displaced, I also used the ultrasonic things and peppermint oil. The ultrasonic things helped particularly with the bugs, but weren’t 100%. The peppermint oil seemed to do the trick with the mice.

    Now, however, I’m in a house on several acres that sits in a wooded portion of the property. I was out-of-town last week, and the nasty monsters moved in unmolested. I had so much peppermint oil sprinkled around on Monday that I couldn’t stand it, and I LIKE peppermint. I also had a peppermint candle going. It was like Christmastown here! Meanwhile, just now, as I am reading the posts above, the nasty SOB poked his head out from under the other desk and stared at me. Despite that the dog was laying right next to me. I guess I’ll have to try the ammonia or Bounce, and pick up some more ultrasonic thingys.

  109. Andrew has posted a tip on September 24, 2010, 10:12 am

    For those using peanut butter on traps – we used smooth peanut butter & they’d eat it without being caught. Then discovered that the trick is to use crunchy peanut butter which is harder for them to get off & usually gets ‘em.

  110. Becky has posted a tip on September 24, 2010, 4:37 pm

    Hi I recently moved I have 7 acers an in the country. So far no mice are in the house but when it comes to being out side I have mouse droping all over the place.I have a daschound and she has turned out to be a great mouser also she snifs and finds them s far she aint got one yet……
    Now not only do we have t deal with mice we also have pack rats….

    We was told to leave the hoad on the car up if it will sit for while because the wires are coated in peanut oil. So peanut oil is the clue

  111. Dee has posted a tip on September 29, 2010, 3:03 pm

    I read on another website that a home remedy for roaches is equal parts of baking soda and sugar. Supposedly it does the same thing the pop does to mice, they bloat and die. I think I will try the baking soda and sugar for the mice and see if it works. Plus it seems to be a very inexpensive remedy.

  112. shlee has posted a tip on October 1, 2010, 2:19 pm

    Wanna get rid of mice.. Take a bucket and fill it with about 3 inches of water. Add sunflower seed to cover top surface of water. Sunflower seeds float. Place bucket at bottom of steps. Rig a stick of some sort (paint stirrer works very well) on above step so it hangs over bucket. Mice will eventually find it walk off the plank to get to the seed and it is a done deal. Bucket in Kitchen sink works just as well. Fool proof method for all rodents, chipmunks, rats, etc.

  113. Audrey has posted a tip on October 4, 2010, 7:05 pm

    I have tried the peppermint – they came back.

    I used the black circular traps sold at Lowes,two for $5, not cheap but they worked for a while, then the mice were on to them. They will not come near the traps now. I don’t want to remove a live mouse from a sticky paper strip, so that’s out.

    My puggle sits nervously every evening as there are 1 or 2 mice that seem to tease her as they run back and forth across my living room. She used to lie on my lap and sleep in the evening; now she on guard at all times, looking back and fourth ready to pounce. She has almost caught them a couple of times, but then — what would I do if she did catch one?

    Here is my solution – A couple of years ago, I bought a bottle of mouse lure. It is just a little white bottle with blue gel inside. It is supposed to be used in traps, but that really did not work. Then I started putting it on some old flexeril (a muscle relaxant)I had in my medicine cabinet. Next morning it was gone and so were the mice. I am sure they had a good long sleep, doubt they ever woke up. But here is the thing. No mouse dropings, no evidence of a mouse again until the next year. Tried it again, they ate the bate and left the pill.

    Now I am going to crush a little metformin (diabetic medicine) and bate it. That should lower the critter’s blood sugar enough to do them in. I will leave it up high enough and in a place my dog can’t get it, but those mice can get into anything.

    By the way, I loved the cement powder on a biscuit solution. Will try that next if this does not work.

  114. Maria Erwin has posted a tip on October 9, 2010, 3:04 pm

    I do not have a successful tip. I tried the peppermint oil it seemed to only work for a day but I did not soak the cotton balls with it. Today I was in my room, this morning rather and the mouse just ran right in my room. It baffles me because I do not eat in my room or living room. I clean everything with a bleach related cleaner. We vacuum more than once a day. I can’t for the life of me fathom WTH they are eating off of. I don’t see any droppings but their presence is surely known. One upstairs and one downstairs. I like the ductape idea. I never thought about that. I will try it today and update you all. I am afraid that I will ductape all of the holes and then they will be trapped inside with me.. What do I do then?

  115. Jane has posted a tip on October 9, 2010, 6:16 pm

    I rent the second & third floors of old brick house in the city, with a second-floor deck off the kitchen. My husband began feeding wild birds on this deck years ago & this is the cause of mice being attracted to my house. They carry the birdseed into my kitchen & feast where it’s warmer! They live in my stove & have traveled throughout the apt. I live in unsettling fear because of mice running around, but my husband will NOT stop feeding birds.
    I also live across the street from railroad tracks & was told you’ll always find mice near tracks.
    (This is why all my neighbors have cats, which I cannot, because of severe cat allergy)
    This latest episode of mouse-invasion has me so upset that I can’t sleep (they climb on my bed!)or walk around without fear, afraid one will jump on me. The main mouse is so fat, I’m afraid she’s pregnant & there will soon be a colony of baby mice!
    I feel like I’m always ready to burst into tears & am just sick from living like this. I cannot afford to leave or hire an exterminator & my landlord won’t help me, because the source of mice is my husband feeding the birds right off the kitchen.
    This is their entry point, but how could I possibly seal up ALL the points of entry of a 3-story brick house?
    I’m disabled & in constant pain from work injury & just needed to vent. Thanks to all for great tips- glad I found this site. Good luck to all in fighting these awful rodents. Is there any hope?

  116. Dominique has posted a tip on October 10, 2010, 1:48 am

    Am on a major mission to get rid of mice from my pantry – I’ve heard them party there for the last few nights but last night they got visible – bold little bastards – so today I declared war. Have removed all food sources (my cat food now lives in the stock pot as it was the only container big enough) found their probable entry point and blocked it with steel wool and have set out poisin and spring traps loaded with peanut butter – when faced with vermin I take a belt and braces approach. Will let you know how it goes. We will fight them in the pantry, we will fight them in the laubdry, we will fight them behind the bookcase and WE WILL WIN! Good luck everybody.

  117. Jerry, The cat has posted a tip on October 11, 2010, 8:41 am

    If you are having a “smart mouse” problem, with them stealing your bait, use multiple traps together.

    along your baseboard place 3 snap traps with the bait facing one another. Hopefully the greed to get to the inner traps will catch your rodents.

  118. mb has posted a tip on October 11, 2010, 11:55 pm

    I have had these mice on my house for about a month now. We tried the glue things and caught 2 but then we bag them up and throw them away but they are still alive. So yesterday we went to Home Depot and bought these white traps that look like a alligators mouth and since last night we have caught 5. The bait I used was peanut butter and cheetos. It works well! I hope I got rid of them all. I have o idea where they come in through though.

  119. Page has posted a tip on October 12, 2010, 2:44 am

    Do not get peppermint oil confused with Oil of Peppermint. Peppermint oil is used for food prep. Why wouldn’t a mouse eat it? You do.
    Buy Oil of Peppermint. We get ours at a food co-op. It is in the essential oils section. Get a little spray bottle and add 2 parts water to one part Oil of Peppermint.

  120. Janice has posted a tip on October 13, 2010, 1:29 pm

    i have a really bad mice problem! we tried everything and nothing seemed to work then a friend told us about jagwire bait chuncks! it work very well.

  121. Cat has posted a tip on October 19, 2010, 5:29 am

    I don’t know if this will help anyone and you might think it a load of toss but a few years back we had the little blighters and nothing would get rid of them. We tried everything we could think of and nothing until one day a tv show came on. It was Escape to River Cottage with the chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and he had the same problem. He called a ‘humane disposal team’ and they did they’re thing. No more mice for him and no more mice for us. I still don’t quite believe it but the bloody thing worked and for 10+ years no mice. Hope that helps somebody!

  122. Serinitee101 has posted a tip on November 2, 2010, 3:01 pm

    My husband and I became homeowners a few months ago. I was more than pleased with the country scenery: barns, vast corn fields and mature trees…gorgeous. Even now, with the corn having been harvested, I can look outside of every window in my home and see beauty. Unfortunately, inside my home, I see evidence of additional, unwelcome “homeowners”. With their previous home eliminated, field mice have taken over mine!!!

    It began on a simple night with my husband and I enjoying a movie together on the couch. A movement near the bottom of the television stand caught my attention. My heart gave my brain an uppercut when I saw the little rodent skitter right underneath the stand. Of course, I screamed. My husband, so engrossed in the movie, hadn’t noticed the critter and gave me the most hilarious look – like “I didn’t know you were crazy when I met you. This is a comedy, not a horror film!”. I explained to him diplomatically (haha) that I witnessed a mouse go under the tv stand. “Yeah, right” was his response. His eyes focused on perimeter of the stand despite himself and sooner than I expected the mouse came out the opposite side. My husband grabbed his work boot and approached the tv stand menacingly and the mouse ran back for cover, sheltered once again by the stand.

    “Don’t kill it!”

    Do I regret those words? No, you live and you learn. We had a small scale rodeo instead, catching the rodent with a spaghetti strainer (that was thoroughly sanitized afterwards) and a flattened cereal box. I actually took pity on the frightened creature who frantically fought for the freedom I had already (naively) granted it. Makeshift trap clasped tightly in my hands, I sprinted out the back door across our beloved 1 1/2 acres, setting that mouse free.

    The next night he brought his friends. One of which stared me down as it held its ground at the base of my brand new stove, while I stood frozen, barefoot, trembling and angry beyond belief. (Poetic but true). I ranted, I raved, even made and offering conveniently place outside the confines of my home. They did not leave.

    I searched for a humane solution. Sound devices with strangely obscure packaging that was frustratingly unforthcoming about what they did exactly and how they should be used, and humane traps. I bought the sound plug ins, couldn’t find the humane traps at Walgreens but found D-Con disks and got them in desperation. After seeing evidence of what I hoped were only two mice (haha) I was just a bit beyond being nice, but I surely didn’t want to see the little creatures in their death poses and I planned to take the traps back unused if the sound devices worked.

    That night I plugged the devices in every room that I had witnessed activity. I didn’t have enough to put in every room and I felt that it would be smart to put two in the kitchen, since it was bigger and held the food. For one night and half a day I was at peace. I called a friend and told her about the great devices. Not two minutes after I hung up the phone, a mouse ran along the base of my wall.

    My dad set the traps. My husband was on a business trip and I had frantically described to him my dire situation :) . “Well kill it.” he said.

    Of utmost concern is our 2 month old son, yet I don’t want him to be afraid of the little jerks so I try to maintain my composure. It is difficult. I caught two with the D-Con traps before the mice realized the last place their friends were seen. 4 remain unoccupied. I also have four modified snap traps that cover the mouse’s body from view if they get caught. The mice are thoroughly enjoying their free midnight snack of peanut butter every night.

    I am going to be logical about this and though I have lost many battles I will win the war. The sound devices were effective temporarily. I am sure that after a while the mice became accustomed to the sound. Therefore, I will unplug the devices for a period of time (maybe half a day) before replugging them. I will do this intermittently.

    On my mouse hunt the other day I just so happened to buy two sticks of all natural spearmint lip balm for 99 cents. It sucks as lip balm but having read about mice hating mint I rubbed it all over the tiny trash can in my bedroom – the mice seem to frequent it. To test the theory I place a crust of bread in the trash bag. The next morning it was untouched. Maybe I didn’t waste my money after all. Also I bought an essential oils kit months ago and it has the coveted spearmint and peppermint essential oils. I will finally put them to use.

    Starting today I’m eliminating all the “just moved in and had a baby and now I need to be on ‘hoarders’” clutter from my home. I will pin point every hole inside my home that I can (starting with the one they drilled for the tv cables) and plug it with mint coated steel wool.

    I will clear out the food in cupboards, everything that seems compromised will be tossed. Everything else will be sealed securely in airtight containers. I will add Pine Sol and /or minty essential oil to my evening mop water and wipe down counters and appliances with the same solution.

    I’ll even looked for powdered bobcat piss in the hardware store.

    I refuse to share my home with the little varmints. Even if it means killing them.

    I’ll let you know how it works. :)

  123. mais has posted a tip on November 6, 2010, 10:22 pm

    **Do Not Waste Your Money On Wall Plug Devices!**…the devices that say that they can’t stand the sound that the unit puts out. I read a government statement that said that their advertising is illegal because they do nothing. They don’t do anything. I have bought a few in my time. They ususally cost $30. Good luck.

    By the way, though it doesn’t work on animals, diatomaceous earth is a cheap and always successful way to get rid of bugs. Bed bugs are gone with it and it costs little.

  124. Shaamex1 has posted a tip on November 7, 2010, 9:07 am

    I cleaned up as many food areas as I could,sealing the rest in containers. Put up the dog food overnight. I cut open tea bags with peppermint and spread them where I had found droppings previously. The mice did not like the tea areas at all. I stuffed brillo pads in holes I found at the base of the kitchen sink pipes. I have two dogs that are better mousers than the cats, so they are helping out. Although, I have seen a decrease in mouse activity I’m putting out the snap traps to see if I can close the deal.

  125. kathleen has posted a tip on November 7, 2010, 5:58 pm

    To find Peppermint OIl, do a search with “Peppermint Essential Oil” and that should bring you to sites that sell it. Good luck!

  126. Mississippi has posted a tip on November 9, 2010, 7:47 am

    I don’t have any tips but I wish someone who has really seen some improvement of the critters being gone would make a true statement; because I’m sick and tired of these critters. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

  127. sandra has posted a tip on November 11, 2010, 3:31 pm

    I have a mice and have tried the electronic repellents, bait stations and glue boards. I have had the most success with the glue boards. I saw some people post that they used peanut butter on the glue boards. This is NOT recommended because the oil in the peanut butter can allow the mouse to slip away. I simply put a small peanut in the middle of the glue board with fantastic results. Hope this helps.

  128. Greta has posted a tip on November 14, 2010, 8:51 am

    The potato flakes with Peanutbutter and Nestle quick, rolled into 1 in. balls. Make it kinda dry with the flakes. Put in a brown paper lunchbag. Make sure you wear gloves while making them and putting into the bag. Refrigerate the ones you don`t need right away. Place them all over the house and write Mouse trap on the outside so that your family knows not to touch them. Put a few under the sofa too!

    I`m taking pepermint oil and putting in my potpourri warmer with very little water, mostly pepermint oil that you use for baking. In the other warmer I am putting in peppermint from my garden. I also have pepermint candles that I will burn while cleaning too.

    I am also washing the walls with original scent of Pine-sol. I have Knotty Pine walls all over this house and on the ceilings too.

    I have put the decon pellets in my walls.

    I think I have 3 female mice giving birth. I keep catching the babies.

    Mothballs only work in a confined closed area. My mother used margerine containers with no lids and put them in the attic and our garage. The camper used 4 big boxes and never got any mice in there during the winter.

    I know they came from the field burnings and house teardowns around me. The past year I have cought hundreds of them. I have 3 dogs and 2 are great at catching these buggers. Just tired of finding surprises at every turn. I can`t even go to the bathroom without one or two payng me a visit. I have 4 electric plug-ins that are suppose to repel mice, but they do not work…
    If you know of anything else that might work please feel free to let me know….They won`t go near the garage. A few cats moved in there 11yrs. ago and really left a scent. I don`t even like going in there and we cleaned it up. I`m guessing that is why they won`t go in there.

    I tried hedge apples, but that did not work….

  129. Kathy Fox has posted a tip on November 14, 2010, 1:47 pm

    For the last three years, every fall/winter I have been getting mice. I have lived here for now eight years. I have tried traps…they get to smart for those. Foods gone, but no dead mouse. I have now eight Plug-in Devices…they don’t seem to be working. I will try the coke, and peppermint. I really hope this works. I will loose my mind. Wish me luck…

  130. Shacole has posted a tip on November 15, 2010, 10:43 pm

    A question instead,do the fake snakes really work?

  131. linda has posted a tip on November 21, 2010, 11:58 am

    pour amonia down the hole then plug the hole woth steel wool.and having a cat helps as well

  132. maddy has posted a tip on November 21, 2010, 11:18 pm

    heyy mii mum has mice in her wall and now she going crazy over it

  133. Bretta has posted a tip on November 26, 2010, 1:19 pm

    Ok, I have been googling for solutions for days and I thought I would post on every damn site if this will help someone. The other night I came home to a mouse in my 1 YEAR OLDS room. I literally flew back shut the door and shoved a towel under the door until I got back from the store with sticky traps and snap traps. I put 2 of each in the room and left the towel stuffed under the door. The next day I bought the ultra sonic plug-ins and more sticky traps for the Kitchen. Well it took 2 days, but I got it. Its foot got stuck on a sticky trap and then he ran into the black snap trap. I left the sticky traps in the kitchen just because EVERYONE told me if you see one then you have many. Well, they were right. I came home yesterday after having Thanksgiving at my mom’s to find a small mouse on one of the traps. Ewwww…. I’m totally grossed out. I think they are coming from the apartment behind me because I had no droppings. *ALSO, the Sonic plug-ins work well just remember they need to be as low to the ground and not obstructed by furniture. They also need to be close together as the lose strength with distance. I actually witnessed the mouse freak out as carried the trap passed the device (on my long handle dust pan of course.). I going to call my apartment office, they MUST clear out the rodents its their job to protect their investment and maintain it as a habitable residence. I will try the peppermint oil. I have to deep clean my house ALL OVER AGAIN. I hope this helps someone. GOOD LUCK!

  134. Sleepless in DC has posted a tip on November 27, 2010, 1:43 am

    I just moved into my new house and I’m having my kitchen redone. I woke up this morning to droppings on my temporary counter (an old kitchen table) when I went to make coffee. Told my BF and he laughed at me. Went to toss something in the recycling bin this evening and the little fucker ran right in front of me into my livig room and I ran screaming to the bedroom, stuffed a towel under the door and called my BF to cuss him OUT.

    This is WAR. Forget all this humane shyt. I’m going for the gusto. I’m going to lowes tomorrow bright and early and I’m getting traps. I’m praying to GOD that its only the one that I saw. I’ve never seen droppings in the house in the 6 months I’ve lived here…so I’m hoping its just one. It’s 1:42AM and I can’t sleep cause I’m terrified that it will get in the bed with me.

    Please tell me that I can stop this before it gets started. I can’t live like this.

  135. JC has posted a tip on November 27, 2010, 3:57 am

    Use a combination of 50% dry cement and 50% flour.
    Mix well. Set a bowl of water next to it. They can smell
    the flour but not the cement. They harden right up.
    Works!

  136. Sandi has posted a tip on November 30, 2010, 2:30 pm

    If you have a Feed and Seed near you, buy Blue Death. It is a pellet-type poison that comes in a bag. Tear a piece of paper napkin and wipe pnut butter on it, then sprinkle a few pellets of Blue Death on it, then fold the paper up and place in the path or near the place you think they run or nest. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN OR PETS!!!!! This IS poison. Anyway, it dries them up from the inside and you never smell the dead mouse. You may find a mummifies carcass, tho.

  137. Talbo has posted a tip on December 7, 2010, 10:09 am

    There is a product we have here in Ohio that my boss buys for the metal shop, from the local hardware store called “Blue Death”. It comes in cakes like soap. They have changed the name to something else now but if you ask for “Blue Death” the Employee should know exactly what you are talking about. Oh yeah, IT WORKS AMAZINGLY!!!! so well in fact that all the mice have tried to infiltrate the “Admin” area. now we use it under our desks in all the offices just to keep control of the situation. Good Luck to All!!

  138. Vince has posted a tip on December 12, 2010, 5:31 pm

    Go to eBay and buy either ‘Bobcat Urine’ or ‘Peppermint Essential oil’ and not the peppermint oil used for cooking!

  139. ss has posted a tip on December 13, 2010, 10:55 am

    Yesterday,i found 7 rats dead behind my kitchen cooking range in sticky mouse trap?health hazard?
    We started seeing mouse dropping in our apartment and mouse pee smell from past few month(2-3) and 2 days ago cleaned up everywhere and filled spaces & put mint oil cotton balls at all suspected areas. yesterday kitchen was smelly and when moved stove many mouses were dead in sticky trap. now i am not sure were dead yday or from months.i cleaned up all corners but i am having fever and body ache from midnight. is it some infection or related with mouse? we have two kids(4 & 1 year) now what precaution should we take?
    we do clean everywhere twice in a week,vaccume almost everyday . and behind cooking range once in a month.

  140. kali has posted a tip on December 14, 2010, 6:15 am

    ive bin in my new house 3wks wen i saw the fooker come out in my BEDROOM, i literelly shit maself. i am terrifed of them!! i left that nyt and got my bf to set traps, we used choclate ( as this worked b4 at my old house)
    caught one within 20mins, sigh. stayed away anuva nyt, no more caught, surely this is the end
    3 days later i put my 1yr old to bed in my room (against my better judgement) peered at the traps and id caught anuva, tht was it for me! havent bin bk til today and loan be hold, caught anuva!! thts 3 now ina wk, i cant take no nore, i refuse to return home til the fookers are gone, an with xmas nearly a week a way im desperate
    there comin up thru the floor boards, wer my water tank/boiler is, an staright into my bedroom, i hav yet to see one anywer else
    can any1 help?

  141. Imraan has posted a tip on December 15, 2010, 12:01 am

    I discovered a mouse underneath my sink after baiting didnt work i tried the mint but i tried fresh minnt leaves cut them a bit fine and sprinkled at all entry points last nite was my first gud nite of sleep in 10 days .Try it guys it works

  142. Joan has posted a tip on December 15, 2010, 12:52 pm

    I tried these 3 things with success to rid my attic of both mice and squirrels:

    pee in a shallow cup or bowl and place in the attic.
    The sent of human ( or coyote pee ) pee keeps them away.

    Also throw a bunch of Irish Spring leftover soap here and there. Rodents dislike that smell

    last but least, play rock and roll or “busy” music with a radio in or near your attic. Squirels who are looking for a nesting place ( dark and warm ) espcially don’t like those noises

    Beleive me, all 3 have worked for me!

  143. Sandy has posted a tip on December 17, 2010, 10:25 am

    cats, cats, cats. I have never had a mouse issue with a cat on my property. Mice know it when a cat has taken up residence and will not bother to hang around. I had two cats no mice can near my property.

    Got married to a guy with severe allergies got rid of my cats…..Got mice. They ate into a padded hammock, xmas tree skirts, a stored mattress! All in a detached garage.

    Divorced allergy man got two cats again and NO mice! Right now my two kittens are indoor only. I am considering a outdoor cat for my detached garage, shed and yard. The cost of food and litter is well worth the it. Not to mention the companionship.

    I recommend that even if you can’t have a cat, say for lease reasons. Borrow one for a few days. The mice will leave or the cat will catch them.

  144. Jenni has posted a tip on December 22, 2010, 6:11 pm

    I set gluetraps but I stuck dog food on the trap so they would have to acually get on the trap to get it…I caught three on one trap Mice love dog food or cat food so if you have a dog or cat and the food is on the floor, pick it up before you go to bed..they can transmit disases to your animals.

  145. Lori has posted a tip on December 23, 2010, 12:16 am

    I have a MAYJOR mouse problem. I have tried traps the peppermint oil and the plug ins. It is now to the point that when I feed my dogs the mice charge the dogs to take their food. AND I HAVE PITBULLS not small dogs. My landlord told me to live with it I live in the country. To me this is unacceptable. Please help me out with some more idea’s I can’t find the point of entry. at this point they are in the walls the attic and in my apartment. I can’t afford a new place PLEASE HELP.

  146. gilberT has posted a tip on December 23, 2010, 6:09 am

    Peppermint oil..glue traps..snap traps..ppl we spend all this money for our rodent problems when we should just invest in a ferret..I was told that they can actually smell the mouse and are a lot quicker than cats when it comes to killing a mouse..besides they make great pets..
    So I think I am getting one for myself this christmas and well report my progress or lack there of..till then sleep tight don’t let the mice bite

  147. April has posted a tip on December 27, 2010, 1:15 pm

    I live on 30 acres and have never had a problem with mice until now! I swear I have Might Mouse in my house. We woke up to him banging metal together..CRAZY! And it is true once you see one, you have a lot more. We have already caught 7 by the white dome looking mouse traps that you get at Walmart. They actually work really good. Well after I ran out of those I just stopped at Walgreens and picked up the ones that you turn, that are black. We caught one within 24hrs in the stove. Yes actually in the stove! Than my husband was trying to find some papers in the closet and opened a box that I had put extra hangers in and found a baby mouse. So he took that outside and lets just say got rid of it. I have tried SOS pads in the holes, but that doesn’t work cause they just find more or make more. I have put all the food in containers (I actually had everything in containers except for chips before this started)and they are still around. I have foxes around my house and I guess they are running inside to get away from them. But I wouldn’t use Decon cause I don’t want to play “wheres the dead mice at”. Plus I am to freaked out that the dogs will find them and eat them. Which I will agree with other people. Dogs are really good hunters. My german/shepard mixed dog runs after them like she has a fire under her butt. When we catch one in the traps we know, cause they both will lay over in the area where the trap is. But I think I am going to try the peppermint idea to see how that works. I know you can get peppermint oil pretty cheap for making candle. So i will try that and see how that goes with my traps out. But I highly recommend the white dome looking mouse traps. PS my parents live in the country too and also use the traps and my dad is so crazy he just traps them and resets the traps and he has caught 5 in 1 day with the same trap in the same place by the stove. Oh I also have heard that they love the stove area and that is where they come in from. So watch that area. Good Luck!

  148. cameron tai has posted a tip on December 30, 2010, 11:03 pm

    sprinkle cayenne pepper all over everywhere, doorways, along walls ,under cupboards appliances,etc……. not harmfull to pets or humans mice cannot handle it….; you can at lease divert them to a place that you can poison them somewhat safely……

  149. Etselec has posted a tip on December 31, 2010, 1:17 am

    Rubber snakes work! The boys outside playhouse and our basement were infested with the critters several years ago. I went out and bought rubber look-alike snakes and put them where I saw the rodents and “POOF” they left. Leave the snakes out but remember they are there otherwise they can scare the crap out of you when you least expect it. I bought the rubber snakes at the Dollar Tree so they didn’t cost much at all just make sure you get some that look like real snakes.

  150. Samuel has posted a tip on December 31, 2010, 3:22 pm

    Mice in the house, hate them. My problem started a few months ago i saw 1 just walk across the kitchen one night, quite shocking. I thought it was 1 or 2 mice but now i have recently caught a very tiny mouse in a trap, and the next night i saw one in the living room. Lucky they have not got up stairs, but i need suggestions how to get rid of them because traps dont really work only caught 1 in 3 months i have an electric plugin worked for around 2 and a bit weeks and now they are just coming back.

  151. Lisa has posted a tip on January 3, 2011, 1:22 am

    Hi, I don’t have a tip but I am trying peppermint althought tonight sitting on my computer trying to figure out how to get rid of these little jerks I saw one playing with a mint three musketeers wrapper so I am not to sure how well the peppermint will work but I am so sick of it that I am going crazy there has to be something that will get them I am sure of it!!!!!

  152. Rome has posted a tip on January 5, 2011, 3:54 pm

    Peanut butter works great but you do have to be very strategic on yur placement of the bait and the trap itself.

  153. sher has posted a tip on January 10, 2011, 1:00 am

    I use sticky paper with Quaker peanut butter granola bars and they go for it like crazy

  154. Anne Curtis has posted a tip on January 10, 2011, 11:59 pm

    A cheaper solution for plugging up mouse holes is to tightly stuff the hole with a wad of aluminum foil. Mice do not like to chew through the aluminum foil.

  155. Fron Deloop has posted a tip on January 12, 2011, 12:53 pm

    Two words… Peanut Butter. Caught three mice in two days with peanut butter on traps. These smart mice had no chance with this remedy. Going to the peppermint to make sure they don’t come back.
    I love hearing that “SNAP”. Got one! Two! TTHHHREEEE!!!

  156. lindy cindy has posted a tip on January 13, 2011, 1:28 am

    Listen, don’t be fooled into thinking that traps are the solution. While you might catch a few or continue to catch these little vermen on a daily basis, there are more lurking. The only way to get rid of them is to find the their access holes and plug them up with steel wool. I did that under the sink in the kitchen and the next morning, no mouse droppings! Then 4 days later, I open the drawer that I keep saran and foil wrap in and it’s full of mouse droppings! Man was I disgusted!! I took everything out cleaned the drawer and the next morning, droppings again. This has been going on for a week or so. I can’t imagine why they’re in this drawer, because there is no food in there. But every morning it’s the same ritual.

    Poisons are not an option, or any thing like the cement mixture because even if they don’t smell when they die, I don’t want to find them dead and have to deal with looking at or disposing a stiff mice corps.

    Tomorrow I’m heading for the health food store to buy the oil of pepperment and cotton balls. But at the same time, I’m cleaning out the cabinet underneath the saran wrap drawer and see if there is a point of entry under there that I can plug up. I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M GOING TO GET RID OF THESE NASTY MICE.

    By the way, besides the great information, reading these blogs were such a source of entertainment…Some of them are halarious and made me laugh out loud!!! Thanks for both!

  157. Jo has posted a tip on January 15, 2011, 4:04 pm

    So far I’ve tried the glue traps. Have a few stupid ones that have gotten onto them. (a peice of my dogs food right in the middle seemed to help that happen).
    The baby mice seem to be less smart and end up on them as well.
    I’ve got the black and decker electronic things plugged into every avalible outlet in my home..and lets say..so far..they only thing they seem to accomplish is they put out a nice little green light at night (they come with an extra outlet and a nightlight feature).
    We have them in our dresser drawers. Why in the bleep they go in there I’ll never know..no food. What could be in there that they’d want. They crawl, pee and poop all over my daughters bed. The laundry I have to do..is getting really ridicoulus.
    I realise I live in the middle of a pasture and in a mobile home and thus that equals FEILD MICE..but this is getting ridicuoulus.
    I’m at my wits end. I really just feel like burning the house down and saying to bleep with it..as that seems about the only way to ACTUALLY get rid of them.
    I suppose I’ll try the peppermint oil. Least it will smell good..and if my three dogs eat it..it wont hurt them.

  158. jo has posted a tip on January 15, 2011, 11:49 pm

    now my house smells like a giant peppermint. I have to admit..compared to SOME smells its plesant enough..but lets say my three daschunds are sneezing and looking at me like “mom” …”you’ve lost it”.
    I’ll get back on and post if it works.
    I found peppermint extract in the walmart baking isle. Its all I could find.
    I looked for peppermint essential oil..and anything else..and no one had it.
    The only thing I could find is pure peppermint extract.
    We’ll see.
    Lord knows…if it works..I’ll stock up on it.=
    I just diluted it a tiny bit in warm water and sprayed it by a spray bottle all along my basebords and in areas they freguent the most.

  159. jo has posted a tip on January 17, 2011, 1:08 pm

    Well the peppermint smell lasted a whole 24 hours. Thats about as long as we saw no activity. Last night “gator” was chewing in delight through and old cable hole underneath our bed. I swear “gator” sounded as if his teeth were made of steel , and he was a fiveteen pound animal, instead of a teeny tiny feild mouse. Being out of peppermint oil mixture, and him not being “in” the house exactly yet so thus the glue trap and the poison would be no effect (nor the stupid electronic thing that dosent work..as one was less that a foot away from where he was chewing).
    I had a moment of pure genious or insanity.
    1 am..and here I am…crawling under the bed with VICKS VAPOR RUB.
    I completely coated a cotton ball in the stuff (ewwww..slimy)..and using a marker poked that sucker right threw that hole).
    Then I slatherd on some more of that slimy stuff all around the hole with a couple of q-tips.
    “gator” stopped chewing and WENT AWAY.
    for a whole six hours.
    apparently…once the sent wears off..the hole is chewable again..and he thanks us for making the wood (as I live in a mobile home) much more soft and pliable for his made of steel teeth.
    I told my husband..tonight I’m going to sit there with the bb gun..and as soon as the chewing starts I’m gonna shoot thru the hole. maybe I’ll get him.
    Do I really think I will..NO…but at least I’ll have some entertainment..and wont just be laying there listening to a mouse eat my house.
    :)

  160. cj has posted a tip on January 17, 2011, 2:09 pm

    I’ve read that mice cant burp or fart on here. So an idea struck me. Dont know if it will work or not. I’ll keep you posted but this is what I did.

    One box of arm and hammer baking soda
    1/2 cup penut butter creamy

    You can add water and suck it up in a sryinge, or you can leave it pastey. Up to you.

    put on traps, put in holes, put on peices of paper plates undercabinets.

    I figure the penut butter smell covers over the baking soda…if it eats it..it will cause gas..and if it cant burp or fart..bye bye mousey.

    I

  161. Shaz has posted a tip on January 20, 2011, 9:49 am

    Hey everyone, I may have found an easy solution to this. I came on this site the other night and read most of your posts – thanks for sharing :) I’ve been having a real problem with mice. Every day I was cleaning up poop all over the place, and oh – by the way, to the person who said she thinks she has only one mouse, there’s no such thing as one mouse. lol Anyway, I got some peppermint tea bags. Celestial Seasons makes a really strong peppermint tea, and the bags lay in the box – two are attached. I put them everywhere I was cleaning up the poop. Since I put the bags down – no poop anywhere no one mouse dropping! I also got the little Victor plug in goodies for the night (3 for $20 at Lowe’s)My house smells wonderfully of peppermint and I have no more mice. I’m thinking that I’ll have to replace that bags when the fragrance dissipates – but hey – I’d rather spend $3 for a box of tea then put poison all over my house. Besides, they are cute little guys – however they need to live outside. It’s an easy inexpensive cure – so far it’s really working. Thanks to all o you for sharing. Let me know if this works for you too. No poison, no death, just a clean kitchen that smells great. :)

  162. Tonya has posted a tip on January 20, 2011, 2:00 pm

    I have a couple of mice in my and cant find where they are coming in but i did buy the sonic things for all pest which cost alot of money and the darn things dont work.I dont mind trying the powder trick but with two little kids i will have powder everywhere lol. I brought poising and traps and those little suckers just keep coming. I even tried the cat in the house thing and the cat just slept all night long.Is there anything that my kids cant get to that will help with my prob

  163. Bill has posted a tip on January 29, 2011, 2:39 am

    You can buy Peppermint Oil @ Whole Foods . I have some mice in a wall ( happens each winter ) and just stuffed a cotton ball soaked in the oil down into the wall beside an outlet box . (NOT IN THE BOX ! ) They do not like it by the sounds I heard . Am also going to get the Bobcat Urine tomorrow.

  164. cindy has posted a tip on January 30, 2011, 1:53 pm

    I have found a better thing to use then peanut butter i icing, yes it really works. i do a lot of baking and i found one eating the icing off of a cake mold i was using. so i started to set traps with it and it works like a charm. i have only used vanilla and cream cheese one they like the cream cheese the best good luck!!!

  165. miki has posted a tip on February 5, 2011, 2:15 am

    am struggling as well. they go into my ferret’s cage and eat the food right in front of me. i use a black tip trap i get from amazon and it works well. tried others and nothing so i keep buying this one. can clean out and reuse and then i drive a bit and set them free. still not sure about how far to drive them. i keep hearing a few miles but if you drive them even a few blocks, how the heck would they know which way you drove?
    i just can’t kill them but i don’t want to live with them either.

  166. Anna has posted a tip on February 7, 2011, 3:59 pm

    Okay I posted on her months upon months ago and just thought I’d check to see if any one else had found a great solution. Since my last post I moved, I thought I’d be done with the situation and they could have the house, wrong idea, the new house has twice as many and these ones are darn rude.
    So, a short lived victory was the fact that my mice like privacy.
    So I place the traps in old boxes, like cereal boxes or rice boxes. They privately go in and are killed and the clean up is a breeze. Yup I’m wasteful I throw the whole trap away. No matter how much I do, they continue to be very “fruitful” so I can’t keep up with their multiplying. Another thing that worked for two weeks is going to my local exterminator and purchasing poison bags. A bag of poison that they eat open for them selves and the poison is one big block so no small pieces of it laying around. Also, it has em bombing chemicals in it so no smell. Unfortunately, you do find them laying around dead and for some reason most recently they keep eating but not dying.
    Bigger problem, I blocked holes and we did a super job, gave each other high fives just to watch the mice take the steps the next night…Yup they hopped up the steps in record time. The Mouse Olympics just passed in my home and the mice showed off their skills of climbing up my drapes and curtains, for what reason I have no idea but its ridiculous. They also pride themselves in being highly educated, and the mice climb into the vacuum cleaner to look for food, tip: turning on the vacuum while they’re in there won’t kill them. Another new problem is their fine taste in dining… like my bookshelf seems to be the best fast food joint in the business, they even took my gas bill to make a nest. And I have now gone through two lamps and one Wii nun-chuck controller because they like to chew cords. I mop most every night with pine sol and the only thing I’ve found is occasionally the next day there are mice IN the mop bucket, so much for being a repellent. I guess you can consider those my suicidal mice. My neighbors just moved so I know things can only get worse. And I’m in fear of my sanity now, soon it will be warming up. And I have used peppermint oil and not the kind you eat but the kind that cost 40 bucks from the herbalist. I think they took the oil to fragrance the nest they made with my books. I can’t watch another set of mice children grow, learn and move on to start families of their own PLEASE I’M BEGGING HELP!!!!!

  167. catherine has posted a tip on February 10, 2011, 12:33 am

    i have just read most of these posts and was supriced no one has mentioned rubbing lemon on your skirting and using lemon floor cleaner to wash your floors as for carpets use citrus shake and vac for some reason they dont like citrus smells, i used all of the above and none of them worked apart from the lemon and citrus stuff, good luck everyone

  168. Shannon has posted a tip on February 11, 2011, 12:12 am

    Get pure peppermint oil (peppermint extract will obviously not work as it is loaded with sugars that attract the mice). Sold at GNC, or other health stores, about $7 a bottle. Soak cottonballs and leave it wherever you think they enter. Amazingly, it totally works.
    I have 3 cats and they were catching the mice, but that of course was after they were invading my house.
    I am not into animal cruelty, so the idea of deliberately causing a painful death by carbonation (or poison) is neither funny nor an option to me.
    It is not a mouse’s fault he wants a warm place to live, it is simply his natural instinct. Some of you sound so angry, like mice have the intelligence of people and make a logical decision to break into your home…
    They are small, they are dumb, but they are living beings and should be dealt with in a humane way since there is one available.

  169. miho has posted a tip on February 13, 2011, 9:19 am

    We moved into an old house which we just renovated. Two months in, i discovered some tiny droppings in the bin area under sink and under units behind plynths. Although I’ve not seen any of these buggers yet but thought i better get rid of the problem before an infestation begins.

    Read online remediies which suggested using peppermint oils. I bought some pure essential oils from the local health store here (holland and barretts) about £5 for 10ml – so not cheap! Placed about 4-5 drops on each peppermint tea bag and placed them around the kitchen cupboards, under units etc. Been two weeks and i’ve just topped up on the oils on the old tea bags. Not noticed any more droppings.

    I just want to deter them. Don’t wanna be poisoning them so they can go die somewhere in the house and cause a stench.

    I will continue doing this every 2-3 weeks and report back in a few weeks/months on the progress.

    Atleast the kitchen smells fresh in the meantime.

    hooroo.

  170. obie has posted a tip on February 14, 2011, 2:29 am

    I took a 3 quart pitcher filled it up water half way. At the base of the water I put peanutbutter. Mice can’t jum out of water. Caught 10 to 20 of the pests with this . Bad news it was worse then I thought. Now they have moved to the rooms where there’s no food. Guess there afraid of drowning. I also have herd if u bake one in the oven ull never have a problem with mice again. Don’t know bout that one

  171. Mike Foley has posted a tip on February 19, 2011, 12:12 pm

    I made my own traps and they work great. take a 2 liter soda bottle and cut of the top right under the rim. now put a source of food like crackers or something into the bottom of the bottle. take a butter knife and spread some peanut butter around the inside of the bottle (for scent and scent masking) spread it in the mid section of the bottle. now set it upright next to a pile of dirty clothes or in a place mice frequent. make a way into the top of the bottle so they are trapped. works for me! easy and cheap. check the trap every couple of hours

  172. Bess has posted a tip on February 21, 2011, 2:51 am

    We live on a wheat farm and every winter mice are a huge problem trying to get in out of the cold. They aren’t lying when they say for every one mouse you see there are 100 more lurking.

    As well as our cat and 2 dogs that love a mouse hunt we use water traps.
    *Wrap a towel around the middle-bottom of a wine bottle
    *lay it on a bench, toilet, shelf or table and drape another towel over it to the floor
    *line the spount of the bottle up with a bucket on the floor filled about 3″ from the bottom with water (just enough that they can’t touch the bottom)
    *Put peanut butter and pumpkin seeds down the neck of the bottle, and spray the outside of the neck with canola or peanut oil.

    The smell lours the mice and they slip and fall or knock each other off into the water. This method is by far the cleanest and easiest to dispose of. Once mice have drowned tip contents out.

    We also set up similar traps using old 44gallon drums around our sheds and out buildings. The big traps have caught up to 400 mice in a night… controlling the population outside helps control it inside.

  173. Jackie Musick has posted a tip on February 22, 2011, 1:20 am

    To those who are looking for peppermint oil, you can find it at
    http://www.amazon.com

  174. Kat has posted a tip on February 22, 2011, 2:34 pm

    We use plain ol’ wooden mousetraps with peanut butter. NOTE: the plastic ones are crap, and aren’t strong enough to hold the mouse. Stick with the old wooden classics. We’ve tried a lot of things and find this to be the most effective.

  175. julie has posted a tip on February 24, 2011, 2:16 am

    I have never had mice in my house until a few weeks ago. The slider to the back yard was open for a long period of time, and all of a sudden… a mouse. Well, what I thought was a mouse. Turns out it’s mice. I use the white dome traps from home depot, easy to set, and kind of easy to dispose of the mouse after it’s been caught. I thought I had one, but I’ve caught 5 so far and I know there’s at least one more because I saw it run under the stove. It’s a pretty horrible feeling to know they are running around at night while you and your family are sleeping. I will keep setting the traps until they are gone. I’m in a new home and I really think it’s from the door being open that they got in, not from holes… The white dome traps do work though, and theres a handy “bait door” in the back, put some pnt butter on there, far to the back so they have to go all the way in to get it, and it will work. I dont buy that mice are “smart” and figure things out, they just want to eat and you have to figure out a way to tempt them and catch them. It’s a sad situation, they are cold and hungry, thats why they come in, but they are disease carriers, and unsanitary. I will just say if it was spiders instead of mice, I would be moving.

  176. hattie huff has posted a tip on February 24, 2011, 11:26 am

    don’t let your pets get to the essential peppermint oil (oil of peppermint) – I believe I read somewhere that it is toxic to pets….please check this out…….

  177. talanca has posted a tip on March 9, 2011, 9:37 pm

    HATTIE HUFF it is very very dangerous for cats im not sure about dogs this came straight form aspca’s website

  178. Elaine has posted a tip on March 14, 2011, 11:37 am

    After trying plug ins and mint i still had mice,i havn’t seen any signs since spraying oven cleaner occasionally in areas they visited.

  179. Deb has posted a tip on March 15, 2011, 3:24 am

    Thanks for all the suggestions. I use the old fashioned wooden spring traps-they seem to work the best. And some are better than others. I had to go through several brands to find one that worked. Mouseguard is the company and there is a website on the packaging-myhelperhardware.com or I bought them in NJ in a CH Martin store. I tried the ones with the fake yellow plastic cheese on them. Never caught one mouse with those. Caught 4 so far and shudder to think how many more there might be. Some of your comments were quite funny. Once I heard a strange noise that awakened me, I turned on the light and saw a mouse climbing up my drape. Ugh-freaked me out.

  180. tosha has posted a tip on March 17, 2011, 11:56 pm

    They are in my dryer. I think they have chewed through a cord or something cuz now my dryer don’t work. You can just hear them in there its scares me shitless. Oh and get this I swear my husband didn’t beleave me till he came and looked, but about an hour ago I heard that awfull sound again and looked behind the dryer where the traps are with pb and the were 3 babies eating the dead baby in the trap. Yuk I

  181. tosha again has posted a tip on March 18, 2011, 12:08 am

    I had no idea they ate eachother. I don’t think that’s normal right? Please help me. I was watching this with a flash light and got my husband and he came to reset the traps for me and they didn’t even care we were there. Do they get use to humans. I’m lost discusted and feel dirty. Help help help PLEASE

  182. Molly has posted a tip on March 18, 2011, 6:45 pm

    I will try the Peppermint Oil – but the bug bombs have kept them at bay for seveal months – I know it’s a poison, but I finally gave up. I can’t stand cleaning, scrubbing, and the sticky pads.

  183. toria b has posted a tip on March 21, 2011, 10:20 pm

    Hi every one i had mice running up and down the bricks of my fire place. they also had a nest in my office.one day my husband was in bed watching tv and a mice ran up his arm. i have a very clean house but i also live in the country in logan township nj. SO!i got some pepperment oil and some EUCALYPTUS OIL AND MIXED THEM AND MAD IT STRONG SOME OF YOU MY NOT LIKE THE STRONG SMELL BUT IT IS WORTH IT.I USE 4 OUNCES OF PEPPER MENT OIL AND 4 ONCES OF EUCALYPTUS OIL IN A 32 OUNCE SPRAY BOTTLE SHAKE UP REAL GOOD. NOW THE I SAVE ALL THE DRYER SHEETS OF SOFTNER AFTER I USE IT TO DRY MY CLOTHES THEN I TAKE THE SHEETS AND PUT SOME PEPPERMENT OIL ON IT AND PUT THEM IN ALL CLOSETS AND EVERY PLACE YOU COULD THINK OF AFTER THAT TAKE THE SPRAY AND JUST SPRAY UNDER SINKS EVERY WHERE AFTER A FEW HOURS THE SMELL WILL DYE DOWN. SO DO IT IN THE MORNING AND GO OUT FOR A WHILE.DO THIS EVERY OTHER DAY FOR A WEEK THEN ONCE A MONTH REPEAT. IT REALY WORKS THE MICE OR RATS CAN’T STAND THE SMELL AND THEY WILL LEAVE AND STAY AWAY. IF YOU ARE GOING AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS HIT AT AGAIN I HAVE A DOG AND SHE IS OK. AND QUESS WHAT! TAKE AND BY AMOINIA AND PUT IT IN A SPRAY BOTTLE DO NOT ADD WATER.SPRAY YOUR SHEDS . BEFORE YOU SPRAY PUT SOME IN A OLD BOWL AND JUST LET IT STAY THERE BUT CHANGE IT ONCE A WEEK ATHER YOUSET YOUR BOWL OF AMONIA THERE SPRAY AND GET OUT OF THERE YUO MAY NEED TO WEAR A MASK.IF YOU WANT TO BUY THE OILS YOU CAN GO ON LINE TO http://www.pennherbs.com and by as much pepperment oil and ecalyptus oil you want. this will cost you no more than $75 a year in all.
    IT REALY WORKS, I DON’T HAVE ANY MORE MICE. SOON IAM GONNA PLANT PEPPERMENT ALL AROUND MY HOUSE GOOD LUCK TORIA. LET ME KNOW HOW YOU MAKE OUT.

  184. toria b has posted a tip on March 22, 2011, 4:14 pm

    Hi every one i forgot to tell you to fill up the stray bottle with water after you put both oils in it and shake good. AND REMEMBER TO SPRAY ALL CABINETS CLOSETS AND EVEN OUT SIDE YOUR FRONT AND BACK DOOR
    GO OUT FOR A FEW HOURS NOW IS A GOOD TIME AND START AGAIN HEAVY WHEN IT STARTS TO GET CALL IF YOU SMOKE MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO OUT DOORS UNTIL THE SMELL DIE DOWN AND REMBER TO SPRAY NOT IN THE AIR ONLY WHERE YOU THINK THE MICE OR RATS ARE. PEPPERMENT AND EUCALYPTUS AND WATER

    I REALY WORKS Toria B

  185. Croy has posted a tip on March 24, 2011, 1:36 pm

    Well, found out pretty much overnight we had a huge mouse problem down in the garage where the dog food is kept. I cannot bring myself to kill anything so I did the catch and release way. I bought a cage some shedding and a wheel. I put buckets with peanut butter and once they fell in I would add them to the cage, they loved the wheel by the way..I wanted to get as many as I could so they would be together when I let them go. They were great to watch but they had to go. I found a great place by a stream with lots of trees and shrubs away from homes, made 4 more trips and finally, I believe I have gotten all of them, I have not seen anymore.

  186. candy has posted a tip on March 25, 2011, 8:01 pm

    try going to your husbands garage get about a 1/4 cup of his concrete/sacrete mix lmix it with about a 1/2 cup of oatmeat or cornmeal what ever you have. mix the two. set it out in a few places a 2 table spoons an alid.keep it out of reach of your pets because it could harm them. put it in old pill bottles left on there sides if you have the soft lids cut a small hole in them they will get in.

  187. Shannon has posted a tip on March 26, 2011, 4:14 am

    It must be pepperment essential oil not pepperment extract that is used for cooking and candy making. The difference being that extract is nowhere as strong and is a dilute. essiential oil is like a pure form or concentrate. Last week i had no mice. now, 7 days later infested! I am ashamed to admit i feel so violated by mice. I have not slept and my 4 kids and i are all huddled on the two sofas at night cuz theyre feeling the same way!!!

  188. beth has posted a tip on March 27, 2011, 8:09 am

    It’s good to know that I’m not the only one with a mouse problem. It makes me feel kinda dirty… anyway I’ve been using a large plastic bin and my garbage can to trap them. I use my garbage can, which has a design with large holes in it so they love to go in there, and a large storage bin. I put a new bag in the can put some paper in it so I can hear them and then put a peanut butter sandwich on top. I put the can in the middle of the kitchen and the bin next to it. Then I just wait until I hear them in there. I sneak in quickly put the garbage can in the bin and shake it around. They run out and try to jump out of the bin, but can’t because the sides are too high, hahahaha! Then I quickly drive to the park, since it’s plastic if you don’t hurry they will chew there way out, and I release them. Caught 6 in 2 days so far! I’M also going to try the sticky paper and the peppermint oil. Wish me luck, and happy hunting all!

  189. kbn has posted a tip on March 28, 2011, 10:45 am

    The peppermint oil is not cheap and doesnt work or at least it hasnt driven out the one thats been in my apartment for about two weeks; it tripped three traps taking the food and trust me the peppermint oil smell was so strong my daughter complained her eyes were waterting, mine were too but the mouse is still in the apartment.

    I like how landlords try to downplay them; I haven’t seen anything, exterminating is a waste of money etc etc like there’s nothing they can do except give you bait and traps; they do not eat the bait.

    I’m going to try the ammonia and monitor the frequency of them; I’m also going to start taking pic of the poop and tripped traps; if it becomes more of an issue I will simply move. The last time I dealt with something like this was in my first apartment; you could hear them in the walls at night and I got the hell out of dodge back then.

    We only get one maybe three times a year but that is three times too many for me; I guess the landlord won’t care til they do some damage to his property.

  190. Bella has posted a tip on March 30, 2011, 11:49 pm

    We’ve had problems with what we call “kangaroo” rats. They are medium sized and hop. And the little buggers are super smart about stealing food from traps – until I came up with a solution. I now take a piece of stale pop-tart (they love them), stick them on the bait hook with peanut butter, then – here’s the trick – use a wire bread tie to make it harder for them to just snag the food. Works like a charm. I also keep a box of rubber gloves bought at the pharmacy to mess with the traps. I too, am always afraid of picking up diseases from the mice, rats, etc. But using the glove to remove the rodents, reload the trap and replace it, then pickup the rodent and turn the glove inside out just as one would with a grocery bag and a dog poo in the park – then I do not feel as dirty. I hope this helps somebody. All the best, Bella

  191. Michelle has posted a tip on April 3, 2011, 6:10 pm

    I have been using the glue things and have caught a few, now they are getting bold and sniffing at my 5 month olds footies (GROSS,NASTY NOT F%## OK)while he was on his bouncer.I told my husband we have to MOVE NOW but 2 kids diapers formula bills and mid changing jobs does not let us pick up and move today(i wish, i’d be packed in 1 hour). I sat here reading EVERY SINGLE comment and tip left from May of 2009 till a few days ago March 2011. I will try EVERY SINGLE ONE out, im not joking i have written down every tip and suggestion left on here, emailed it to hubby and his job after work before coming home is to pick up every single item on the list..which he did not mind after learning that the mice were licking his babys footies. THANK YOU THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL THE IDEAS!! Also feels good to know that im not the only one with mice(this is my 1st time with mice,new place), i mean im a freak about cleaning/organizing and i still have mice??

    Thank you everyone

  192. constance has posted a tip on April 6, 2011, 10:14 pm

    I just pull a prank on the mouse yesterday night. I cut a handful of hot chili peppers into half and mix it nicely with peanut butter. The mixture will get very hot. Spread mixture out on newspaper and place it on my chair and table where they shit & urine every morning. This morning, walla, no poop, no urine ;-) guess they are too hot to do anything but scramble out of here. At the moment, i’m so proud of myself hahahahaha ;-)

  193. Rob has posted a tip on April 11, 2011, 8:35 am

    I have discovered that at three in the morning I have something moving about in the walls. We haven’t found any evidence of any mice like food missing or mouse poop. I have set traps in the attic but haven’t caught anything. Why are they in my walls? What are they eating? How do I get them out of the walls and into a trap?

  194. Dawn has posted a tip on April 13, 2011, 11:45 am

    I bought Nooski traps http://www.nooski.com/products.html from Amazon.com because I suspected a mouse problem. (I found what I think was a poo on my counter top.) I baited them with unsalted crunchy peanut butter (because that’s just what I buy) and they sat for a month. Then I thought I heard something in my walls and spoke to the guy at my office that successfully traps the pests at work and changed the bait to peanutbutter cups. It took a day. I got two mice.

    I also was dilligently watching my pantry (I keep most everything in airtight glass jars and then reminder in original containers) and there were no signs but then I was randomly cleaning and found a poo fest in that little space on the side of my microwave. Since cleaning that and the traps there have been no new tracks in my pantry (I’m now watching the microwave space too.) And there is a place where a pipe comes up into the pantry that they could come up from the basement in but I have a baited trap there and it sits untouched.

    If you smell peanut butter and then you smell a freshly cut peanutbitter cup you can see why the mice like the candy bait better. The smell is way more intense. I noticed it fades over times so I dump it and put fresh bait out one a week, even though the bait from the previously trapped mice is still there. I caught one more mouse the first time I put out fresh bait and none since.

    The nooski works with these green rubber pands. Mice crawl into a “safety tunnel” to get to bait and when they stick their heads in the space where the bait is the rubber band clamps over their necks effectively strangling them. It’s a fast process (sadly, I’ve seen it happen) so it’s pretty much as humane as you can get and still be a kill bait. I was goign to go with no-kill traps but sometimes I am not home for a few days and then the poor little guys would just starve slowly. Also, since the nooski kills so fast the mouse is dies right next to the trap and not in your wall. So then I just grabbed a rubber glove, picked up the mouse, inverted the glove around the mouse, tied it off, and unceremoniously tossed it in the trash. I’m sorry to have to kill the mouse but they spread disease and, uh, no.

    My mom has this recipe for hot sauce and murphy’s oil soap that she swears by to keep them out which I haven’t tried yet.

  195. jeannette has posted a tip on April 16, 2011, 2:30 am

    eeek!!! I have a bedroom for guests, dont get any so I decieded to have a change round, omg!!poo all over the pillows bedlinnen, cane bedhead has been chewed, and a 3inch hole in my bedsheet yikes. found two more holes, so went to Bunnings and they told me about steel wool. I have filled up the holes with steel wool and then used spatch hole filler for the holes, I am a super clean person and this has freaked me out, Iwill try peppermint no traps work, fingers crossed.

  196. PoMei has posted a tip on April 17, 2011, 8:15 am

    I am in a place now that they have this ‘eco mice trap’ – just like a retangle where the door shuts when the mice get in. Fantastic! But the mice stay there alive, so still need to deal with the metal box into deep water and then deal with the funeral…
    I have difficulties feeling bad of killing them, but they are not the best housemates and don’t understand don’t piss inside house!
    Anyway, I loved the comments and for sure I will as soon the sun come up; being some mint plants inside the house.
    The must is to find where and how they are getting in – think…if you were a mice and getting cold, you also would look for a warm spot with easy food around ..they are just looking for a survival spot…
    The problem is that for each mice that you see, there is at least 10 behind that one. yeah…I will get some peppermint oil and loved this site! Thanks!

  197. Michele Bellon has posted a tip on April 18, 2011, 6:56 pm

    I have tried the peppermint essential oil on the outside doorstops to keep an infestation of ants out. It worked immediately. I will try it on the (mouse). The essential oil is extremely concentrated. Maybe it would work better than the cooking type.

  198. krzystoff has posted a tip on April 23, 2011, 11:12 am

    I’ve read everything here to date, here’s my experience and a quick summary:

    peppermint oil: anyone thinking that mint flavored food doesn’t work because mice eat it, are missing the point — lollies/candy bars/confectionery/toothpaste/mouthwash/etc don’t (commonly have any trace of peppermint essential oils — that’s the real stuff, which is relatively expensive and not used in mass-produced food.
    if the real oil isn’t working then it’s probably a case of not strong enough, too diluted or it’s evaporated already
    (BTW: if you use another oil as a carrier/base/mixer rather than water the essential oil will not evaporate nearly as quickly).
    in any case, I suspect that any strong enough, unusal smell (ammonia/pinesol/eucalyptus/citrus/etc) is going to mask their scent trails that they leave to mark territory and share food sources with their friends.

    sonic repellers: if you have found a brand that works please provide the name/link because there are dozens of dodge-brand Chinese rubbish that does nothing aside from empty your wallet. obviously, like any acoustic device, they won’t work very well through walls/floors/furniture, so you must be using it like a small speaker for any effect. if your rodents haven’t left that area of your home after few days use, (without other measures), it’s probably fair to assume the device isn’t doing anything.

    traps: work only a little while, then they wise up — you are guaranteed of reducing the numbers, but also that there are survivors that learn and continue to breed — after all, there’s no such thing as one mouse! for most people, if you are so repulsed by these critters, could you handle emptying/cleaning a used trap of freshly minced mouse?

    bucket of water trap: probably borderline humane, (at least they get one last feed), and cleaning up the remains is less of a chore, provided you don’t leave it for too many days. this is not going to work everywhere mice are, however.

    poisons/pest controllers: for most people not an option, the repeated usage, the dead carcasses piling up, and the ongoing risks to your family and pets is immense. we tried it one season after moving into a newly renovated house, one of our dogs got horribly sick and died after eating a dead rodent (unfortunately our neighbors have a chicken coop) — bottom line, poisoning rodents is just not worth it.

    cement mixed with dry food: seems like a very effective solution, but still may need to clean up afterwards.

    potato powder/bicarb soda/soft drink tricks: may also work, although there’s scant evidence here, only hearsay.

    hedge apples: (Osage-orange/Horse-apple/Bois D’Arc) what I have read suggests that they are effective repellents for spiders, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and some other insects, if you leave decomposing fruit around, but mice are indifferent to it.

    point of interest: no-one here yet mentioned the fact that along with their diseases, mice have been shown to carry pathogens that can trigger a common strain of breast cancer.

    good luck to all in your mission
    cheers,
    krzystoff.

  199. Citymouse has posted a tip on April 26, 2011, 12:10 am

    I tried the ammonia on cotton balls. That worked for a long time.

    Then I got 2 cats.

    No need to scream..when you see one. They won’t bite. I have taken them away from my cat..petted their little head..and put them outdoors.

  200. Deb has posted a tip on April 26, 2011, 6:50 am

    Ok, those of you who believe you only have ONE MOUSE, please be real, you have many!!!!!!!

    We moved a year ago and we have been bombarded with mice continually. What to do? Well I am horrified and scared witless of these things, so much so that whilst cleaning out my Jacket cupboard and finding mice climbing across my clothes and feeling totally disgusted I jumped when a jacket I was holding released a mouse out of a pocket! Needless to say mouse went one way jacket another and me yet another, what happened, I broke a bone in my Right wrist, I’m Right handed. Conclusion, mice have to go for my own sanity, I have never cried so hard.
    Shannon from 11th Feb 2011, get real mice are smart why do you think they use them as test animals, they are quick learners. Something we don’t want to admit!
    We bought fabulous mouse traps, look like big pegs!Work brilliantly! mouse traps just not enough, they were coming in in as they desired. We watched ‘em come in under remote garage doors. Were catching up to 6-7 a night, needed more traps! Sold out every where, why, mouse plague, just had massive amount of rain and these horrors wanted safety and warmth hence clothes!!! I have never felt so violated! We have even caught mice by a leg or tail and boy do they make a bloody noise, 1 was caught by leg in walk in robe it sounded like someone was trying to break in. It was throwing itself as well as the trap at the robe door trying to get out!!! At the time is was quite upsetting but we had admit it funny cos it happened 2.30 in the morning and scared the crap out of us! We’ve had ‘em climbing up the curtains behind the Bed, While we’re trying to sleep!!!!! GROSSSSSSSS! at wits end got onto plug in deterrents as well as P/B traps. Best thing ever, yes it takes 3 weeks to actually notice anything but I swear you can smell the difference. have now got 6 units plugged in around house, large open areas, 4 b/rooms, auto garage leads straight into kitchen, so really needed unit for all rooms. Still have traps set in garage and around house but house clean!!!! No signs of any new activity, try to get through garage but sensors must really screw their heads up cos trying to get in our out they get snapped. It is so nice to have mouse free environment, to have these horrible little f##@ers rule your lives is disgusting. I’m going to try oil of peppermint and mint plants to discourage them from even entering the garage but they are learning and quite quickly but I’d rather be safe than sorry plus sensors keep bugs, ants and other creepy crawlies away too. Hope that does give some relief knowing they can be held off. The great thing is knowing others around are still getting hit and we’re NOT! You gotta like that, proves what we’re doing is definitely working. So sick of jumping and cringeing at every little movement, does anyone know why Mice were ever introduced?

  201. Deb has posted a tip on April 26, 2011, 6:57 am

    Forgot most important thing, this sight is just brilliant, you get a good laugh, bit of knowledge but also a sense of camaraderie cos there’s a lot of us out in this huge world with the same disgusting problem, I’m from Australia, Cheers

  202. Beth has posted a tip on May 1, 2011, 12:32 am

    We have mouse issues quite a bit. My husband has apparent ninja like skills and can catch them with my tupperware pretty well. I started running out of tupperware and got sick of the droppings so he bought the snap traps and he uses cheese or peanut butter. Sounds cruel but it’s better than them suffering on the sticky traps or blowing up and dying somewhere because then they will stick up the house. He found the trick is to put traps along walls and around most corners. We found they were coming up through pipes attached to the toilet so we caulked the heck out of that. They also come out through a heater vent with our bathroom cabinet. He put traps there and in both corners underneath the drawers. It worked well for month. Last week we went to check it and I found two very dead very old mice there. He said it must have been there for months. Apparently it kept mice from coming back in because since we removed them I’m finding droppings again. Good luck everyone. I’m going to try sticking peppermint leaves in the cabinets until he puts more traps.

  203. Tamie has posted a tip on May 1, 2011, 6:43 am

    Thank you all for sharing…..I have tried some of these in the past but ran out of money and got lazy……I am going to try all of the suggestions except the glue one and will look at the one that strangles them then book mark this site and I will be back I hope that all who reads this site will come back and share….The is so hard to live with sleepness nights I have no place to put my clothes and wash them everynight I have spent $$$$$$$$$ on containers to put things in and dressers that they can’t get into…..I have plugged holes only to have them make more holes…..I have a bird and am openned to suggestions on how to keep them out of the bird cage…
    My dogs catch them once in awhile…..But like I said I am going to try it all and keep a record and I will be back…..So many of you say this worked for me but then there were some that said don’t waist your money well we need some hard facts here…..We need to conquer the problem and for the ones who complain about there landlords well I own this house and just can’t keep them out they build a freeway next to me and every since then I have been infested with mice…..I have even considered talking to a lawyer about it,,,,,,, So its 4 oclock I might be tired enough to sleep with the munching going on….And ill be back with my findings…Thank you for this site…

  204. Katty has posted a tip on May 1, 2011, 1:06 pm

    peppermint oil ? Ah I will try tht if i get it from soemwhere, its very expensie here! Stupid rats eat everything, from detergents, handwashing soaps, food, cloth, everything even poison doesnt kill them and they dont get in traps. Beside i m worried, of throwing something toxic bec I hv kittens. My cat is killing these rats on daily basis but they dont stop their karate routine!

  205. Bj has posted a tip on May 1, 2011, 8:17 pm

    When I heard one in my room@night, I turned my stereo on loud to run it out & keep it out that night. I’ve been successful with the black Catchmaster glue boards placed along a wall (where they like to run) with a box beside it to keep them from avoiding it – no bait required. Just catch them in transit. My outside dogs do the dirty work. :-( I can’t stand the critters. I want to build an owl box (or several) to attract predators to control them outside. A tip I wanted to share was to use Armor All to spray under car hoods to discourage wire chewing – wires, hoses & all. It stopped my problem with chewing & nesting rats for those of you with that problem.

  206. Royally P-d Off Wife has posted a tip on May 3, 2011, 7:10 am

    I have never had a mice problem before (or at least I never noticed it). My primary concern has always been insects, having had horrible experiences as a child, so whenever I moved into a home, I always did an initial gas “bombing” of ALL rooms/closets. Then, I put down indoor and outdoor bait traps for roaches and ants. Then, I spray the perimeter of the house (doors, windows, vents and such too) on the outside and the inside. Then, I put down a kill gel on the inside of the house (because it is too much trouble for the outside). I have pets so I always have to get creative about where I put the traps while still making sure that I have plenty about. Finally, I kept all of my food in plastic bags and/or containers so that they couldn’t smell anything. I also used a few of those sonic things in the kitchen but I don’t put much stock in them. So, no insect problems here. Whenever I saw insects, even in heavily infested areas, they were almost always dead. Just wanted to let people know that being clean, having all garbage/food sealed and those little bombs don’t work for mice (at least not my mice), only insects.

    Finally, a saw droppings in a utensil drawer. A few days later I saw a flash of grey scurry between the living room and the sun room. I use slip covers that I wash frequently so there aren’t any crumbs for them to get in either room. My hubby then revealed that he’d been hearing stuff in the attic for MONTHS but didn’t care to tell me. That day, we bought a bunch of the tomcat rat bait blocks (that I hide in places that dogs can’t get to) and some of the little circle turn rat traps. Although we found one dead baby mouse, neither worked to fix the problem. Instead, my hubby actually put a bait IN THE GARAGE where the dog could get to it (this is what I get for letting him handle those baits in the garage and attic b/c I was too scared to go in there) so I ended up buying a bunch of vitamin K for a HUGE rottie (just in case she got sick, I didn’t want to take the chance on my “alarm/guard” system failing me in the event of HUMAN intruders). Plus, I found more rat droppings near one trap and rat droppings all over the slipcover of one chair that had bait under it. Finally, called Terminix who assured me that they’d fix the problem with w/e they put in the attic. They also pointed out one access point in the roof. I had my hubby put steel wire on that access point. I also had him seal the outlet that presented a hole in the sun room. He checked my couches that they haven’t deigned to take shelter in yet, thank goodness. None of my food had been touched (WTH are they eating? Dog food, my food and trash are SEALED and untouched) but I still put just about everything (except a few things like tea) in plastic containers instead of just plastic bags. The dog food was already in a container and I saw no droppings near them but, just in case, I also put the dog biscuits in a plastic bin. Figuring that they might be eating the garbage outside (I had ants do that once), I bought new garbage cans that seal and threw some bait around it. I know that some will be offended at my lack of humanity, but I aim to KILL these bubonic plague carrying suckers that have the audacity to take shelter in my domain and I DO NOT CARE if a roaming cat, bird or any other animal gets caught in the crossfire. So far, my birds are happy though, they continue to visit the bird houses out front (that I don’t put food in) and tease my dogs by eating out back before they come out to chase them away.

    Several weeks later: Yesterday, after two days of hard rain, I found droppings in that drawer again. My hubby says it is connected to a hole where the dishwasher is so he will seal that. I asked him if he sealed the other place in the roof that I noticed in the corner? Nope. And guess what? I have been hearing stuff in the attic ALL night and can’t sleep. So, of course, I’m one royally p-d off wife. It doesn’t help that he made light of the other access points I found (really big ones) and doesn’t think they can chew through foam (which is admittedly easier to apply than the steel wire) and won’t believe that they can climb the walls to the cabinets just b/c he hasn’t seen them do it yet (despite the height of the roof hole being much higher than that). Terminix is coming out AGAIN today. They made me upset and took my (husband’s) hard-earned money and now I’m going to insist on 20 traps in the attic, at least 10 in the kitchen and at least one in every other room. I bought one electronic mouse trap and three more will be here tomorrow. I’ll put those in the drawer and under the kitchen sink. I thought about refusing to cook until he seals up all the access points but I’ve decided to just buy plastic bins for all the cabinets (pots, pans, etc) instead. I didn’t eat all day for fear. It will work faster than waiting on him to seal the access points. Plus, I’ll never have to worry about the only thing I care about (my dishes having pee and poop on them) again. Still, my food hasn’t been touched but, just in case, I put EVERYTHING, even tea bags, in a glass jar or plastic container. A lot of it within a plastic bag within a glass jar. Overkill for just poop and noise without my food being eaten? I DON’T CARE. There is poop on my rolling pin. Admittedly, green (poisoned) poop but still.

    Even with the containers, I’m still going to nag for him to seal up stuff. If you are wondering why I won’t do it: 1) I’m a woman and in this house, it may be a sexist house but, we have man work and woman work. Which is why he’ll sit there and starve until I wake up and then say “I’m hungry” even if he’s been up for hours and there is microwaveable stuff. Or, he’ll say, “I need clean clothes” and expect me to get in there and do laundry. Likewise, I expect him to handle these vermin that make me cry. We are both better at our respective responsibilities anyway. 2) I’m short and partially disabled in my back. So, I can’t physically reach or do a lot of the exclusion work even if I wasn’t a sexist.

    I’ll even threaten to hire a stranger to seal the holes up if I have too. He might not mind a mice but he sure will get irritated if he can’t play video games over my nagging. On second thought, he has head phones. Maybe I will have to claim that I can’t cook because I’m paralyzed by fear. He doesn’t really need to know that it’s fear over my lovely clothing (of which I have a lot and some of it quite nice and hard to acquire) being used for mouse nests.

    In any case, I’ll try to let you know how all these traps (electronic and snap) and sealing up things goes. I also plan to buy some plastic snakes while I’m out getting more jars (just in case I need them when I buy more food) and more containers (for the pots, pans and dishes ya’ know). The snakes are cheap. Mint plants, not so much. Plus, my dogs might try to eat them. It might help to plant some outside though. Maybe when I get more monies. I really have enjoyed reading everyone’s suggestions and it helps to know what does and doesn’t work and why? I could have wasted a lot of money otherwise. I’m also glad to know that I’m not alone. It sounds so perverse when one says it that way but, misery DOES love company.

    Last but not least, a tip: Hotglue a nut to the spring trap. I don’t have a hotglue gun so I might try super glue or cement glue. Then I’ll smear it with the peanut butter. I was told that this works to keep them on the trap working hard. It makes perfect sense to me.

  207. Helen has posted a tip on May 3, 2011, 2:03 pm

    We’ve tried cloves at our cottage as well as steel wool around any opening. We’ve only had mice once and that’s when we let friends have the cottoage for a couple of weeks. They thought they were cute and were leaving crumbs out for them!! It took me weeks to clean out cupboards and drawers! We had nests in our underwear drawers!! Gross!

  208. Eileen has posted a tip on May 4, 2011, 10:21 pm

    I have a computer and i go to owl sounds and click barn owls or hawk olw sound and turn it up when i hear the mouse and then he dissapers also get a owl statue with glowing eyes and put it where you hear the mouse and then you will not have mouse trouble cause that is there worse enemy…Thanks

  209. josh has posted a tip on May 5, 2011, 1:32 am

    Let’s try this again. if your as fed up as I am and don’t mind killing the little sobs staying up late night with a flashlight and a 22. works pretty good but of course this remedy isn’t for everyone but it does work!!!!USE ONLY AS A LAST RESORT!!!! or just for the hell of it I don’t care just don’t hurt yourself or anyone else

  210. Rhonda Whitehead has posted a tip on May 5, 2011, 7:24 pm

    ive used moth balls comphor and napthalene none seem to work. just bought the peppermint oil but it has to be pure oil of peppermint not cooking peppermint oil. here in australia it was $99 for 100ml hope it works. but were on 5 acres so dont stand much of a chance

  211. LOFTON has posted a tip on May 6, 2011, 12:28 pm

    I HAVE tried it all peppermint oil ,traps,moth balls,amonia.. they may work for just a moment but nothing lasting… I read everyones tips (so Thankful) I found something that REALLY WORKS must order it online it is barley found in stores it has bobcat n fox urine in it, we can’t smell it but those F***kn critters are afraid its called Shake Away! It works!!!!! Look it up…

  212. danz has posted a tip on May 8, 2011, 9:37 pm

    sorry i cant help we have a plague of mice… im am constantly setting traps because we are catching so many.. and cant buy any more as everywhere is sold out.. but my tip for the kitchen is eucalyptus oil.. just wipe it on your kitchen cupboards and benches.. they dont like the smell and makes the mice very slow.. but keeps them out of the food.. i use it every day.. i cant stand mice let alone in my kitchen but sadly its a big problem at the moment.. i have heard if we get a good frost they may leave

  213. Jackie has posted a tip on May 9, 2011, 1:53 am

    This is the best site ever. Some of these stories had me busting a serious gut. I know, I know – mice aren’t funny when you have a phobia. And I do have a severe phobia when it comes to mice. So here’s my thing: we’re moving to a place on 13 acres in the country. I’ve been to the new place a couple of times, noticed what I thought could be deer mice droppings, but they were too small for me to tell – sometimes mouse turds look like bug cocoons and the other way around. Anyway, just to be safe, I set a standard wooden snap-trap (baited with peanut butter). I really didn’t figure on catching anything. However, I was back at the new place about a week ago (I arrived when it was dark, so that didn’t help) and as I crept into the house and peeked around the corner, I saw a befrigged mouse caught in the trap. Just seeing a dead mouse sent me into hysterics. It was then I noticed the poo on one of the counters, Also, that stupid little bastard had begun gnawing on my scented candles. I guess I don’t need to describe the hysterics – those of you with a rodent phobia know the feelings – but I was close to a panic attack. I ended up sleeping in my car and it took me over an hour of heavy breathing and crying to dispose of the mouse the next day. Actually, it was a fairly elaborate plan involving covering the carcass with some old curtains then using a rake to get it outside. I didn’t want to see it and I didn’t want to “feel” it through the rake handle.
    My move-in date is approaching and I am so afraid! I have children and a husband and I don’t want them exposed to any of the nasty stuff that mice carry. Yeah, yeah, they’re living creatures and all that happy horseshit, but I’ll be damned before I put a mouse’s life ahead of my family’s health. Especially since I know for certain that the one mouse is not the only one. I have a (sort-of) plan in place and I will definitely update. So far, I intend to:

    1. Get some barn cats. Sometimes people throw a fit when they know you’re having cats live outdoors, but barn cats are usually part wild and won’t do well indoors. I’ve seen several ads on Craigslist from local rescue shelters who have half-wild cats that just aren’t adoptable because they aren’t really tame, but they still need decent homes.

    2. Get an indoor cat, or two. Again, people bitch that cats aren’t employees and I KNOW that. I love cats. I look at it as a barter system. The cat(s) will keep mice away (hopefully) and in return, I will love them, keep them fed, and scratch their chins.

    3. Get some of those traps that kill the mouse and I don’t have to see the dead thing. No-See traps, or whatever. If I don’t have to see it, then great.

    4. Have my husband scour the house for any points of entry and plug them up. A tip, ladies: just tell him what a big strong man he is for doing that. Then thank him, even if he’s getting on your nerves. A compliment and a thanks will go a long way with your guy and he’ll be more likely to want to “protect” you the next time you’re hanging from the ceiling fan, pointing to the bookshelf, shrieking, “It’s there! I saw it run behind there!”

    5. Invest in any other affordable tips I’ve seen on here. Mint plants (we grow herbs anyway), bobcat pee, sonar device thingies, everything.

    Somebody above posted that misery loves company. They are right. I do feel a little better knowing that I’m not the only one. Well, at least most of you haven’t lost your sense of humor. Thanks everyone for the tips. I will for sure update, hopefully with good news and advice that works.

  214. Fed Up has posted a tip on May 9, 2011, 3:46 am

    It is 3:00 a.m. and I have sat here and read every single post since the first post, a year and five days ago. It is definitely good to know that I am not alone in the overall WAR against these creatures! I do appreciate all of the posts here. I can tell you from my experience, once you actually SEE one of these nasty things, you have a definite problem. I do not care who you are, but if you think you only have one, or even one “once in a while”, or one “a few times a year”, you are really just trying to make yourself feel better. Believe me, I understand. I am guilty. My situation started when the weather turned cold this past winter. I first started to hear the movement here and there in the walls and ceilings. It always sounded like one. I read on-line that you never have just one and a “couple” of mice can multiple like mad.

    So, I had myself convinced that I had TWO! Lol …. Well, one night my little 10 lb dog, a very pampered, princess, Shih-tzu, had an argument with one of these new found friends. It was apparent the next morning that she ate it. As disgusting as that was, I was not complaining. I went out and bought the traps. Bought a couple different kinds. Was told/read not to touch them, so I didnt. Baited with peanut butter, was told to leave them for a couple weeks and if I didnt get any mice in them, well, I didnt have any more. Yeah right!!!! Those worthless traps are still sitting there! I went out an bought the plug-in things. I bought one for every room in the house, and two for the kitchen. After buying them and wondering why I was still being tortured by the sounds of these unwanted things in my house, I read the instruction packet more closely and read that the sounds these devices emit do not go through walls, into nesting areas, or through any kind of soft object. What this meant is that unless the mouse is standing in front of it, it pretty much is as worthless as the traps I bought. I left them plugged in. The packaging also stated that it will take up to 3 – 4 weeks to work. It has now been about five months.

    I have OCD and although my house can get cluttered from time to time being a full-time employed single mother of two with a dog and a mother that is not in real great health that lives 15 min away, my house is by no means dirty. About a month ago my daughter and I did some real deep cleaning. Moved all the furniture, calked up holes, cleaned up all the droppings behind & under known areas, checked in all areas there has been no activity to make sure nothing new has come up. All was going great until we got into the kitchen. I know that they come in from underneath my kitchen sink. I can hear them coming from the neighbors next door, across the ceiling, down the wall and under the sink. Under the sink is where I kept the dog food. A friend of mine came to visit a while back and brought his dog and I did not realize he left a plastic bag full of dog food under the sink. That was what they were going after. I opened up the cabinet and OMG the sight! It is a complete mess under there! Remember, I still have myself convinced there is only one more because I had two and the dog ate one. Well, my daughter and I are cleaning the kitchen now, and all of a sudden this little mouse comes out from underneath the refrigerator. First one we actually saw! Of course the first reaction is to scream and go running from the room!

    Well, my daughter in her infinite wisdom, as we are watching him walk around the kitchen floor, says to me, “Can I give him a cheese ball?” So, I let her. She throws him a cheeseball. He runs to it, tastes it, nibbles a little, takes it and runs under the fridge again. Complete silence except the sound of this little mouse crunching on a cheese ball. He comes back out and she throws him another one. He goes after it again. We are now laughing, thinking, this is kind of cute and kind of cool. He is so tiny! I am thinking in my head, if I can get close enough I can trap him with something and that will be the end of our problem! OH NO! Was I sadly mistaken! All of a sudden this mouse starts screaming! And when I say screaming, I mean SCREAMING! He was calling his friends! I could hear them all traveling from the nieghbors house. OMG! I about died! Well, I immediately put a plan into action. We threw to them “safe” cheeseballs. About five or six of them, then, that night before bed, and again in the morning. I got up and went to Home Depot and got glue traps, snap traps, the box traps with the pre-baited poison that kills them inside the box. Humane??? I really do not care at this point! I need my house back! Oh, I also found another plug in thing that claims to go through walls and in nesting areas. Well, that night we set the traps with cheeseballs. Four snap traps. A cheeseball on each of them.

    These damn mice snapped every single one of them and took the damn cheeseballs! No mice! The box traps, forget it. Poison, peanut butter, cheeseballs, nothing has worked. The only trap that has worked on these things has been the glue traps. I have laid them all in the kitchen with the entrance blocked off so the dog cant get out there. We caught three mice within two days. We saw two others that started freaking out! Running around out into the dining room and living room trying to get away from the kitchen. I did not cvatch anymore after that. The sounds cut down to almost non-existant. I stopped using my kitchen. We either go out to eat, order take out, or go to my mothers for dinner. I try to bring into the house the least amount of food possible. We have been extremely careful.

    About a week later I saw an exterminator leave from next door. I know they are worthless and expensive. I am not going there. I would rather move! So now, I have what appears like one mouse trail every morning. He is running around the entire first floor looking for food. I think this one is trapped because we plugged all the holes up. It appears he is hiding under the radiator. He did get a hold of a baggie of candy that one of the kids had on the dining room table. Last night took a miniture candy bar out of the bag and unwrapped it. I had put a couple of the glue traps in the living room behind the couch where the dog cannot get it because that seems to be his path at night. The mouse somehow dropped the candy bar onto the trap! Lol … I left it there to see if we catch him tonight.

    Meanwhile, I did try the mint, fresh crushed mint. I put a little bit in the bottom of the Tylenol measuring cups and put one on each side of the stove. It seemed to work for about a week. They would not go into that area, but after the smell wore off, they would knock it over and even walk through it.

    Sooooo…. after reading all the posts I have come to the conclusions that all of these deterrants are just that… they deter mice from getting in but once they get in, they do not work for actually getting rid of them! However, I figure if I am treating and the neighbor is, than after we catch this final one (hopefully!)the deterrants should work to keep them from coming back in! I am off to the store in the morning to buy
    1. Moth balls for the garage;
    2. Hedge Apples for the outside trashcan area;
    3. oil of peppermint, bay leaves, cloves, mint tea bags, Eucalyptus oil and spearmint oil for the kitchen;
    4. Irish Spring soap to leave out in the bathrooms and to put and open bar under the bathroom cabinets (although I never had any signs of them there);
    5. Lemon floor cleaner, Citrus Carpet cleaner, ammonia for deep cleaning the house;
    6. Clorox tabs to put up on the storage shelves,
    7. Bobcat/Fox urine for the outside perimeter of the property and around the outside of the house.
    8. A rubber snake for every doorway inside and out (Really???)

    If none of this works, I will ask my friend for some used cat litter from here cat (nasty!). And worse case scenario… maybe to borrow here cat, despite the allergy related issues.

  215. Kat has posted a tip on May 10, 2011, 5:20 am

    put a little bowl of gin out and play some coldplay, and th….e little mice will kill themselves,

  216. angie ruge has posted a tip on May 10, 2011, 11:20 pm

    peperment oil…young living buy it on ebay……………. works great..also plant pepperment plants all over yard.

  217. christine t has posted a tip on May 11, 2011, 7:46 pm

    I have to say all these ideas of mice removal sound great but — the best I have ever tried and was true — WAS fill a glass jar from applesauce with approx — 2 cups of honey leave lid off – be sure the jar is stable and place under the sink — behind stove — be sure the mice can access it — give them a ramp of sorts — tongue depressors taped together & to the lid to hold in place — once they are in—hahah them lil suckers sre not getting out ….it is non- toxic — so be sure you have somewhere far away to take them — or place them in another glass jar with the lid on with some water & unfortunetly not so human but it does drown them,,& just discard…I also have 3 cats & MY OLDEST fEMALE IS ONE HECK OF A KILLER…..

  218. Annette Rampersad has posted a tip on May 13, 2011, 11:55 am

    We thought we had one mouse last year and managed to catch it in a Live Capture trap. It had made a nest in the bottom drawer of our writing desk and had contaminated a lot of papers. It was very small and I did not want to release it because it was winter and cold outside, but I put it into a compost heap and forgot about it.

    When we came back from our holiday abroad in April the place smelt musty and we spotted that our container of birdseed (kept near our back door) had been broken into. We could not find any entry holes anywhere, but we put the Live Capture trap out and caught a fat mouse which we let out some distance away. Then we suddenly thought “Wonder if mice are living in our furniture.” We tipped up the 2 sofas and chair and padded footstool and saw a very tiny hole in the hessian under one of sofas. We cut the hessian and found a lot of chewed paper and loads of droppings, and we cut a lot more of the hessian and vacuumed it. We did not find a hole into the interior of the sofa and could not see how it could have managed to get into the interior of the sofa. But we put out the trap again and caught another mouse. So somehow mice were still around. We bought 4 more of the traps and caught about 1 or 2 every night for a week and released them in other places. After not catching any for 3 nights and the bait not taken we thought we had got rid of the problem, but we still put the traps out and last night we caught another one. So we will continue doing this until we don’t catch anymore for a few weeks.

    We can’t put down poison because dead mice in the sofa will smell awful. If we put use peppermint oil or electronic devices how will the mice disappear, because we can’t leave the door to the garden open as more might come in.

    Every night we take all the cushions off the sofas and chair and put them in another room. Then we cover the bases with newspaper. We shut the doors to the sitting room and set out the traps again. I put a tiny bit of Stilton cheese outside the opening to each trap, and a bit of cheese inside. If the cheese is left outside the traps we know no mice have been around.

    Our sofa was very expensive but we will have to dump it as we don’t see that we can live with it now. We bought it when we were still working but now we are pensioners so we can’t afford to buy another one of the same quality. We contacted the makers who say they can’t replace the base and we will have to buy a new one. But as we do bed and breakfast occasionally we need nice furniture.

    We live very close to farmland and maybe it’s a losing battle.

    Good luck people. I read somewhere that rodents have been around longer than we have. Thank goodness we haven’t got rats.

    Have a good day!

  219. jake has posted a tip on May 17, 2011, 5:04 pm

    i have got mice in my home but i have luck on my side as i have three burmese pythons
    if you have a snake or know sombody with a snake the let them go in the suspected area and i garantuee they will kill them

  220. deedee has posted a tip on May 21, 2011, 11:34 pm

    so glad I found this site! heard something in the kitchen last night…sounded like scratching..woke up to find a hole in the frito chip bag..called the landlord (thank God this is not my house) and they came out with steel wool and caulking! showed me the how he was getting in (made a hole behind the stove where the gas line is) stuffed it with the steel wool and put caulking all around it. that was earlier today..later this evening I heard him in the wall knawing on the pad..hope it kills him! I will deal with the dead body in the walls when/if it happens! I am TERRIFIED of mice..stayed up all nite afraid I would wake to find him looking back at me..yikes!!

    so far I have not heard anything else..maybe after eating the steel wool, he is now bleeding on the internally and have crawled off looking for a place to die..if this doesnt work..I amd definately gonna get the coyote pee! but so far so good..thanks for all the comments you all really helped to put my mind at ease and give me some other ideas and options. good luck to those whose battle continues!

  221. Jan has posted a tip on May 23, 2011, 1:41 am

    apparently vanilla essence is a good cure also, just a drop in your pantry or under sink

  222. RED has posted a tip on May 26, 2011, 3:50 pm

    NO TIP SORRY! BUT I HAVE A REALLY BAD MOUSE PROBLEM, I HAVE SEEN A FEW AND I CAN HEAR THEM AT NIGHT. WE PUT A BAIT HOUSE AND SOME GLUE TRAPS OUT AND SO FAR CAUGHT 4 BUT I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ALOT CAUSE I CAUGHT ALL BABYS. I CAN’T REALLY DO THE LEAVE OUT POISON BECAUSE I HAVE A 15 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER. I CANT AFFORD THE PEPPERMINT OIL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT BUT I REALLY NEED A FAST AND INEXPENSIVE SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP ME!

  223. Gregory has posted a tip on May 26, 2011, 11:55 pm

    I have laughing for hours, so much that I have forgotten the little critters that I came here to get suggestions about. Tomorrow is deep clean day. Thanks all.

  224. keally has posted a tip on May 29, 2011, 2:17 pm

    got two cats mice didnt stay in my home for long

  225. Daima has posted a tip on May 30, 2011, 2:22 pm

    The mice I had seem to know when I went to bed and when I left the house. I was told that mice like it quiet and don’t typically come out when there’s noise. I found most of the evidence in the laudry room, kichen, and lower level bathroom. Now, I keep a radio on in the kitchen and one in the laundryroom which you can also hear in the lower level bathroom. I keep it on all night and when I leave for work in the morning. I have not seen any droppings since. It has been a week now.

  226. CJ has posted a tip on June 3, 2011, 8:36 pm

    I live in an area that was hit by Hurricanes Katrina & Rita & they are now working to re-do our streets & sewer systems…..hello mice.

    I used the real peppermint essentials on the tea bags after I cleaned out the s*** in the pantry where I used to hear the squealing every night. I also used the new Decon traps that you cannot see them once they are trapped & the Victor Electronic trap (uses 4 AA batteries) which electrocutes the little buggers. These can be reused (use gloves) but I find the Decon traps that you cannot see them once they are dead cannot always be reused – they do not seem to click back down to reset the trap inside & one I am sending back it would not stay set.) The key is crunchy peanut butter & you have to replace it fresh each day so they can smell it & place enough so they have to tug on it. I have been catching them daily now. The dogs (small 16 & 22 lbs) are of no help – they just look up if mouse passes them. “What is up with that-I want to know?” (But the dogs would eat the Fed-ex man if they could get to him. He throws the package on the porch & runs.) So far so good though with catching them. Keeping fingers crossed that I am the only one with several college degrees! Good luck all – THE FIGHT IS ON!!!

  227. Jenna has posted a tip on June 9, 2011, 8:08 pm

    When we first moved into our house 3 years ago we had a mouse problem, were killing at least two-three a day in a trap with peanut butter. Today I woke up and found one sitting on the binder in my room, we got it out and then I went to put on my shoes and seen a mouse sitting on it and my puppy just ran upstairs with mouse as well. 3 so far today , all babies. Is there a possibility that the a mouse had babies in here or something?

  228. emily has posted a tip on June 13, 2011, 2:05 pm

    No real tip …. only that stealth and hard headedness are required at all costs!

    Out of the window with the pC stuff ….. at 3 am my thoughts regularly turn to ….not whether to use poison, only which will be the most productive. No thoguhts of nice little sticky boards or peppermint deterrants….. only to crowbarring up the floorboards and blugeoning them all to death!

    Sounds extreme …… yes I know, it does not sit comfortably however with each restless night it becomes more and more of a solution. Still comfort is gained from realising we are not alone….I don’t mean the mice ….. only the other household sufferers!

    Tonight I will bring the cat to bed and stuff peppermint down the floor boards…plus I have been noticing a musty smell for a while, and now I know it was not just my imagination!!!!

  229. Linda has posted a tip on June 13, 2011, 10:25 pm

    Unbelievable how such small varmints can have such a hold on ones life. I just left one apartment where I had the mice under control. The only thing that worked for me was stuffing the holes with bulk steel wool and putting tape over that for added strength. The handy men at that apartment did such a poor job of finding the holes so I had to get my rotund behind in the floor and do it myself. Found one major hole where the electric stove plugged into the wall (under the plug) and two more under the cabinets by the floor. So then I get some new neighbors who were worse than the mice so I moved into this cozy little cottage in a wooded area. Oh my what a mistake. Two months later I’m hearing the chewing and saw a mouse run down my hall night before last ( a little fat brown mouse). So now the fight is on again and I’m here looking for some new tips cause I’m too old and disabled to get in the floor anymore looking for holes. Apparently the apt. owners knew about the problem cause everything under the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom already have steel wool in them and they did bring over some poison. I have put down wooden traps and glue boards but they have not worked —- yet.

    I’m going to see if I can find one of those motion detectors that sound and look like an owl — put several of them down with some rubber snakes and see if our local Lowes or Rural King has bobcat pee. Heres a tip I haven’t seen mentioned yet that my mom gave me several years ago. I don’t know if it worked or not so it might be worth a try. You throw a wedding for the mice. Set out jar lids full of wine and also set out another lid full of rice. Supposedly the mice get drunk and eat the rice which blows up in their little bellies and KA BOOM!!! Mousie implosion. :-) Someone told me long ago too that there is a product for home owners that comes in the form of sheets of metal (tin)?? This is placed around the house with one end being buried about a foot down and leaving about a foot or two above ground and this keeps the entry points down for mice — they can’t gnaw through it. They may either get so tired of trying or find one or two spots to get in that can easily be monitored and plugged as opposed to having to watch around the whole house.

    I should be somewhat use to the nasty little critters having been raised in the country but back then I had a cat and now they want as much rent for the cat as for myself in these apartments. So much for that. Anyway, thanks for all of the other tips. Surely something has to work eventually. Oh, one more thing. The lady who spoke about using plastic bins around the house — thats a very good idea. Keep clutter up off the floor and don’t have cardboard boxes in your closets and such cause they love to borrow in and make nests in your things. Definately keep food in containers and sweep up all crumbs and keep the trash outside. I even asked God last night if he would talk to his dear little creations and ask them nicely to go back into the woods. Perhaps thats the key. :-) Good luck everyone.

  230. Jay has posted a tip on June 14, 2011, 12:13 am

    Heard something in the kitchen, so I investigate….. I notice the kitchen trash bag has a hole chewed in the bottom of it. Now I’m pissed because I hate nasty vermin. Thanks to the wooded area behind the house, they seem to get in the house every other year.

    Tonight I hear the same sound in the kitchen, so I investigate…. this bastard has the nerve to run across the kitchen counter, down the wall and under the sink. I guess that really pissed me off, because I was cursing and talking sh*t to the vermin as I prepared for its Merciless DEATH. I set 4 traps (the 5th trap kept malfunctioning so I threw it out…I’m not in the vermin feeding business) with peanut butter smeared on a small piece of cardboard jammed into the trigger. I cut off the lights and didn’t even close the kitchen door all the way. Within 10 minutes I hear a SNAP!!! It may sound sinister, but I Smiled knowing the deed was done. After a slight rattle, all was quite in my kitchen again. 5 minutes later I return to the kitchen to find the same bastard face down dead on a Victor wooden trap. Now all I have to do is find out where the rodent got in and seal the hole. I may also spread moth balls in the back as well.

    Peanut butter and very sensitive wooden traps work great. But PREVENTION is Best. GOOD LUCK.

  231. Linda has posted a tip on June 14, 2011, 6:31 am

    OMG!!! Out of desperation for some sleep last night, I was grasping at straws — looking to see if I had any of the ingredients mentioned by others. I had tried the peppermint flavoring (wrong stuff) to no avail but in the bathroom was a tube of Vick’s vapor rub (the kind that is in a tube and rubs in — not the Vaseline type). I went around the apartment with a long stick and kept putting dabs of Vick’s on the tip and putting it up under the fridge, my hutch, around my bed, by the head of my bed where I hear a lot of activity in the wall, etc. I’m almost afraid to believe it worked!!! I didn’t hear a mousie sound all night!!! I looked on the tube this morning and the active ingredients are camphor and eucalyptus — two of the products mentioned several times on this site. Be still my heart!! :-) Those little belly draggin, beady eyed suckers can expect me to have a cold for a long time to come — hack hack — ACHOOOOOOO. :-) Wheres my Vapor Rub!!!

  232. Linda has posted a tip on June 15, 2011, 12:42 am

    Ok, well, it worked for the night but they are back again — probably never left. So, I have put down another round of Vicks in hopes that tonight I’ll get more sleep. It was actually so quiet last night that I slept about 10 hours. I was exhausted from fighting the nasty little varmints. Oh well, off to the store tomorrow for more supplies.

  233. holla has posted a tip on June 15, 2011, 10:11 pm

    Ok so this site made me crack up and feel better since we are all in this crap together! I live in a huge apartment building in the city and the little f’ers are everywhere!! in the beginning, they ate up the D-con poison like crazy and the glue traps were working like money. HOWEVER the little buggers have become geniuses and now hop over the glue traps, avoid the poison, etc. I clean my place vigilantly but still to no avail. One just ran across my floor 10 minutes ago, and I find that screaming bloody murder gets them to go away real quick haha :)

  234. G Hawkins has posted a tip on June 16, 2011, 4:18 pm

    Used the glue traps and caught several quickly the first day. Then they became smart to the traps and were avoiding them completely. Added chunky peanut butter dipped in honey which they cannot resist – again caught several. Several days later – Still hear scurrying in the walls in the kitchen and by the living room radiators – sprinkled garlic and cayanne pepper. Lit mint candles and now have not seen any in some time. If it works for vampires, the garlic will also scare these suckers away and is less work. Have not tried cinammon or mint tea yet, as that was the next course of action. I am now paranoid about leaving leftover dishes in the sink and fruits on my counter as I discovered the problem when one hopped out of a bag on purple seedless grapes. They love fruit – so don’t leave any out. Also vacume every couple of days now to avoid crumbs etc and put my toaster into a sealed bag when not in use. They make there ways in and out of toasters upwards of 10 times each night for crumbs, I though the yellow gook was old bread at the bottom, but it’s actually mouse urine – lovely New York, absolutely lovely. Hopefully the garlic trick continues !

  235. Conrad has posted a tip on June 16, 2011, 11:47 pm

    I found using peanut butter on snap traps is just feeding the mice in my house. I went to a farm supply store and found a product called Tom Cat, it’s a gel liquid bait and works VERY well…

  236. hannah has posted a tip on June 17, 2011, 11:47 am

    be calm and try too capture it an let it go outside, it workded out for me

  237. Linda has posted a tip on June 21, 2011, 3:55 am

    Well I’m back again for an update. I started out checking for holes and found the apt. complex had stopped up all obvious holes before I moved in. Then I heard the chewing, and then more and then more. Now the problem is horrendous. I started out putting down wooden mouse traps with peanut butter and also glue traps with sunflower seeds in the middle but neither of those worked. I then put out Decon. The mice wouldn’t touch it. I then took every tip I got from this site and went to the store. I bought Vicks Vapor Rub which worked for one night, peppermint oil (the strong stuff) which the mice seem to love. I put down rubber snakes and the mice walk by them and if they could speak, they would say — whats up bro!!! I tried menthol cough drops. I put down eucalyptus branches all under my bed and under my sofa and such. I sprinkled red pepper all around my base boards. I left lights on in my closets and put everything I own to plastic bins. I have banged on the walls and stomped to aggravate the little sobs back like they do me. I’ve tried cloves. For me, most of it was a total waste of money. The mice are worse now than ever. So I talked to my apt. manager today and they are sending in the big guns tomorrow to put some traps in the crawl space under my apt. and the handy man brought some special poison that he claims works very well for him and all the other tenants out here. I have my fingers crossed. I even put out a cup of Coke for the little @$$e$ to wash down the poison with. Funny thing tho, I was sitting here in my bedroom wondering if the traps were going to work. All of a sudden (about an hour ago) I hear this HUGE bang under my bedroom in the crawl space. It was so bad my windows were rattling. It scared me at first but the more I got to thinking about it the more I believe the lady behind me in the next apartment (who shares my crawl space) must have had someone come over and throw a huge firecracker under the floors. :-) It sounded like a couple of those old cherry bombs they use to sell and being as its close to July 4th, I’ll bet anything they are having a problem too and just decided to do a hillbilly cure. :-) Ya can’t blast the little varmints through the floor so just throw some smoky cherry bombs under the house. :-) Ok, now I’m hearing sounds from under my bed. Ya suppose one made it up here and is moaning and throwing up under my bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH YUK indeed!!!!! Anyway, I did want to mention something the handy man said today. He says there is some spray foam in a can you can buy ay any hardware store and its used to seal around windows and such. Seems mice don’t like to even try chewing through it so if you find some holes, you might want to try that as opposed to steel wool. I feel for all of you cause I can relate. I was raised in the country but I don’t remember ever having such a problem with mice nor do I remember them being so smart. My handyman says he has seen mice just jump over the glue traps cause they now know what they are. Do mice attend Micky Mouse University??? How did they get so danged smart? AND hardhead and devious and nasty and sneaky and and and —- did I mention smelly? The infestation here is so bad you can smell them when they come in. Its like they are wearing Eau de Woodland Mousie Poo Poo Water. YUKKKKK!!!! Heres one last little thing. I heard a saying once that went ‘God in his wisdom made the fly and then forgot to tell us why’. Well I have written one about the mouse. ‘God in his wisdom made the mouse so he could roam from house to house. I’d like to kill that mousie dead by kicking him in his little head’. God forgive me if I do. I’ll pay the price when time is due. Night all. :-) Sleep tight and don’t let the mousies bite. :-)

  238. Jordin Sparks has posted a tip on June 21, 2011, 6:06 pm

    I cut up several bars of Irish Spring soap and put it everywhere to drive them out of hiding – in the kitchen, under the sink , under the radiators, behind the stove, in every hole in the walls by pipes etc. I noticed they must have moved into one of the bedrooms because that room then had a very musty dead animal smell. I then proceeded to catch over 200 over the course of a month. I thought I had one, really thinking about moving into a new building. I was always wondering why I would hear my neighbors banging the floor and walls at night. They seem to hate irish spring strong mint smell and also pine sol which I now use every two days for mopping. I terms of how I caught them: I put sugar frosted flakes with peanut butter ( tons of it in a large garbage bag and laid it on the floor with 10 glue traps inside. Each one will with 3-5 mice per trap per day) Repeated exercise until none for two weeks. Caught 218 in 46 days. I live in a luxary doorman building in NYC. So much for luxary !

  239. Linda has posted a tip on June 21, 2011, 11:01 pm

    Jordin — how did you keep the glue traps from sticking to the garbage bag if the glue traps were inside? I have field mice here and they seem to be quite intelligent — jumping over glue traps and leaving peanut butter on the wooden traps. Seems they just come in here to play and make a nest but I never find anything of mine eaten on. Then again I have most everything in plastic bins so there is not much they can get too. Someone threw a Cherry Bomb (4th of July fireworks) up under my crawl space last night. It was so loud it rattled the windows but the mice were back again this morning. The pest control came out and put down traps under the apartment as well so time will tell if they work. It does seem to me that the mice have been feeding on the poison that the handy man brought over yesterday here in the apartment. Yet tonight I still hear a little rustling in the bedroom and in the kitchen. I have a lot of Irish Spring soap in the bathroom closet tho and will try that in my bedroom tonight. I can tell you tho that my mice have walked all over the peppermint oil, eucalyptus branches, menthol sugar free cough drops, peppermint tea bags, rubber snakes, red pepper, Vicks vapor rub and D-con and Coke. They snub the glue traps with the sunflower seeds on them. Peanut butter in the wooden traps is still there. I haven’t given up yet tho. :-)

  240. Jordin has posted a tip on June 22, 2011, 12:53 am

    Hi,

    I simply laid my plastic garbage bin flat on the floor, so they could walk into it like a tent. I put 4 traps laid at right angles with a pile of goodies in the middle of each 4 traps – times 3. I was amazed they kept going in despite their pals being stuck. I have been told they will even feed on their caught pals if hungry enough.

    Now that they are gone, I want to keep them gone. Is the oil of peppermint trick as good as the irish spring soap? I found a pack of altoids mints and it has oil of peppermint.

    also – one of the critters I caught must have been mighty mouse because it’s a foot long and weight about a pound.

  241. Martha has posted a tip on June 22, 2011, 4:21 am

    I don’t have a tip for you guys, just wanted to say I’m in the same boat as the rest of you….I have an infestation..i use the glue traps because I want to catch and release them, I use coconut oil to get them off the boards… I’ve tried the peppermint essential oil, but hasn’t helped and yes they get smart and don’t get on the glue boards, except the babies. My 2 pits are mouse hunters and will tear up the house trying to catch one, they have killed about 50. I know when they are having babies as I don’t see any activity for about a week. I keep everything in plastic, glass or tin, but they will eat the wires on your blender or microwave or can opener…so look for problems there.
    I have stuffed the holes in my house with wire, but i think I’m going to try the tape.
    I have used ammonia under my cabinet but it has to be replaced periodically as they will show back up after the smell is gone.
    I can’t use poison because while my dogs don’t eat them they do “chew” on them. I have tried the bobcat stuff…no success with that. I also have rats outside on my porch but I don’t care if they are outside just don’t want them in my house.
    I’m going to try some of the other remedies on this site tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.
    Good Luck everyone and please, please if you try something that works don’t forget to come back here and tell everyone.
    thanks

  242. Linda has posted a tip on June 23, 2011, 9:19 am

    Well Jordin, that big fella sounds more like a rat. Yikes!! I get what your saying now about the other thing. You mean’t to say a bin but mentioned a garbage bag in the first entry which is what confused me. Right now I am waiting to see if the pest control people are going to be able to cure this problem for me before I go any further. The oil of Peppermint didn’t do an ounce of good. Our pest control people here in my town are called SWAT and they use a special poison which has grain in it and looks like big green logs. The difference between it and D-Con is when the mice eat it, they die and dry up from the inside so there is no mess or smell. At present I do not know the name of the product they use but if it works, I will find out and let you know. Those with pets would not be able to use it however. The traps with this poison were put in my crawlspace under my apartment on Monday morning and later that day the handy man brought me some to put out in every room. This is Thursday morning and I am hearing much less activity except for the one or two mice who seem to have come into my apartment permanently. They will eventually have to eat the poison as I do not leave anything out which they can get into. All my food products are in bins or in the fridge except canned goods. Also it may help some of you to know that there is a difference in mice. IF you have the field mice like I do then your in for extra trouble because they are super intelligent. City mice may be smart too but the ratio of mice and rats to lack of enough food might entice them to be a little less cautious and might be more easily trapped. I did try the Irish Spring soap and they seem to be stepping all over it here so all the above things I have mentioned do not work for me. I did find a motion sensor in a catalog that I’m going to buy and try next month. Its an owl that hoots and its eyes light up red when something passes in front of it. I’ll put it in the kitchen floor and tip it a little so it can detect anything running across its path. At least that will let me know how much they are out at night and I’m hoping it will run them off as well. Jordin, in your case I think you are never going to get your problem cured in such a big building so my advice to you is get some steel wool and/or sealing foam in a can and go over every crack and crevice in your apartment and seal off every entry. It only takes a 1/4 inch space for a mouse to squeeze thru so be sure to go over every inch of the space under your sinks and around the floors in closets, etc. That was the only thing that worked for me in my last apartment (steel wool in the holes with duck tape over it to hold it in). Well thats it for today. I’ll be back in a day or two to let you know if the poison is working. Good luck.

  243. Tessa has posted a tip on June 24, 2011, 10:21 am

    Hey, i’ve been reading all the post and i’m so glad i found this site, makes me know that i’m not alone. I’ve had mice problem since the day i moved in (3years ago) but didn’t see the mice for a long time until now and i’m extremley terrified of them to the point that i’ve starved my self due to my fear of going to coo in the kitchen only clean it and have not slept properly for 4 days now in fear of them climbing on my bed or posioning my food. It really isn’t a nice thing to see mice in your home. I’ve tried peppermint oil, moth bolls, glue traps, snap traps and have called an exterminator. To be honest they don’t seem to work, infact i saw one 20 minutes run past the moth bolls and with the snap traps they juet ate round the snap, I’m so scared of these unwanted guests. Will try the bobcat urine, just wondering where in the Uk shops i can find them to buy? It seems that most shops don’t have them. Really need help. I pray that these mice will finally go back to where they came from and not gain access to our house, so we can gain our homes back again a stress free environment. Best of luck everyone. Hope everything goes well :) .

  244. Kimberly V has posted a tip on June 25, 2011, 2:30 am

    We were mouse free for over five years!It is 3AM and I am wide awake just having caught 3 of these pests within an hour. I saw one in my den go racing by, then in the hallway and then in the kitchen. IT ALMOST RAN OVER MY FEET! Next the bedroom. I ran out and got the Tom Cat sticky traps. I get the long ones and a few smaller ones as well. Have to admit it can get pretty expensive tossing out those big traps with only one mouse on it, but I cannot stand them,thus my inability to sleep.

    I think our problem is due to a dryer vent system that goes through the crawl space in our home. If it is possible, I think they are crawling into the dryer and hitching a ride upstairs in the pocket of my husbands shirts. Lesson; don’t leave clothes in the dryer. Also, I found a bag of birdseed that had turned over in the closet. Tossing it at daylight and doing a thorough closet cleaning. Moving all birdseed and cat food to a detached garage. Yes, we have outdoor cats,but with the heat they are staying away from the porch and under a shady tree.

    Trying not to freak out about this, but I am really disgusted and ready to call a pest control service.

  245. Linda has posted a tip on June 29, 2011, 6:02 am

    Well I’m back. Swat Pest Control came in about 5 days ago or so and put out poison and the mouse activity did decrease a little after the 2nd day. However, it appears that the mice have now left the crawl space where the poison is and headed up to my attic and inner walls. I called our apartment manager again and they said they would put some poison down in the attic as well this week. Here again tho, I have to resort back to the one and only thing that ever truly worked for me and that was stuffing the holes with steel wool (the kind sold in bulk at hardware stores) and then putting duct tape over it to hold it in place. Yes, the mice will eventually chew new holes so you have to check now and then if you see new activity after you get the others out. Mice only need a quarter of an inch to squeeze thru so you need to stuff every little hole you can find specially under your sinks and behind appliances. Also under cabinets at the floor level. Get in the floor with a flash light and all the other stuff needed and go over every inch. I hate the little varmints as well and I too stay up for days at a time until I’m so exhausted I pass out. If I were only young again and agile, I would tear my house down and check every inch of the walls and such myself. The peace of mind is worth it. Be sure to keep a watch on the underside of your sofas, chairs, and box springs as mice will burrow into them and make nests. I have a friend who had a sofa in her workshop (she also lives by the woods)where she does art work. The mice got into her sofa and tore it to pieces under the cushions. If you ever want to know what they are capable of — watch the documentary on how the movie BEN was made. They would spread peanut butter on one side of a wall and the rats could smell it through the wood and they would chew and chew until they got to it. If you want your kitties to chase the mice — feed your cat less so he or she is slightly hungry at night. Its good exercise for the cat and you have to buy less cat food. :-) Cats are rather fond of mouse mousse. :-) Yeah Kimberly — definately check that dryer vent. I just plugged mine up last week and I think I’ve trapped a critter in here cause he can’t go back out of the pipe (theres no dryer hooked up to it right now). More to come.

  246. Linda has posted a tip on June 29, 2011, 6:18 am

    By the way Kim. You really need to store that bird seed in plastic containers or you will keep drawing mice to your home. To Tessa — your canned stuff is pretty well safe in the kitchen but store all boxed foods in a plastic bin as well. If you feel mice are running through your silverware — put them in large ziplock plastic baggies. If need be (until you get rid of your mice), store your dishes in plastic as well. Don’t give the critters anything to eat. They like your home well enuff without furnishing their meals too. Hope that helps. I keep a container of those disinfectant wipes in my kitchen and wipe down all surfaces before I cook and I now keep something over the top of my toaster at night. I have a witches brew under my bed of Irish spring soap, eucalyptus branches, and Celestial Peppermint tea bags with drops of Peppermint oil on each one. For the past two nights I have not noticed any mice running under my bed. I too am horrified to think one would crawl in bed with me but strangely they seem to know I’m here and they haven’t tried that yet. If they do then I’m out of here for sure. :-) I’ve had two rats in my bed in my lifetime (husbands) so I sure don’t want a mouse now. I guess if something rattles my bed at night now I’ll have to ask ——— are you a man or a mouse!:-)

  247. Jordin Sparks has posted a tip on June 30, 2011, 1:17 am

    Help me, please – they are back again !

    I think my building is a breeding ground. I hear noise at night on my ceiling now – lots of scampering, and asked my neighbors upstairs how many cats they have – not cats, no dogs. You know what that means.

    They are now avoiding the traps I have set, and set up shot in my bedroom, because I can smell them. I felt something bite my foot last night and I screamed like hell. Going to a hotel tomorrow. I give !

  248. Linda has posted a tip on June 30, 2011, 6:12 am

    Jordin, I know exactly how you feel. Swat Pest control put poison in my crawlspace and now the mice have moved into my attic and walls. I know the instant they get in because they give off such a nasty musky odor. If you live in a big apartment building, the owner should be responsible for the problem. If he or she doesn’t want to do anything about it, call the Board of Health and talk to them. In the meanwhile — since you seem to have so many mice, they breed too fast for just you to get them under control. It has to be a whole building project. For now tho, your only hope seems to be finding the holes where they are coming in and seal them shut with steel wool. The steel wool can be found in the paint department at your local hardware store and is fairly cheap in the bulk package. I got mine here for around $3 a bag and I bought about 6 bags of the fine grade. Get that and a roll of Duct Tape and plug plug plug. Every tiny hole you can find is a possibility so don’t pass over any thinking they don’t look big enough. Mice get smart after a while and they know where their friends have been killed before so they avoid those things. You probably only made a dent in the problem but its just apparently too big for you to fight alone. Take care. You have my sympathy.

  249. Todd has posted a tip on July 1, 2011, 11:21 am

    I have found mice in my shed for years which normally wouldn’t be a problem since they are not in my house but they get into the ride-on mower and make a mess. They also stink up the shed because of their urine and feces. I looked around for different ideas on the web and none seemed to work for anyone. I then thought about the methods that people were having some sucess like peppermint oil. It’s logical to believe that since mice rely heavily on sense of smell that they would be bothered by strong odors and probably stay away. It seems people have said peppermint oil tends to fade away after a day or two. I am trying WD40 since it stinks and will probably last awhile. I am spraying it at the base of the shed inside and out. I don’t have any cats to help me and traps don’t work for long so this better work. I will re-post and give an update on my sucess or failure.

  250. Jordin Sparks has posted a tip on July 3, 2011, 7:24 am

    Wanted to thank everyone again for all the tips. Have been staying at the W hotel all week. Finally getting sleep. One of my neighbors told me that when you kill a bunch, others in the building come to your apartment to feed on their corpses and also take over their food supplies. So, you are all correct – they breed way too fast, and I cannot control what my neighbors are doing about the problem. I even heard that one of my neighbors likes to feed them like his pets and leaves pet food out and seeds for them. I mean what the heck is that? Crazy. I did speak with the Super, and he said the best course of action ( along with the traps and poison ) was to buy buy pepperment altoids, crush them up and mix with hot water in spray bottle and spray behind the stoves, fridge, sinks, and radiators every day. The radiatiors are their favorite entry points because the piping and holes in the floor. Will try this when I get home, though I figure staying in a hotel will starve them for a few weeks. Update to follow, thanks again my friends.

  251. Joanne has posted a tip on July 4, 2011, 1:44 am

    Thanks to all for the helpful tips. I believe as I write this -my mouse is trapped in the pantry (?)-put towel under door after throwing oil of peppermint cotton balls under door where a no kill trap w pb and dog food in it already in there, and did same to hot water heater area as well AND I have an electric high frequency sensor plugged in since yesterday. I plan to leave things status quo till tomorrow. This is a drag !

  252. Jami has posted a tip on July 4, 2011, 7:55 am

    Thanks to everyone who offered tips. I had a mouse problem several years ago and now they are back. A few nights ago my daughter and I were watching tv in my room when we heard stange sounds. We think it was two mice fighting over a crumb. The noices were so loud that we were shocked. Mice are usually quiet. We know it’s mice because of the droppings. The last time we had them we used a sticky traps. All of a sudden we heard noices like a small baby crying. We had caught a mouse in a sticky trap but were too afraid to touch the trap with the live mouse on it. We stayed up all night listening to the crying mouse. We had the lights on and we noticed a second mouse trying to free the first mouse from the trap. It was pitiful and sad at the same time. Now here we are dealing with the same problem again. Going to Home Depot to stock up on traps then to get some Irish Spring and peppermint oil. Hopefully we will soon be free of them.

  253. Jaimee has posted a tip on July 5, 2011, 1:10 pm

    What has worked for me is Tomcat. I live in an older house out in the country and I pretty much figure I’ll forever have to keep field mice from moving in. The particular product I use from Tomcat is like bait. These green pellets make mice thirsty. They head back outside and die. Before they do you’ll see where they pooped and it’s same color as bait. It’s actually a good sign.. Means they ate it and will shortly croak. I’ve only ever had 1 croak inside my house. I keep this stuff in certain areas all year long. I hope this post helps!

  254. Sharon has posted a tip on July 6, 2011, 6:01 am

    I was watching a neighbors house and taking care of her dogs. I saw a mouse run past me, grabbed a broom, and gladly beat him to death and shoved him out the patio door. Then another one came out and was moving slow. I found out that she had poison out for them, that’s why he was slow. If you can catch them moving slow, just knock the daylights out of them. I found a dead mouse in my basement recently. I don’t know why he died, but it stunk for weeks. I think that he had no food to keep his belly full. My plan is to hit the hardware store and get some enclosed traps, and some poison bait, and make a feist of peanut butter, maybe a few sunflower seeds. I’m going to use gloves when I handle this, because they will smell the human scent on the traps. If he has any mouse family in my basement, they aren’t going to make it out alive. Infact, I think I will keep a garden shovel handy, and if I happen to see one, he’s a goner.

    QUESTION: Hey has anybody tried anything like a Renuzit air freshener. They don’t like the mint smell, so if you got something stinky like evergreen they might not like that in all corners of the basement.

    My Dad used to tell me~”always keep the garage door closed” especially when fall hits. Well, I didn’t listen. I was cleaning out the garage with the overhead door open, and I swear I heard a mouse laugh at me. He made it in, but he’s not going to make it out. I will get him one way or another. Also, early this month I had a baby bunny trapped in the garage that had been in there for 2 1/2 days in 90 degree weather. I caught him and revived him, and set him free. Then last year I had a snake crawling up my garage door that ended up falling when I let the door down and he went inside, and he was a big one. I sucked it up the next day, got into my small garage very quickly, backed the car out, and found him. I took a rake after him, and he was pissed! I’m going NINJA on the snakes too, there were 5 in my yard when we were mowing.

    Keep your doors shut and seal up holes.

  255. Linda has posted a tip on July 7, 2011, 6:13 am

    I’m back. :-) I must say I am very hopeful at this point that my problem seems to be solved or extremely close to it. Swat Pest Control put down some poison and it worked within a week. However I did seem to have one stray mouse who alluded the poison. It would seem I could hear him running along the wall in back of my sofa and then I would hear something around my fridge in the next room. It sounded like (the only way I know to describe it) — a mouse coming in through something metal like a little mouse door like they have for dogs. Next I would hear chewing, then silence, then scratching in my bedroom. I have a small bungalow in a wooded area. Anyway, all the noise seemed to happen after I heard the noise in back of my sofa so I went outside and sure enough there was a vent close to the ground. My landlady tells me its a dryer vent. Well I put a whole bag of steel wool in it (which would have to be removed of course if I purchase a dryer) but I do believe I have found the point of entry!!!!!!! I’m almost afraid to believe it so I’m holding my breath but NO chewing in at least 3 to 4 days now. No rustling, no scratching, none of those clicking noises that they make — just silence. So somewhere between this special poison and plugging up that vent seems to have done the deed for me. Whew! I can sleep now! Hey Todd, you might do well to try that bucket of water trap. I’ve heard it really does work. I think the directions are earlier in this thread but briefly — a bucket half full of water, a ramp leading to the top, bait placed on something like a plastic spoon over the middle of the bucket but barely secured so when the mouse steps on it to go get the bait, the spoon falls with the mouse and the mouse falls in the water and drowns. Worth a try. Good luck.

  256. Nichole has posted a tip on July 7, 2011, 1:45 pm

    I need help. We live @ my mother in laws rite now & no 1 cleans up after themselves. so dishes are left sitting around and there are mice everywhere. The glue traps seem to do the trick….the ones that you can fold so they go thru them. i cant get people to understand that if they are feeding the mice its no wonder theres a mouse problem. someone said its just part of living in the country but thats bs. if people keep their house clean…especially the kitchen…keep dishes washed and food out of their reach they will have no reason to stay. the mouse infestation really bothers me especially bc i have a 4 month old & all i can think about is what if they crawl around on him while hes asleep or awake for that matter. i guess that would be the straw that broke the camels back & we’d be out of here. wish me luck on convincing ppl that their cleanliness is what helps keep the mice away! I sure do hate the little b@#%A%*?!

  257. Fed up with mice has posted a tip on July 7, 2011, 1:46 pm

    I have been reading your stories for days now, in an attempt to find something that works, and continues to work, for our mouse problem. I can’t help laughing at some of your stories. I am not one bit afraid of mice, but just don’t want them living in my house. Ever since our last cat died, we have had a mouse problem. I refuse to get cats again, so I will have to battle this mouse problem alone.

    I will not use snap traps or glue traps, and have caught about 10 mice this past years with the humane traps, baited with almost anything, including potato chips. But the other night as I slept I heard the traps rattling around and knew I had caught two more. Unfortunately, before I could get up in the morning and take them outside, the two of them figured out how to open up that little door and get out! Little buggers!

    Tonight, I am going to set up a peanut butter party for them in the garage, with the buckets and rulers, baited with peanut butter. I’ll keep you guys posted on my success.

  258. BOB KOW has posted a tip on July 10, 2011, 9:24 am

    STICKY PADS (PAPER). TO USE THIS PRODUCT CORRECTLY, FIND THEIR RUNNING ROUTE OR JUST PLACE THE STICKY PADS ALONG THE EDGE OF WALLS, ENTRANCES, IN THE ROOM WHERE YOU SEE THEM OR SUSPECT THEIR PRESENCE. I CAUGHT MANY DOING THIS. I RESIDE IN AN RURAL AREA SURROUNDED BY WOODS. BEEN HERE FOR 6 YRS. AND THIS IS FIRST FOR THE LITTLE PESTS TO INVADE OUR HOME. HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT THEIR WAY OF GETTING IN THE HOUSE (YET??)…. HOPE THIS HELPS…

  259. Helen has posted a tip on July 12, 2011, 2:55 am

    i have heard Misery Loves Company. Well reading all these posts have made me feel better. I live in a wood frame house and since its been so hot, the mice have stared coming in like they live here too. Im going to follow the tips..peppermint oil…Filling cracks with steel wool. I hate these things.. if I was really go..id get a b b gun and get ta blastin um!..lol…thanks for the tips…

  260. Uncle Fred has posted a tip on July 12, 2011, 3:46 am

    We’re in Spain. And every country that we’ve lived in, the solution is the same. If you put out traps with food on them, the mice realize there is food in the vicinity and you get more of them, and they also learn the traps and how to evade them. If you use poison, they adapt to it; learn from dead mice feces what not to eat and thus become “smarter”; and you risk them carrying poison around, dying in walls, etc. But if you get a kitten, not a cat, the kitten (female) will learn to hunt them and will ALWAYS hunt them. It will stand proxy for you at night. It will wait by the fridge for more than three hours for that little tiny thing to come out. ie, it OBSESSES like the bejesus, so you don’t have to. It will tell you when you have things living in the walls…not just mice (you’ve seen those “crazy” cats staring at things that aren’t there…well, they are there. You just can’t see them, but a cat hears them. A CAT knows what they are). It will hunt them with it’s dying breaths. And the mice will leave you alone. Because mice can adapt to almost anything, but the only adaptation they have for a cat THAT HUNTS THEM from birth/youth, is to leave. Sure, they’ll try to come back every chance they get, and you’ll see the occasional mouse in the jaws of your beloved new best friend. And that’s the mouse that they sent out to scout your place. And guess what…your cat just said “f you” for you. Yeah, you might be allergic, then move. If your lease doesn’t allow for cats, then move. If you think it’s cruel to kill things, think about what it’s like to live a life without sleep and with something shitting on you and your dishes and shoes and eating things that you worked for. Add it all up, and a cat is your best friend…cheaper and more permanent, unless you think a cat is a toy and needs to be spoiled and have its fur done in bows, etc.

  261. Anne has posted a tip on July 13, 2011, 2:03 pm

    crushed alker selzer wrapped in bread with soda beside it works well also.

  262. mike has posted a tip on July 14, 2011, 11:16 am

    im sittin here at the comp now at 5.15 pm n can see at least 5 or 6 of them jus outside my window, they tend to stay near the drain and when get scared run up the washin machine drain, there only small and brown but i really dont like them, have tried sprayin the drain with bleach n anti bacterial as thats all i have in the house atm, ne more suggestions??? please help..!

  263. Heather has posted a tip on July 15, 2011, 4:33 am

    Wondering if anyone has tried seeds to get rid of mice? We have them in my building and at first I was given these two completely useless black boxes as well as the sticky traps. One of the boxes is under my stove and the mouse actually sits beside the damn thing munching his little heart away. The sticky traps are no better, I think I’d get caught on one before the mouse ever will.

    Recently, my landlord gave me some seeds and told me she has caught 3 of them with these. It’s my understanding that mice LOVE seeds. One site I read said that the mice will get dehydrated by them and die. Yet on other sites they say, seeds are their favorite food.

    So I’m not sure if this is going to work or if he’s going to tell all his little mouse friends that there’s a buffet in my kitchen. Regardless, I think I am going to give the old fashioned mouse trap a whirl and see if he takes the bait. For anyone willing to try this, I also read that potato flakes work to kill them as well. As they puff up in their stomachs and are hard for mice to digest.

    All I know is I am tired of having this little fella run past my feet causing me to have a minor heart attack on a nightly basis…

  264. Heather F. has posted a tip on July 15, 2011, 8:20 pm

    I’ve had mice twice, and the best solution I’ve found is a combination of glue pads (garage) and these little plastic traps that are spring loaded and squash the little suckers (kitchen). The only drawback with the plastic traps is that they are meant for a single use, but I’m willing to pay a little extra to be able to just pick up the trap by the little carrying handle and not have to see blood or guts. VICTOR brand sells one, and I found one other brand (purchased at Lowe’s Hardware). Out of about ten that I’ve bought, one was defective, but overall, they have worked effectively. I sealed a bunch of cracks with foam, and that has helped, but packing the steel wool in the kitchen nooks didn’t help. They pushed, not chewed, it out of the way. I tried the humane catch and release traps, but I had the same mice coming back, so I decided a permanent solution was in order. At any rate, good luck to you all in your rodent extermination efforts.

  265. Kimberly V has posted a tip on July 17, 2011, 6:52 am

    It’s been almost 3 weeks and I am back and so is my mouse problem. A few weeks back, I removed birdseed and cat food from indoors as I was sure that was the problem. I also moved my outdoor sealed garbage can away from my house. I bought oil of peppermint and have been using that at entry ways and under the porch. They must not be using the door to enter!

    Would you believe I caught another one earlier this week on a sticky trap AND saw one this morning in the kitchen? This one must be smarter than it’s buddies because it avoided the sticky traps. I saw it on my range and tossed a sticky trap with some chocolate on it on the range top. One of the chocolate pieces fell on the range and I would not dare touch the range for fear of the mouse. So, I went back an hour later and it had taken the chocolate and avoided the sticky trap all together. This is an older stove and I think they have taken up residence in it. Thank goodness, I already ordered a new range and this old one will be out the door soon.

    It is daylight now and I am on my way to buy steel wool, duct tape, vector traps, sticky traps,and anything else to rid my home of these pests. Sticky traps always worked well for me, but I’ve learned a few things. Sticky traps don’t solve the problem as they don’t keep them out and I still haven’t found out where they are getting in.

    Iam so sleepy as I sit here watching an Orkin Pest Control commercial that begins with “Got mice in your home?”

  266. aw has posted a tip on July 17, 2011, 2:16 pm

    I cant find peppermint oil would peppermint flavored mouthwash work? My neighbors ripped out all their wall to remodel and all of a sudden they are coming into our pantry we’ve bought 3 loaves of bread in a week and caught 3 of them with traps but this is getting costly…

  267. Kimberly V has posted a tip on July 17, 2011, 10:04 pm

    aw,

    You can find Oil of Peppermint at most health food stores, but make sure that it is the real oil and not peppermint that flavors food. I bought a small bottle for about $6.00 and am glad now that I did not buy a larger more expensive bottle. It worked for me about two weeks, but I have it out now and just caught 2 mice, so I hope better results for you. I surrender and will call a pest management company in the morning.

  268. Linda has posted a tip on July 20, 2011, 8:32 am

    I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaack. And do I still have a mouse problem??? You betcha!!!! Before I start ranting and raving tho I would like to say to Nichole that she is right about keeping food up out of the way and keeping dishes washed and cereals, rice, oatmeal, and things of that nature in plastic bins. Anything in a box can be chewed thru. Keep floors mopped with Pine Sol. Cooking and eating utensils can be stored in plastic baggies in your drawers so your not licking mouse poo off your fork with the mash potatoes your eating. However, I have to say Nicole that I don’t leave anything, not even a crumb on the floor out for the mice to eat and yet I still have them. I’ve even stopping cooking except for rare occasions. I buy something out, hurry and eat it and get the bags and papers in the trash outside. Yet —- I still have mice. So heres a brief review of what didn’t work for me. Mice actually jump over glue boards, they find ways to steal food off of snap traps or else they leave them alone entirely. We have poison all under the crawl space, in the attic, and in the house and the mice ignore it and its suppose to be the best from Swat Pest Control. Electronic traps don’t work nor do the plug in sound devices that are suppose to ward off mice. Under my bed I have eucalyptus branches, Irish Spring Soap, Celestial Peppermint tea bags with drops of peppermint oil on them, rubber snakes, and menthol cough drops. The mice run through it like its not even there. I put a motion sensor under my bed so when a mouse runs by, it lights up. Apparently all the mouse is doing is taking advantage of the spotlight to do a little dance. I have packed every crack with steel wool and foam to no avail. Apparently I’m missing the entry point. Its too expensive to have a cat here. I have put out wine and rice, Coke, all that stuff that is designed to swell up in the mouse and make his belly explode but they won’t touch it. I’ve tried Vicks salve and menthol throat spray. Nothing seems to bother them. I’m beginning to think I had better get a bunch more plastic bins, pack up everything I own in them and seal them with duct tape then sit here and wait until my lease is up and get the %$## up out of here. I’m out of options. The only thing that happened from all this was I had a rubber snake outside on my porch. Apparently another snake came along and fell in love with it and shed its skin next to my rubber snake. :-) And now I’m being told I should be happy snakes are around cause they eat mice!!!!!!! To be honest, I don’t want either one of them around. So, I’m back looking for options or else I’ll be moving if I can’t get rid of them.. We’ll see. Oh by the way, whoever it was that was going to leave seeds out for the mice —- you’ll just be feeding them and they will be back for more. I’ve heard they like dog food so I have some soft dog treats and I’m going to mash up alittle of that poison and mix it into the dog treat and see if they will take that. Probably not but I have nothing to lose at this point. Good luck all.

  269. brandon has posted a tip on July 20, 2011, 3:13 pm

    tried peppermint oil—–> sucks, now i have to listen to my gf tell me i told u so….

    tried glue traps——> sucked more, waste of time

    now im rocking with Shake-Away and it is a life-saver!

    philly has a rodent problem due to its close proximity to rivers, and i have a historically rennovated house that probably housed generations of mice prior to arrival. I recommend that you drop the bounce sheets, drop the mothballs, and drop the cotton balls. PAY FOR SHAKE AWAY and be done with NONSENSE… unless u like the so called “wars”… its like 15 bucks, by now youve spent more than that in these make-shift devices that have failed you numerously…. and im a real customer, im not pushing this product for the company’s sales. it works! it uses the natural predators urine! Period. 1000 times better than kitty litter, and who has time for trips to the zoo to get snake droppings?

  270. rat trapper has posted a tip on July 23, 2011, 1:30 am

    Got em…hate em…and need help killing them.
    Almost burn’t my house down because i was going to broil some steaks, because we like them med rare to rare…walked away…came back to living room and it was filled with smoke…bad smell terrible permeated the air…then opened oven and saw flames shooting from broiler pan…opened broiler and it was on fire ….tons of built up isulation on fire…cat toys..haha,,, and other plastic stuff…then found large mama rat in daughters barbie drawer…for fuc- sake…enogh is enough…then we bought those sonic devices…seemed to be great…but just when sleeping was back in force…they are back…scampering thru my kitchen…aaaaggghhh…i was so embarassed and told no one of this for fear of judgement and a bad blow to daughter’s esteem…no one wants to sleep over..etc..then i go on this site, and wow..am def not hte only one and see the scetchy comedy re these lil bastards. And now alll movies seem to be about thes shitheads i cannot stand…haha…going to try sleeping..i got not even one hour at that!…good luck,

  271. Louise has posted a tip on July 25, 2011, 12:27 am

    I mixed peanut butter and dried potato flakes, put them in sno-cone cups and placed them where we saw mouse droppings. They ate them up. Finally when they had gotten enough water in them the potato flakes expanded in their tummies and they died. We found them all over the house. They have been gone for 4 months and now we have either a mouse or a rat running around. Our village calls Children and family services if you have mice in your house. They make you live in a hotel on your dime until you rid the house of the mice. Other people have mice problems and don`t hae to deal with their village kicking them out of their houses. Now I have no clue what to do. HELP?

  272. Linda has posted a tip on July 26, 2011, 3:37 am

    As I sit here typing, the stench of the little varmints is in the air in my bedroom and living room. I can tell every time one comes in. I never see it but I hear it and smell it. I’ve done everything I know to do except get a cat or move. For temporary relief tonight I got some Isodettes sore throat spray and spritzed it around the walls and they are not likeing that one bit but they keep coming back every hour or so to check and see if the coast is clear. I have 9 months left on my lease and I can guarentee the day it is up, I will be out of here. Until then all I can do is keep warding them off temporarily with Vicks salve, menthol, Irish Spring, eucalyptus branches, and peppermint oil. Nothing on the wooden traps is working, the glue traps aren’t working, the poison isn’t working. Its like they’re thumbing their nose at me and laughing. Tomorrow I’m going to order one of those owl motion sensors out of Carol Wrights catalog I believe it is and I’m going to put it in my attic and maybe get one for my bedroom. This one has light up eyes and hoots very loudly it says. Since owls are a mouses worst enemy besides a cat, I’m thinking that might deter them for awhile. Maybe some cat poo from my friends cat box to put up under the crawlspace would work but then my apartment would smell like eau de kitty and I wouldn’t want that either. I’ve always heard if we had an atom bomb dropped on us, the only thing that would survive would be a roach. I think they need to add mice and rats to that list. Anyone know the Pied Piper personally?? If you see him, tell him I will give him A-N-Y-thing if he will come take my mice away. But at this point I still remain —— Hopeless in Indiana

  273. lucy has posted a tip on July 27, 2011, 3:01 pm

    I would reccomened to use the sticky rat glue mats and put them around your house. The mouse will get caught onto them.

  274. neelam has posted a tip on July 31, 2011, 7:59 am

    ok so i have a tip well its not really a tip but yh dnt stuff the holes with plastic bags or newspaper they chew through it we have had mice for about a month and im sure there coming from next door i really dont know what to do tried traps and poison etc i dnt care if the plan is inhumane if you guys know a really effective tried and tested method please let me know cos my little baby bo is living with my mother cos of these stupid mice
    please please help!!!!!!

  275. neelam has posted a tip on July 31, 2011, 8:00 am

    I MEANT MY LITTLE BABY BOY LOL

  276. Todd D has posted a tip on August 2, 2011, 4:10 pm

    Here’s a tip that works for mice AND chipmunks. I have a an old hunting cabin that gets it’s fair share of mice, and we even had a bunch of chipmunks move into the attic during the winter. Do this if you have NO DOGS OR KIDS AROUND as this can be deadly to them… but if you have places they can’t access it’s great.. i take styrofoam cups and cut the bottom off, leaving the cup about 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch deep – i fill a little bit of automotive anti-freeze in the cup and lay them around the paths where they come and go. Mice do not have great eyesight and travel along the edge of walls. They are nocturnal and you typically won’t see them during the day. If you see dirt marks or oily dark marks on your walls that’s a sign they frequent that area. The anti-freeze is very sweet but extremely toxic and deadly. They love it and drink it up in droves. I would have empty cups in 1-2 days. The mice will die within a day or 2, guaranteed.

    I had dead chipmunks laying all around the outside of my cabin as they escaped with excrutiating stomach pain and hemorraging i’m sure! If you dog or cat drinks this, they will die. It is highly toxic. So Please be careful if you use this method. Especially around children. Don’t use RV antifreeze (the pink stuff) it is non-toxic and doesn’t work. The only problem i’ve found with this is the carcasses could be in the walls or attic and smell until they dry out. Good luck.

  277. ERIC has posted a tip on August 4, 2011, 1:56 am

    Go to a hunting/fishing supply store and buy some fox piss. Spray or pour around the outside perimeter of your home. If you have any left, throw the open bottle or container under your home. Now go inside your home and open all internal doors (bathroom, closets, pantry, etc.) Place glue traps in all internal doorways, not just on the edges of doorways, but all the way across. It may take several to span the length of your doorways. There is a brand of glue traps called Catchmaster that are about 6 inches long, these work better. Mice will go nuts and you should catch them all in a couple of days. Only drawback is, if you have a lot of internal doorways, your gonna spend a good bit on glue traps, but its better than living with mice. I have used this technique on hunting cabins and everywhere that I have had a mouse problem. Good Luck!

  278. Brian has posted a tip on August 6, 2011, 4:20 am

    I mixed up some poison pellets with peanut butter. They scarfed it down. I tried the cement powder shook up with cereal and that worked too.(it has to be kept dry) A guy at the hardware store suggested putting out antifreeze,that worked too.(don’t put it where other non-pest animals will drink it because it works on them all.The old green stuff).Happy hunting,and may you all be pest free soon:-)

  279. Sonya has posted a tip on August 10, 2011, 10:19 am

    My experience in the 3 short months that I have been living in Philly, is that you must change your defense against these critters every month or so. They are very smart. I’ve used D-Con, which is effective but can’t stand smelling the decaying bodies and the professional green logs, but I can’t afford to continually purchase the poison. I’ve used old fashioned traps baited with peanut butter and glue traps. This has caught plenty but, of course, others keep coming in. And who likes to pick up the sometimes messy catch?

    I started using Mouse Away brand solids (refreshing them weekly with peppermint oil) about a month ago. Seemed to be working fine but, this morning, discovered droppings within inches of the solids and I had just refreshed them yesterday. I plan to cover the entries that I am aware of with steel wool return to the glue traps this week. I will try the Shake Away stuff, too. I am considering getting a cat. I believe the row of houses in which I live here in Philly is infested, so mouse patrol is now a part of my daily and weekly cleaning routine. I will be moving away from this city as soon as I possibly can.

  280. Angry mummy has posted a tip on August 10, 2011, 7:53 pm

    Well Ive just caught a mouse in the kitchen on glue traps. Worked for me. Now time to kill the other 100′s :@ There are a few in the bedroom SOMEWHERE so im sleeping in the living room :(

  281. Angry mummy has posted a tip on August 10, 2011, 7:54 pm

    Oh and its 2am here… Husband had seen a mouse last night so tonight i put a load of REAL peppermint oil all over the room and the mouse/mice went crazy!!! So it worked :P

  282. Tim has posted a tip on August 11, 2011, 10:45 pm

    I was deployed in Iraq and we had a contest to see who could catch the most mice in one day. The winning trap was a bucket filled 1/2 way with water, you would then take a string and run it through a can or bottle from one side of the bucket to the other. The can was then baited on one side with peanut butter. Once that is done make a ramp up to the top of the bucket (we used a peice of wood. The mouse will tight rope across the string to the can and it spins causing the mouse to fall in the water. The mouse is unable to jump out and eventually drowns.

    This trap caught 37 mice one day. If you have a mouse problem that bad, you will have to dump it periodically or the mice will be able to jump off of their friends to get out.

  283. Danetta has posted a tip on August 13, 2011, 2:24 pm

    I recently moved into my grandfathers house and the other day i thought my eyes decieved me. I saw a blur of a what i thought to be a shadow of movement in the corner of my bedroom. I dismissed it initially. Then last nite as i’m getting ready for bed i saw it, a little mouse! I damn near almost bust down my bedroom door trying to get away! So far i have not seen any droppings nor another mouse but this critter is hiding out in my room. I found a tiny hole in a corner of my bedroom floor and am sure this is where it came in from. I am heading out now to Home Depot for anything that will get rid of it as well as going to try all the remedies that are recommended on here. I don’t give a crap about humane not humane I just can’t personally be the one to pick up a dead mouse so will have to get gramps help on that part. I’ve have got to spray this whole room down and sanitize it, they are so disgusting. I hate being home and nervous to walk around my own bedroom, tip toeing around as if the little sucker pays the bills. I pray he is the only one and that I can get rid of him quickly so I can resume relaxing and enjoying my time at home. Wish me luck as I do the rest of my fellow victoms of the mice mafia. I shall be they’re law and order lol will post with results of my efforts in the coming days!

  284. john has posted a tip on August 14, 2011, 11:53 pm

    where would you find the pepper mint oil or poisn pellets i just want tht mouse OUT>.

  285. sammantha has posted a tip on August 15, 2011, 1:49 pm

    My tip is that the peppermint and wintergreen oil doesn’t not work have tried the mothballs worked for about a month then stopped. snap traps have worked with crunchy peanut . I am now going to try the ammonia solution you mix 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup ammonia in a spray bottle spray everywhere mouse has been and also saturate cotton balls with solution respray every month I will continue with sealing the opening up where they have came in at and using snap traps. I hope this helps someone out.

  286. JAG has posted a tip on August 16, 2011, 11:43 am

    Go to your local animal shelter and adopt a kitty. It’s important to remember, however, that cats are first and foremost companion animals. They’ve been domesticated over the centurities be loved by their humans so make sure, if you adopt a cat, that you are willing to treat it as not just your rodent-killer, but also as your friend.

    Cats rarely eat a mouse unless the cat is really hungry. But a cat will almost always still go for the kill. I kind of live in the country and get mice in my garage and crawlspace that occasionally make their way into my basement and then upstairs. My 16 year old Siamese loves to catch them and bring them upstairs for all so see! Nothing messy. He doesn’t eat them. Just chases them and gets them between his jaws. He brings them upstairs and then I dispose of them properly. I praise his efforts and he never lets me down the next time!

    Occasionally you’ll find a kitty that has no interest in mice. I also have a Persian and she practically yawns at the sight of a mouse, showing absolutely no interest whatsoever. That’s more or less a reflection of her breed. But I keep the cat bed in the kitchen since my first upstairs mouse sighting and have had no more problems upstairs. The mere presence and smell of a cat will deter mice in many instances.

    Please remember a cat is first and foremost your friend and should always be treated as such!

  287. Pam has posted a tip on August 17, 2011, 9:28 am

    I will try the peppermint, I bought the sonic thing that you plug in, I think it just says party is here and invites them in, my cat just lays there saying one of these days I’m gonna have to get me a mouse trap. I have cleaned, sprayed vineger in the place they were coing in, they just found somewhere else, packaged food you name it. Live close to a barn and a field we have never had mice like this before, maybe one every now and then when the hay was cut but it has been bad this past few weeks. Thanks for the tips.

  288. Sierra Lanier has posted a tip on August 19, 2011, 1:57 pm

    We had a mice infestation in our small camper. At night while we were sleeping we could feel them jump on our beds at night. I would wake up and kick their butts off. Well we bought mouse traps and put all our food in the microwave or in the fridge. Somewhere they couldn’t get to so basically we starved them, but they wouldn’t leave!! So we would put treats on the trap and within 5 minutes of the trap we would catch them. All day long we would catch about 5 or 7 mice! Finally the numbers started dieing down within a month or two.I mean even my Australian Shepherd was catching them. Since he was to big for our place we moved him outside and at night I would sit down at the computer while watching him chase these mice around. We had traps set out all over the place with the food still in them so we knew they got tired of being caught or they were to hungry. So now I have two cats ready for the winter and the peppermint oil I will try when we get our new trailer. Lol The coke was really funny, but bad cause they can hide in your walls and die. Thanks for all the great tips everyone! I will sure try some of them for the winter when we get our place settled.

  289. Sierra Lanier has posted a tip on August 19, 2011, 2:05 pm

    Also I forgot to say my mom has these mice traps that are plastic. It’s rectangular. So once they get in it wont let them out, but you have to check everyday cause they can smother. This is for those who love animals even mice and don’t want to kill them, but remember you have to empty out the mouse traps far from your home or they will be back.

  290. Marilyn has posted a tip on August 21, 2011, 12:11 pm

    I have a mouse problem in my car. Years ago I had mice problems and I bought a live mouse trap. Its a box and the mice can enter. When they go in the hole something trips and they can’t come back out. I caught the mice in my trailer and then drownded the mice in the box by putting it into a five gallon pail of water. I emptied the trap and left it outside. MISTAKE!! The trap kept doing its job and caught many mice outside. I found it in the fall full of dead and dying mice. I’m going to try that again in my car, but this time I will not leave the trap somewhere catching them. Its too cruel. I hate mice too but it isn’t right to torture them either. Can’t say what they cost but I spose it is about $30.00 now. Poisoning them is not a good idea becasue they crawl away and die somewhere and goodness knows where or when you will find their dead bodies. Eeeeek!!

  291. Charlotte has posted a tip on August 22, 2011, 1:25 am

    Iv tried using poison which i hate doing but they have to go right, anyway they just keep coming back and now i cant get to sleep, at 5.30 this morning I threw a couple mint leaves round the back of the television and inside the wardrobe where i spotted it last hopefully it takes a little while longer fingers crossed if that does not work i might try ather the coke thing or the spray with the Tabasco sauce and half a cup of washing powder wish me luck im gonna need it .

  292. Mice-O-Phobe has posted a tip on August 23, 2011, 12:37 pm

    Omg! Finally I see that I’m not absolutely insane! We had a mice problem a while back (we live in a modular home on a farm). My daughter has ezema and allergies which contributes to my already horrible ocd regarding germs. I am such a germ-o-phobe and mouse-o-phobe that each time I’d see a dropping I would take all of my entire family’s clean clothes and throw them in a dirty clothes pile and spend weeks washing them all. I went through literally THOUSANDS of dollars on steal wool and caulking. I caulked every single crevice in my home, gaps on baseboards and around light switches and plug-ins, under and around every cabinet and window. I literally was losing it. Every room in our house looks like a patchwork of caulking! I even purchased the Victor $100 “Multi-Kill” which killed one mouse… EVER! Well I hadn’t seen them in a while and thought (prayed) I had rid the home of openings and mice. But this morning after fixing myself a HUGE bowl of cereal, I sat down to eat and saw a mouse casually trot across my kitchen floor! Ugh! I seriously want to move out. And the worst part is that now I’m scared to do my usual drenching of my entire home in bleach to sterilize bc I’m prego! When I’d tell my husband and dad all the places they were and could get in they thought I was crazy! So glad to see other people had them in drawers, curtains and blinds, and are just as desperate to get rid of them as I am!

  293. Jobless in the country has posted a tip on August 24, 2011, 2:27 am

    Thanks to those with tips, will try a few.

    I’ve tried the expanding foam, opemed the cupboard a day or two later and was greeted by a cloud of expanding foam dust that had been chewed into oblivion. Stuffed the hole with a huge wad of densly packed foil and got to clean up a zillion and four chewed bits of foil.

    I had three mice commit suicide in the dogs water bucket, 4 days apart. Kind of comical to see the look on the dogs face when he looks in his bucket and see’s a corpse. I caught 3 in the old fashioned wooden snap trap, the third one was caught by one leg and dragged the trap through a maze of cleaning supplies under the sink and was halfway (as far as he could get) into his escape highway.(dishwasher line) Ended up dispatching him with an impromptu swimming event, the other two had the bar across their necks. I also found 3 dried bodies, one in the garage and two babies in the dresser drawer used for crafts, where they had made a nest of dog hair.

    The snap traps were baited with chunky Peanutbutter that I worked into the crevices of the trigger, inviting them to lick even harder. I discovered that if the trigger doesn’t release, the hook of the release bar is nestled to tightly into the trigger notch. Peanut butter helps grease that up. I buy the traps at the grocery store, 2 for 75 cents, so I do throw them away. Can’t see washing them in my sinks. It was bad enough when I found a pile of droppings under my dish drying rackin the other half of the sink. I think one or more were standing on the rack licking the faucet for water residue. Yummy

  294. MsG has posted a tip on August 24, 2011, 4:57 am

    No tip, just sharing. I was awakened at 2 someting by a sound, it came from the corner by my dresser. I was petrified; moreso, when i heard a thump, like this thing has a big tail. Oh great, a rat! Very possible, I am in NYC in an old house. I have seen signs (droppings) of mice, so I have laid glue traps. I caught two on the large traps, but nothing on the smaller ones. I dont remember if I replaced the trap under the dresser, but it sounded as if something were stuck. No squeaks though. I stared at the area and after an hour a mouse walked casually past the gluetrap that is near the dresser and into my closet. After reading some of your stories, I guess I should be relieved, but it is in my room. If they avoid traps because of the “human” smell WTF dont they avoid my bedroom? Just to let you know I got up and donned gloves, wiped all of the edges of the traps that I placed off and put a dab of very fresh peanut butter on each of them. Then I took a large ceramic flowerpot, filled it with about 3 inches of water, emptied a toilet paper tube, smeared PB on it, put a sting through it, taped the string to the edge of the pot and laid a broom on the floor to make a ramp to my tightrope of death. I’m going to attemp a few minutes of sleep now. I am trembling with fear and lack of sleep.

  295. Kylie has posted a tip on August 24, 2011, 6:13 am

    My mice are picky and many :/
    They wont eat peanut butter at all, wont come for bread… I have one of those traps that catch them and hold them live for you to take for a drive and let go (yes, my fiends all think I’m insane too with my “mouse apartment”) The only thing they will hop into the trap for is chocolate! And not any chocolate, only good chocolate! Little buggers!
    I tried cheap choc last night and got no-one, although I placed the trap where one kept wandering out and looking at my hubby and I in bright lights while we watched TV on the lounge! This afternoon I begrudgingly put a piece of cadbury’s in the trap and by this evening I have 2 sitting in there looking back at me!
    If I leave them in the trap overnight they will escape, they have before, and I am wondering if I put them in a high walled plastic bucket until morning do you think they will be able to climb out?
    Sooooo going to try the peppermint oil!

  296. Mel has posted a tip on August 24, 2011, 10:04 am

    I read all the posts there (it really encourage me to see that I’m not alone), and see a lot of new tips and advices. I still have those horrible mices under the kitchen sink. I remove cereals boxes; I put rice in a strong plastic bag. I regularly clean the appt floors and under the stove, with a mix of bleach and floor detergent. I remove mouse pi and drops and clean the spot with bleach. But they still are coming in the kitchen and In my bedroom!! I patch the holes that I found, with steel wool (but the thick one, in spiral, not the small one they can chew) and some Polyfila (plaster). I mix them, it make the patch stronger.
    What can I do for the kitchen? Moth balls smell way too much, and they don’t care, peppermint oil dry way too fast, the glue traps are useless and they even s***t on them!! I try the spring traps, but, they eat the bait and leave….I told my landlord and he says that I’m the only one who have mice problem!!

    Any tips for the kitchen? And how is this ruler thing works? I have trouble to visualize the ruler trap!
    thanks !

  297. Mel has posted a tip on August 24, 2011, 10:09 am

    I forget to add: I don’t care about those vermins! I don’t want to remove them ”humanly” I just want to kill them, so they won’t come back! and won’t multiply either, in another house-apt-home!

  298. bonnie has posted a tip on August 25, 2011, 12:06 am

    I guess what I’ve learned (from this site) is that it’s a long war, but the important thing is to fight back, keep cleaning, trapping or whatever; my 20 yr old cat died recently, tho he wasn’t the mouser his brother or my first cat were, and now the mice are out in force–on my kitchen counters and running across the top of my stove at the strike of midnight! Yuck. How do I sterilize the dishes that were on the counter? (I don’t have a dishwasher)

  299. brownin329 has posted a tip on August 26, 2011, 6:38 am

    Had a mouse visitor, whom I will call “Mickey” come and stay with me for a few days. He was a tiny dark gray character that seemed to love being wherever I was and scaring the daylights out of me… and trying to eat the bread on the stove (in plastic, of course). Yes, he was up there and everywhere. Finally got the maintenance people to come and plug the holes with cement and steel wool and set glue traps around the apartment (funny, they did it the day of our 5.9 earthquake in VA of which no one felt but me because I was on the couch when it moved by itself). Turns out there were all sorts of holes and a tunnel (!) behind the vents and even two in the closet! All filled hopefully. The mouse was finally caught last evening (yay!) by running into a glue trap and it was so cute trying to get out of it. Anyway, I took it down stairs to the basement and dumped it and hopefully I won’t see another one ever. Am going to the store now to get pine sol, lysol and bleach for everything I am not throwing away. I’ll try the peppermint oil and mothballs just in case Mickey’s brothers and sisters are somewhere and I haven’t seen them yet. Thanks for all of the advice.

  300. big daddy has posted a tip on August 27, 2011, 1:54 pm

    I got a mustang and the next morning i noticed shredded insulation in the trunk so right away i thought thats an obvious sign theres a mouse so i looked around and found a nest so i took that out and set 2 traps with peanut butter 3 days went by and still no mouse was caught so i thought maybe it had left to find food somewhere else so i came home 3 days after a business trip only to find droppings in the car so i cleaned it out and set a trap using twists(blue bag) as bait and sure enough checked in the am and there was a mouse in the trap it was a success lol :) the good old trusty mouse trap still works but watch ur fingers when setting the trap lol

  301. Casey has posted a tip on August 27, 2011, 2:23 pm

    I have read all the glorious stories and tips that have been given. I have laughed and cringed and am officially not hungry. I will be headed out to get all the supplies i can find to start fighting what appears to be an uphill battle. Although I can’t honestly see how wearing gloves to mask my scent on a trap should matter. It doesn’t bother them or deter them from my food in the cabinet I have touched. So I don’t think my scent has anything to do with it. I think I might try Shake Away, traps and other scent stuff before going to drastic.

  302. Bryan Y has posted a tip on August 28, 2011, 3:25 am

    OK my wife spotted mice droppings in our garden shed the other day and she needs to get in there to get the lawnmower out. So I gotta find a cheap solution fast.

    I got on this site and I couldn’t stop reading. Man! some these posts are movie material. It took me 2.5 hrs but I read through every single post.

    I think I will try the cheapest thing first… so will pick up a can of coke on the way home. If that doesn’t work maybe mix up some peanut butter with dried potato mix.

    For those bleeding hearts who think that this is the year to “be kind to your rodent”…have ever heard of: Hanta Virus-Humans may be infected with hantaviruses through rodent bites, urine, saliva or contact with rodent waste products. Some hantaviruses cause potentially fatal diseases in humans, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), but others have not been associated with human disease.

    There was an outbreak of this disease in Southern US in the early 80′s at least one or more people died.

    As was mentioned in one of the posts if you want to release them you better be prepared to go for a long country drive because they will find their way back just like Arnold promised.

    I am sure the antifreeze will work as long as you don’t have pets…(although I have never tried it to get rid of mice)we had a kitten that got into some by accident and it met its untimely demise. So if it will kill a kitten I am sure it will kill a mouse.

    Also if you have a bad infestation I think the guy that was in Iraq has a good solution.

    Most of the other solutions seem to provide only limited success. A more permanent solution is in order here.

    These are my tips of the day…

  303. Miya has posted a tip on August 28, 2011, 12:22 pm

    Okay so we’ve had a mice problem for about 3yrs now. We normally see them during winter time not SUMMER…but they’ve been coming out during summer! We caught a few during the spring, but there still seems to be more. I woke up one night to use the bathroom and i was standing in my hall way and a mouse ran over my foot (Yesss very disgusting and i thought something was falling out of my pants)! Lol very true story. Now i am scared to walk up and down my stairway. After a few months i was lying down on my bottom bunk bed and my sister came in the room and told me a mouse was over my head on my laptop box! I FREAK OUT! Cause i never see them in my room. Ever since then i’ve seen them in my room twice and i’m terrified to walk in my room or my hallway.

    I don’t think the mice are scared of us, they’re like some type of mighty mice ninjas running around here! Our floors are carpeted so we don’t hear them running around nor do we hear them running around in the wall. I just want them all to die so i can be in my own home comfortably! My brother seen 3 last night running together. I guess they’re coming in from outside because of the rain. Sticky pads worked for some, and mice traps worked for some. But i need some ideas where i can catch and kill them…not just poison them and allow them to continue running around the house to find them dead somewhere later on! UGH I hate mice and i just want to die, i don’t want to be scared of them any more…PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!! I’ll definitely try some of these ideas out though, and i pray that they work!

  304. Mary Casas has posted a tip on August 28, 2011, 12:33 pm

    I have a great hint, My gramma used to put out cornmeal mixed with ortland cement. They get petrified and croak!!

  305. vern has posted a tip on August 30, 2011, 4:49 pm

    I have a bird (parrot). I want to know if it is safe to use peppermint oil, bobcat urine (shake away),or sonic plug in? I just put peppermint oil in kitchen and she doesn’t seem to be acting unusual. Thanx for any info.

  306. Rebecca Silvis has posted a tip on August 30, 2011, 8:52 pm

    Oh, I am laughing so hard! I got on this site a full two hours ago to find out how the he** to get mice out of my walls…After reading the tips and experiences I am thoroughly entertained but still don’t know for sure what to do. My daughter hears the mice in the ceiling and walls at night. We are not seeing droppings anywhere in the house. We saw at least one place they are getting in at so will maybe try steel wool or foil to plug it up. I will use the blue death stuff – doesn’t bother me at all to kill the stupid things; but am afraid I will then have armies of dead/dying/stinking mice in the walls….will that happen with the blue death stuff? The only thing that freaks me out more than mice in the house is bats in the house….if that happens I’m leaving!!!! Thanks all for the tips and stories! Buck up, peeps..we’re all in this together!

  307. Rebecca has posted a tip on August 30, 2011, 8:55 pm

    BTW: does this bobcat pee powder really work? Is it expensive? Thought I might try it. Saw where they’re coming in through the block wall outside. Also, when I read the thing about the bobcat pee my daughter just howled!!!!

  308. Pat has posted a tip on September 2, 2011, 7:06 am

    I have had pretty good success with whole cloves. I have had mice running through my kitchen drawers, after washing them and contents out, I would sprinkle a goodly amount on the bottom of the draw and put a liner such as paper of it and there would not be any more little gifts from the mice. We do have a problem with them under our house so I am going to get a large container of whole cloves and have my husband sprinkle them under there.
    I have used whole cloves for years as a moth preventer in all my clothes and anything that is packed away like Halloween and Christmas stuff. I just put some whole cloves in the bottom of the storage container and I have no problems and it smells better than moth balls.
    The cheapest place to get whole cloves is a health food store or I have also found it at a wholesale/retail food store by the pound.
    Good luck.

  309. Vicki has posted a tip on September 4, 2011, 4:54 pm

    “Mixture of catfood & sardines on the trap (glue trap or spring trap).” That’s what the professional exterminators used on the TV program, “Infestations”, last weekend. A convenience store operator hired the exterminators to kill an infestation of mice/rats in the basement of her convenience store.
    I also plan to use:
    1) a hot-glued-down York Peppermint Patty, and a hot-glued-down Reece Cup (since the mice seem to like chocolate, peanut butter, & edible peppermint).
    2) 2 cups of honey in a mason jar in the sink, tilted for the mice to walk in.
    3) antifreeze in little cups (I have no pets).
    4) leaving a radio & the lights on in the kitchen at night.
    5) using “Shake Away” around the house, & leaving an open container of it in the crawl space under my house.
    6) If these don’t work, I have a list of about 100 tips I learned from all of you that I will try.

  310. Aqsa has posted a tip on September 5, 2011, 7:32 am

    there’s a easy solution
    but I’m not sure they do it in every ones area
    just ring pest control and they will remove them all
    and if you qualify for the benefits they will do it for free
    just search on the internet!!!!!

  311. Lilly has posted a tip on September 5, 2011, 12:48 pm

    We had a TERRIBLE rodent problem & what finally worked for me was Borax. I’d read somewhere it repels them. You can find it on the laundry isle of Wal-Mart & most grocery stores. I just spread it generously all over the attic. A month or two later I noticed new activity & cinnamon came to mind (heard it repels cats from bushes) so I doused all the items stored in the attic with it. Wal-Mart has it for .50 so it was an inexpensive fix. That was 6-8 months ago & it really did the trick! Unfortunately, I’m noticing that DISGUSTING smell again (feces & urine) so it’s time to reapply which I don’t really mind b/c compared to the insanity that was my rodent problem, having to spread stuff in the attic 2-3 times a year is a breeze! I think one of the reasons they’re coming to the attic is for water- the overflow pan from our AC units often have water in them. I’m going to attach screening to the top so they can’t get to the water.
    Here’s to rodent-free living!

  312. gil has posted a tip on September 5, 2011, 6:25 pm

    1. Used dollar store mouse traps with peanut butter and an organic popcorn kernel in the middle of the underside of the trigger. Caught-5 and fed them to the feral cats outside. They loved them and now prowl my yard looking for live ones. (This is a good way to recycle the bodies and to train the cats to love mice treats)

    2. Found a rotting dead mouse that had been injured and threw it’s body near my crawl space door as a warning to others. Seems to have worked in the house.

    3. They have moved to my car i think. Found shredded napkins in glove box and shredded rag in trunk. I will give them one verbal warning to move out before i commence the battle of the car. I’m sure the neighborhood feral cats would love some more mice treats!

    4. If you get them, start the battle QUICK as they have a 12-week birth cycle and are prolific breeders. Thank God i caught the pregnant one before she popped.

  313. Alexis has posted a tip on September 6, 2011, 3:40 am

    Any suggestions in how to catch a mouse with a lax stick? I live in an apartment with a third door on the outside so thebpeople upstairs can get to the basement. They never close the door so we think it got in that way. We got the super sonic beepy things. But the little thing is in my room and has been using my bed to get to my window we think it’s trying to get out but bc there’s no holes it can’t. Any suggestions on how to get it out bc my mom and I don’t want to have to take care if it if you get my drift. And the only other people in the house are my little brothers who are under the age of ten so that’s not safe to have them do it. Yay for being wimps!

  314. papaya has posted a tip on September 6, 2011, 7:12 am

    I’m also distraught over having to live with mice. Since my apartment’s been renovated with a promise of secured walls, still, I’ve seen a few tiny droppings underneath the kitchen sink. Then one day I saw a rat-sized dropping (just one) on the floor at the front door. And recently, when I had carpet laid and had to move my bed & remove my bed-skirt, I noticed urine stains on my (very expensive) box-spring. I don’t hear rodent activity, but every once in a while late at night, I hear a bit of popping, and when I open my eyes it stops. I hope my worst nightmare isn’t happening–a rat is sending in mice to spy through an opening underneath the kitchen sink. I’m going to try the peppermint oil cotton swabs.

  315. old blues fan has posted a tip on September 6, 2011, 10:37 am

    hellooooooooo, so glad that i found this site. it took a lonnng time to read the whole thing. before i had small dogs i had put the decon boxes all over the house. as they emptied, i put more out. i wondered why it took so long for the mice to die. wellllllllll guess what, they were storing the decon pellets everywhere!

    my small dogs leave the mice alone. it wasn’t until the last 2 years that i again had a problem with mice as well as moles. you can only catch the moles with the straight amber plastic traps that open with a swing up door in the front. once they go into to get the small dog pellets the door swings down and they cannot get out.

    i use purina little bites in all of my traps, moles and mice luv the bites. i put away all dog nuggets and treats after my dogs eat.

    i forgot that i had a few lever 2000 soap bars here and there and guess what! the mice luv to chew on them, i read that there is fat in the ingredients and if they have nothing else that is good food for them.

    the three traps that work for me and i manage to throw in at least 5 bites to the back of them…. 1. d-con ultra-set-trap 2. ortho home defense max and 3. the straight amber swing door trap.

    i read above about the pail with the string and the can, i will try that as well. it makes alot of sense.

    also thanks for telling us not to handle the traps without gloves on, so that our scent is not there.

    i started this search because i read that critters leave a scent trail. i was trying to find out what to wash the outside of my house with to stop the “road to riches”. i will try pine-sol or a citrus detergent and hope for the best.

    have a wonderful pestless life!!!

  316. Christina has posted a tip on September 6, 2011, 10:11 pm

    LOL Thank you my mouse-fearing friends for making me feel better!!! I’m actually not sure now if I have a large mouse or a small rat, but I know I have MICE!!! My house is 100 years old, and I know I cannot possibly seal every hole, or even begin to find them. I LOVE the idea of sticky traps in the garbage can. When I find a new boyfriend that will be his test of dealing with ‘crazy’. :) I am too terrified of mice, dead or alive (they’re not always DEAD!!!) to do this myself, and if I hear them crying (as I’ve heard when regular traps catch a leg or something), I CRY WITH IT!!! Oh my gosh.. It’s just awful!! I even JUMPED AT MY COMPUTER SCREEN looking at mouse v. rat feces pics when a picture of a fat ugly roof rat appeared! Thankfully, I don’t hear them at night. That may be due to my migraine medication knocking me out. I do see evidence of them in just about every closet and rarely used cupboard. I find them upstairs, which is a NO FOOD ZONE, and I keep nearly everything in my fridge or microwave (like baked cookies). I HATE MICE!!!! Ugh…

  317. Jeanette has posted a tip on September 7, 2011, 2:46 am

    I have a small mouse problem. I get a couple of mice in my house every couple of months. As soon as I start seeing mouse droppings I start setting traps their is nothing worse than dead mouse smell it lasts for weeks and makes the area of the house they died in unlivable. I don’t use D-con or other poison becasuse the mice die in the wall and the smell is just horrid. I don’t like the gross factor of snap traps and glue traps seem cruel. I am a catch and release person. I use tincat mouse traps. When I have a mouse in my house the tincat will usually trap it in about 3 days. I use peanut butter for bait. The one thing that has helped keep my house mouse free is to set the traps all the time. If the traps are not in use on the inside of the house I set them on the outside of the house up again the foundation. The theory is I trap them before they get in the house. And the great thing about the tincat is that you can trap more than one mouse at time. I’m lucky in that I can release the mice about a mile away from my house at the kids bus stop (no houses around.) If your up for it you could also immerse a full trap in water and drown the mice.

  318. Sara has posted a tip on September 7, 2011, 3:24 pm

    The safest and non-toxic approach (just got two mice) is to buy a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot and fill it with two gallons of water. Pour in enough sunflower seeds to cover the top (they float). Surprisingly, the mice can climb the side of the bucket and fall inside. Unfortunately, they drown. As I said, it only took two days for me to catch two rodents that caused $1,000 of damage to a new car. Continue until you have several days with no new mice in the bucket.

    Sara

  319. Alice has posted a tip on September 8, 2011, 3:05 am

    Do you think that peppermint oil is bad for parakeets? because i have 2 parakeets in a cage with a small space between it and the wall and mice sleep in the space and if i move the cage the mice’ll move around and run and i wont be able to find them then, but i dont want the smell to hurt my birds and their egg…

  320. Jules has posted a tip on September 8, 2011, 8:16 am

    The cheap snap mouse traps work like a charm but if you are like me and do not like the clean-up part, after baiting the trap, place the trap on an angle inside a paper lunch bag. After the mouse is caught, just toss the bag.

  321. Nikki has posted a tip on September 8, 2011, 2:33 pm

    how about bleach? I heard that works. Good Luck!!

  322. crystal has posted a tip on September 8, 2011, 6:53 pm

    ok. i’ve actually been reading everyones ideals and problems. I’ve heard of peanut butter on traps, peppermint oil, electronic devices and ect. well theres a few everyones should try. first thing first. look for everylil hole in and outside around your house. get sum peanut butter n hide lil bits of decon inside of it. also get a spray bottle in put almonia in it and spray inside the holes. go out and buy sum foam and/or cement to cover and seal the holes. That will keep the ones in the the rest out. if u have a holes to your dyer that leads to the outside then its ok to take it off and keep it inside til ur problem is resolve if u dont mind a lil lint. If your in a house, go and purchase sum anti-freeze and put it around your house. anti-freeze frys the brain and it will explode.

    on the inside of ur house theres a few things u can do. take all food thats not in the fridge and store it and tightly sealed container. make sure nothing is in bags but in storage containers. mice loves a find warm places to hide.if you want u can also take a bowl and mix peanut butter with almonia or anti-freeze and place it around the house out of view. they also have bombs that can be set off in the house while your away for awhile. before u can do that u must open cover all furniture, clothes or anything that you do want ruined. remove everything from cabinets, drawers and closets. in other words, PUT AWAY EVERYTHING!!! set off cans of bombs with will kill mice and bugs n leave the house for a few hrs. when returning home, open all windows n turn on fans to let the fumes air out. clean your house with goos scent disinfecting cleanind supplies.I know you may say it seems a bit much, but, its better to spend a few days going thru the procedures to get rid of the problems then to do nothing and live with unwanted creatures for yrs. Give it about a week in all ur problems should be gone. Try it in let me know the outcome!!! good luck!!!

  323. ImJustAvg has posted a tip on September 9, 2011, 3:00 pm

    I had a red fox living in my backyard for years and he kept the mouse population cut down. He would wake up catch a mouse or two from the wood pile and then take a nap again. Best mouser I ever saw!

    When I bought my American Eskimo puppy the fox left, so now I am having a mouse problem. In the last 24 hours, have caugt 9 of the little buggers using peanut butter – skippy – they ignored the bargain brand.

    Last time this happened, before the fox moved in, we used isant mashed potato flakes and a bowl of water. Worked but then they would die in the wall or crawl space, but if I keep catching them will have to try them again.

  324. Killy has posted a tip on September 9, 2011, 10:28 pm

    I have some mice entering my camper. We’ll seal all holes tomorrow with steel wool and spray foam. I put some peppermint oil in the camper as well as outside under the camper on peppermint tea bags. And to top it off, I pitched a few mothballs under the camper too! I have bounce sheets in every closets and hope all these efforts will help. I’ll keep you posted.

    Make sure to buy ESSENTIAL peppermint oil from a health food store and NOT the one in the grocery store. Not the same at all.

  325. Mary has posted a tip on September 12, 2011, 11:49 am

    Hello, Folks,

    I just want to share my experience with a product, eaten by mice, which caused them to later die. I believe the product dehydrated the mice. Well, they ate the product, and they did die, but not all in easy to find places! One died inside a wall. Ahhhh! The Stench!!! It lasted for weeks!!! Another died on my basement floor, out in the open. I had successfully placed the poison where neither my youngest child or my dog could find it, but now here was this mouse out in the open. Luckily I found it before either of them did– it would have been traumatic for my child and may have poisoned my dog (I am guessing) had he eaten it. From then on I’ve tried to ignore them rather than poison them, but now I’ll try the peppermint oil and bayleaves. Thanks to everyone for sharing your suggestions.

  326. Owena Overby has posted a tip on September 13, 2011, 7:34 am

    I just recently discovered mice in my cupboards… and would like to try peppermint oil to get rid of them but don’t know where to find it.
    Can anyone help? We’ve had poison out as a precaution, but obviously that didn’t work. I really don’t want to use poison ,I have pets that
    would get into it…they get into everything else. And I don’t want to handle traps or dead mouse bodies!

  327. Nessa has posted a tip on September 17, 2011, 1:49 pm

    I may have borrowed my neighbors cat for a week when we got mice in our old condo. It worked like a charm! but in our new house we have a garage with these darn little mice we cant get rid of. They are too smart for any trap. i wish they sold the glue from the traps so i could just put that on a huge piece of wood where they walk.

  328. Kayna has posted a tip on September 18, 2011, 10:38 pm

    No tip, but have been at this for over a week now. I’m actually not sure now if I have a large mouse or a small rat….. Before viewing this page I had the glue traps out, Decon poison out & nothing…. I would hear the glue traps sliding back & forth on kitchen floor late nights like they were trying to ask me if I really thought they would fall for it!!! I read everyone’s suggestions on here & did the pepermint oil which seems to work, but only temperary. Had a good two nights sleep with no noise or sounds. Once the pepermint scent dies down, it’s a done deal.

    I sealed a few holes I found. Under kitchen sink, water heater, and the two vent port of my garage. I purchased the Shake Away repellent & placed at all corners of my garage along with moth balls. Also placed some under kitchen sink & all bathroom sinks. Placed rubber extensions at bottom of every bedroom & closet doors in my home to prevent them from going in.

    Just two days ago, I realized the original Decon poison I placed was gone. Not just the poison, but the entire poison container as well. I could not figure it out for anything, untill later on that evening I realized the little bastard(s) took it to the back of my fish tank & ate it all up!! YAYYYYYY, but also nervous & praying that my two littles ones & I dont find that nasty creature dead somewhere in the house!

    So far so good, no signs of droppings, pee stains, nor any noise/movements & hoping my issue is taken cared of… Waiting it out to see what happens, to proceed with powdered concrete & coke! I really have no choice at this point, cause if there are more they are trapped in! I will be darn if they run me out of my own home. Will post again in a few days with my update. Good luck everyone.

  329. Donna has posted a tip on September 20, 2011, 3:18 am

    Had mice in the kitchen nothing seemed to work till I finally decided on the sticky traps. Put a treat in the middle n turn out the lights n wait for dusk u will have your mice! If u want to b humane or b sure they die n don’t escape the garbage u can drown them in a bucket of water using a stick to hold mouse & trap down till the bugger stops moving. Drowning is supposed to b a peaceful death so I had no guilt since they avoided all the humane catch n release traps. I tried the spin traps n they were useless. Hope this helps!

  330. Vonciel has posted a tip on September 20, 2011, 3:33 pm

    It has been 5 years now that I have lived in my apartment and have mice problem. Orkin has come several times by management sent. Victor Traps are set and you have to put the peanut butter on the middle wire bar and or into the slit where the wire stem rest on when setting the traps but I am tired of catching mice and disposing them. I have seen it all. They get trapped leaving blood stains and then they get trapped and go running under the stove and the last mouse drama 2 mice were caught on one peanut butter trap running from the kitchen to my living room closet area. I know they are God’s creature but its either me or them that has to go. So I went on line to http://www.victorpest.com after calling the hardware store.

    I want something EFFECTIVE right away. So Victor Pest seems to be the answer. Will come back to let you know for certain if it works. This is the worse of the mice I have had since living here. The more we try to cover the holes the more they appear. $1,090 too much rent for this mice ordeal. Management needs to reimburse me for certain and that is what I am checking into. If they can collect my monies each month on time then they can help me with a small cost to rid these unwanted rodents. Meanwhile, I will get back with you on how effective victor pest products are in the home.

  331. Angelina has posted a tip on September 20, 2011, 11:58 pm

    I got a mouse in my house!! Look in every cabinet, closet, drawer for the smallest cracks.. or any a/c vents in the wall… fill the gaps with steel wool. The rodent cannot through it or push it out because it will cut them, so you are closing up there entrances from under your homes. I use d-CON round mouse traps. you put some pb in the little hole at the bottom. twist the trap open and place it against a wall where you know the bastard is running around against. When its caught the trap closes and reads “mouse caught”. Its great because its a no view, no touch trap!

  332. Soniya has posted a tip on September 21, 2011, 12:47 pm

    Hey guys! Not exactly a tip but wanted to share something with all of you. We shifted into brand new apartments last year and never had any problems until just a few days back : mice! and it was today that I got so fed up with it that I started to google how to get rid of these without using any chemicals and yes now on hindsight I think you guys are right! Actually what happened was ages ago I think around May last year I brought Indian whole garam-masala (which consists of cinnamon sticks, peppermints, bay leaves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves)around two kg I think and had kept it in a plastic box in the kitchen. One day sadly this box fell of my kitchen shelf and all the masala spread onto the floor behind the washing machine an area that was covered i tried hard but my hand just wouldn’t reach enough to pick this stuff up and i gave up. A few days back i learnt that I could remove the whole wood cover on the floor under my kitchen cabinets exposing the area beyond it and I was so happy that I could pick the mess up and clean my kitchen up…And it is since that day that I have mice in my house and the shit all around…I would never have discovered that actually my mistake was a real life saver for me! It kept the mouse out of my house!!! Not to mention we live on the first floor! Thanks a lot to all of you to have posted…I don’t need to mention I still have that masala with me and what am I gonna do with it ;) CHEERS MATES!!!!!! It actually worked for more than a year and half for me!!!!

  333. Amber has posted a tip on September 24, 2011, 6:39 pm

    We’ve always had mice and have been trying to get rid of them permanently! We go outside the house and try to block off any entry way they can get in. Use wood. They eat right thru spray foam. Stuff the holes with steel wool and then spray foam (just to hold it tight.) Can hammer some wood over top the foam. Using sticky pads, etc inside the house doesn’t prevent mice from coming back in the future it only catches or kills the ones already inside. Corners of the house and foundation, pipes, wire holes for electicity, gas, dryer ducts . . .etc, make sure they are all sealed.

    Stuff with steel wool and secure it with wood or something hard they can’t chew thru. Hope this info helps, it has helped us but took us a few years to find all the holes! We did find using stick pads helped to get rid of the ones inside, but we used the “rat” type which is a plastic pad with about 1/2 a cm of sticky glue. They cannot get off these traps like the paper sticky pads. Good luck!

  334. Kim has posted a tip on September 25, 2011, 3:34 am

    Had a case of a mouse jumping on my bed last year … After moving back in with parents I’ve seen them again! The thought, sound, and just everything about them freaks me out! I’ll shriek and whine on top of my dresser like there’s no tomorrow. Up late right now in fear of having another one trying to attack me during my sleep :(

  335. reese maurice has posted a tip on September 25, 2011, 8:32 pm

    these dam mice start eating my blunts out the ashtray didn’t know mice ate weed…tired of cleaning poo I’m very clean…tried glue trap but out somehow got loose…man ate my marijuana I’m gone kill that lil fucker!!!

  336. BEATRIZ has posted a tip on September 26, 2011, 3:52 pm

    WHO IN THE HELL created these little nasty rodants… last year i seen a single sign of mice in my back yard and thought that it was from the neighbors nasty back yard, It finally made it in the house and i cought the little rodant but from putting up so many stickies freaked out about catching him. I found 5 more, WTF!! and my house is a split level i was thinking OK i got the downstairs under control.. so last week my niece was in the bathroom up stairs and said one came out from under the counter and ran RIGHT OVER HER TOE.

    I was so disgusted im affraid of this battle. So last night i places stickies in the kitchen and found one on the kitchen counter dying… i threw clorox all over my counter and left to work…. I went to day at lunch and bought a few things that i got from tips. But i also decided when i go home im going to look for holes, patch them with ductape and throw in some cocroach bomb in the wall and infumigate them little bastards and there families.. I really hope something works fast… for everyone who is killing these little rodants like crazy ill pray for you and a guest free home… Wish me luck!!

  337. bex has posted a tip on September 26, 2011, 10:21 pm

    As I sit here typing this, I hear the pattering of little mouse feet running across my ceiling. *sigh* I have sealed holes with steel wool, others with foundation foam stuff. I have traps out, did peppermint oil, mint leaves, mothballs. Unfortunately, I live in the middle of a 40-acre field and the field mice are determined to come indoors before the snow flies. I’m not afraid of mice so I don’t lie awake like some of you in fear, thank goodness! They don’t particularly bother me until they are in my house! I just hate having to disinfect all the time! :( I used to use live traps but the mice got too smart for them and never went in them anymore. Now I kill the little suckers because there are so many and I know that no matter how far out in the woods I let them go, they will find another house to invade!

    The most luck I’ve had is with the cheap snap traps from the dollar store. I put peanut butter on a tiny crumb of bread and smear it on there so they have to struggle to get it all. I won’t use poisons because I have animals and also don’t want decomposing things in my walls. Also, I may kill them, but I’d prefer it to be a fast death. Internal bleeding from poison just isn’t something I want to inflict on any living creature.

    Good luck everyone!

  338. Ruby has posted a tip on September 27, 2011, 12:05 am

    Ok I have been reading over this thread for roughly 2 days, on and off. I HATE mice. I can’t stand the thought of them in my house, and the last 2 nights or so I heard them in my room. That was when I started scouring the net in earnest for a fix. I went to the local health food shop and purchased a 25ml bottle of 100% peppermint oil (for $17… ouch) and bought a couple of traps. I was planning on using the traps as a last resort because i haaaate the sight of dead mice. However last night, after literally dousing my house but ESPECIALLY my room in the peppermint oil, I saw a mouse literally 3 times in my room. that was it. I had reached my wits end. I was sooo convinced the oil would do the trick that it felt like the mouse had literally walked up and slapped me in the face. He even scampered right over one of the cotton balls I had loaded up with the oil.

    After a night of very little sleep (yet again) I started setting traps around the place then heard my little mixed-breed terrier give a little bark from outside and i thought… eh, worth a shot. I unset the traps and pulled them out of his reach and let him loose in the house. He bounded around a bit and sniffed here and there, then made a bee-line for a box in the corner of my living room and started pawing it it frantically. he hopped in and i watched a mouse hop right on out. I tried getting him to chase it but no luck, he just wanted to keep at the box. I soon realised he was pretty sure that the escapee had left a buddy behind and pretty soon he emerged, swinging a mouse around.

    The beauty of a dog hunter over a cat is that he was not at all interested in sharing, or gifting me the mouse. that thing was his and he made fast work of disposing of the body for me. The crunching was a bit much, and i had to leave the room fast, but overall, pretty painless on my part.

    He seems to be too worn out from the excitement to bother hunting the other one, but I feel better knowing that if he suspects one in the vicinity, he will be all over it.
    He is currently asleep at the end of my bed, and that’s where I plan to keep him tonight. I would much rather share my bed with a cute puppy than a creepy mouse.

  339. Claire has posted a tip on September 27, 2011, 2:22 pm

    Got home from our holidays and realized we have mice, havn’t seen any just there droppings. I am disgusted finding it everywhere. we have a four level split and noticed it under our kitchen sink, third level ledge and furnace room hoping they are not in our bedrooms upstairs. I read on here peppermint helps i will try that. but does anybody else have any other tips that will help. I want these gross rodents out of my home.

  340. Ernie has posted a tip on September 27, 2011, 7:18 pm

    Try a stuff called Shake-a-Way…It is made from Fox & Coyote urine…It has stopped the mice in my summer home…You need to refresh every few weeks..Buy off the internet…Good Luck

  341. tina has posted a tip on September 28, 2011, 5:35 am

    No tip, but a huge problem!!!!! I live in a very rural area right next to a corn field and have a LARGE mouse problem. I have tried traps, and they did not work. I have tried electronic devises, and a mouse literally sat in front of it(not 3 inches away) and looked at me like i was stupid, at that point i had to agree with it. :( At my wits end i have a couple of cats and a dog they sometimes catch them but do not seem to come close to fixing this huge problem. does anyone know a better way to lessen the number of my unwanted rodent guests

  342. tatiana has posted a tip on September 29, 2011, 4:25 am

    Ok…I’m so disgusted,I can honestly throw up here! It’s almost 3 am..my lights are on,music on,tv on..I’ve watched my Roomate(the mouse) having fun in my bedroom!!! Can’t wait to wake up and go to the store! That if I will fall asleep..I’m disgusted to put on clothes..I’m afraid to close my eyes! Freaking terrorist..I just took my vicks and put it around my room…on my hardwood,behind my dresser…hoping to see him run out of my room…so I can get a break. 4 hours watching the floors…
    Do they get on beds??… My 2 year old is sleeping with me…sick baby threw up all over plus the mouse…I NEED A VACATION!
    praying to see him leave my room for tonight…then Tommorow we are in business,I understand not to sleep because of a sick baby…but because of a mouse??? That’s too much!

  343. chilou has posted a tip on September 29, 2011, 9:44 am

    I have the same problem with mice, its getting worsed. then we found a snake skin, since mice is their food source. We tried mothball and the electric sonic thing, we put it every where there is plug but does not work at all. Traps is also a waste of money, we did different traps never caught a single mice. We are having the exterminator today and sealing all the holes in our house, they will do some fogging thing and put some trap (dont know whats the diff. with the trap we did). It is very expensive but it is a one yr warranty and we can call them back if the mice problem occur again free of charged, will for sure i will be calling them everytime i see mice pop. I already spend so much for this pest, i am willing to pay exterminator to get rid of them. I am hoping this time it will work, but i will try the peppermint. They say no mice no snake.

  344. sharron has posted a tip on September 30, 2011, 6:00 am

    i saw a mouse in my house but it was shy and it wentbehind the door then when we opend the door it went what should i do?

  345. Cincinnati Bradley has posted a tip on October 1, 2011, 11:35 am

    If your mice are like mine I only see a streak of fur for a millisecond and I have laid the basic snap traps (with cheese scented discs for bait that came on them) in the exact areas I’ve seen them, to no avail. I have a 2 year old, it’s just me and her and I have no time to mouse hunt. I would really appreciate something that really really helps!
    I have seen nothing in this very long thread that consistently works. So I supposed I will scour the pest control aisle at the store again in hopes of a new miracle mouse eradicating robot.
    There is a site ( http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-mice/ ) that helps you identify rather the mice are wild or house mice. Helps identify entry ways, gives some decent tips and also gives some good tips on many different kinds of traps and how well they work.
    Good luck to all of us.

  346. tatiana has posted a tip on October 2, 2011, 9:00 am

    Ok.. I’ve posted on Sept 27 th I believe…I put vicks all over baseboards in my bedroom(they hate camphor and eucalyptus smell),patched a whole in my closet(my guess was that’s how they got in) put some dcon in child proof traps..
    But…NO SIGN OF MOUSE ANYMORE!!!!!
    THE SMELL OF VICKS WORKS!!!!!
    I SCRABBED MY WALLS..FLOOR…NO MICE POOP EITHER!
    Been 6 days…and I finally sleep good,without hearing them chew on smthg!!!

    Good luck everyone!

  347. Kate has posted a tip on October 2, 2011, 10:11 pm

    I’m so tired having to deal with the mice at my house..I have a hard time sleeping for fear that they will crawl on me or my 3 young children…and I don’t know if they’d bite or not.we have the sticky traps,the standard traps,a big rat trap,some circular traps that are suppose to close when the mouse goes into it…we’ve caught quite a few on the sticky traps..but sometimes they get away and they leave their fur stuck to the glue..the standard mouse traps..they eat the p.b. off but they rarely set the trap off. We’ve caught a big one or 2 in the rat trap and the circular traps just don’t seem to be going off correctly…or the mice are just too fat for it.I’m not sure how many we have but I cringe at the very thought.I don’t see them very often but every night I hear them scratching and making noise.Tonight was the first time I’ve actually seen one in months..I left my fiance at home and went to my mom’s for the night with the kids..it just disgusts me so much.

    I would try the poison but it makes me way too nervous since I have small children.I’m thinking about getting a cat but I don’t know what kind of cat to get..some cats just don’t seem very into mouse hunting.I’m sick of finding mouse poop in my kitchen,my drawers,etc.it’s a pain in the butt cleaning it up constantly and it’s so gross.I want to be rid of them for good.In the past we got rid of them for a while but they keep coming back..we live in a rural area..lots of farms nearby and fields.I’m so tired of this battle..it’s exhausting!

  348. kh has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 2:24 am

    I need help, I have been using traps, but I have no clue where they are coming in @, I have cats and a dog and still have this problem.
    My dog caught 2 and is my alerter, but these mice freak me out.
    I had an exterminator come in but he just gives me traps.
    Help!!

  349. bbwdiva has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 4:42 am

    WOW.
    I am eternally grateful for all the tips. I heard a mouse and then my hubby saw the mouse; hoping it was a scout. Went out today and stuffed what we think is the entry- dryer vent, with steel wool and did the moth balls, pine-sol, ammonia, no touch and glue traps. Tomorrow I get fox urine, happily, and a gf is bringing her cat. Thank you all.

  350. Deepak Bisto R has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 6:36 am

    Ok I have been reading over this thread for roughly 2 days, on and off. I HATE mice. I can’t stand the thought of them in my house, and the last 2 nights or so I heard them in my room. That was when I started scouring the net in earnest for a fix. I went to the local health food shop and purchased a 25ml bottle of 100% peppermint oil (for $17… ouch) and bought a couple of traps. I was planning on using the traps as a last resort because i haaaate the sight of dead mice. However last night, after literally dousing my house but ESPECIALLY my room in the peppermint oil, I saw a mouse literally 3 times in my room. that was it. I had reached my wits end. I was sooo convinced the oil would do the trick that it felt like the mouse had literally walked up and slapped me in the face. He even scampered right over one of the cotton balls I had loaded up with the oil.

    After a night of very little sleep (yet again) I started setting traps around the place then heard my little mixed-breed terrier give a little bark from outside and i thought… eh, worth a shot. I unset the traps and pulled them out of his reach and let him loose in the house. He bounded around a bit and sniffed here and there, then made a bee-line for a box in the corner of my living room and started pawing it it frantically. he hopped in and i watched a mouse hop right on out. I tried getting him to chase it but no luck, he just wanted to keep at the box. I soon realised he was pretty sure that the escapee had left a buddy behind and pretty soon he emerged, swinging a mouse around.

    The beauty of a dog hunter over a cat is that he was not at all interested in sharing, or gifting me the mouse. that thing was his and he made fast work of disposing of the body for me. The crunching was a bit much, and i had to leave the room fast, but overall, pretty painless on my part.

    He seems to be too worn out from the excitement to bother hunting the other one, but I feel better knowing that if he suspects one in the vicinity, he will be all over it.
    He is currently asleep at the end of my bed, and that’s where I plan to keep him tonight. I would much rather share my bed with a cute puppy than a creepy mouse.

  351. Barb has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 7:28 am

    After finding Christmas candy chewed on by mice one year,we’ve always used chocolat (Hershey works well). Just slice off a piece and jam it into the trap. Doesn’t go stale (or the mice don’t care). Always works. They have to chew it off the trap and spring it.

  352. Renee has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 2:11 pm

    I started reading postings almost an hour ago, and Im still only half way down the page! I do feel better now though, I realize its not just me!
    I have only one tip so far, and it wont work for everyone, but here goes. I am in Texas, where a lot of homes are raised up off the ground. I had stray cats hanging out under the house, so I put up wire mesh all around the house. Skirting I guess its called. I used really small mesh, more like window screen mesh than say chicken wire. I also caulked up every single hole , crack I could find outside of the house.It has slowed down the mice comming into the house. NOW I just need to get the ones in the house.
    I am going to plant peppermint plants all over the foundation of the house as well. It smells great, looks pretty and it it helps…all the better! Happy hunting!

  353. Rachel has posted a tip on October 3, 2011, 10:21 pm

    We used the sticky traps and one of them had peanuts on it…and it worked…we caught one instantly, unfortunately, they got smart and knew how to get around them. I would find some with hair stuck on it like they were stuck but somehow got off!! There are SO many!
    Someone help!! We just put the plug ins and we saw one running…and have no idea where he went…

  354. Kandee has posted a tip on October 4, 2011, 5:47 pm

    I think there may be a rather large infestation in my house. I see the little buggers scampering along the baseboards every night. Last night I found one in my pillow case! I heard a squeaking noise while my head was on the pillow so I turned it upside down and out dropped a mouse.

    HELP!

  355. Christine has posted a tip on October 5, 2011, 1:11 am

    We have a mouse in our house. We have tried several times to set up a trap, with peanut butter, and the mouse just licks it off without setting off the trap. As soon as we try to move the trap it goes off. Any ideas on how to catch this mouse?

  356. meolia has posted a tip on October 5, 2011, 9:42 am

    Well, after reading some of the posts – I am not the only one with the “animals” at home :) I am feeling better now. LOL
    I caught about 12 mice in sticky pads. Do not know what to try: holes in the walls were filled with plaster, still wool, Styrofoam and scotch tape. We have sticky pads and black boxes with poisonous bait everywhere… And what? Now one advanced mouse is digging a hole in my plant’s soil.
    I will try to borrow a cat and to find some mint oil, but I need a PERMANENT solution (beside moving to a new location). Guys , please, HELP!

  357. Marla has posted a tip on October 6, 2011, 7:14 am

    Not a tip….. About a month ago I had seen a mouse run from my bedroom closet to under my computer chair.Went and got stick traps put peanut butter on them didn’t catch a thing. Then not seen again, then on Monday morning my husband found one in the tolet. Yesterday I cought a rat coming out of my cought closet in the living room, THE MOST UGLY THINGS IN THE WORLD.I got up this morning and sat on the couch let alone did i know that there was one having a ball in side. I have a cat it like to scratch them but not kill them. I have lived in my house for 3 years and this is the only time I have seen them and heard them. I have a filed across the street from me is that were they are coming from?

    I hate them so bad every time i see them or hear then i scream like a little girl… I am afraid that there is more than i know in my house.. i will try the remedies on here but would love to know how to keep them out.

  358. Juicy has posted a tip on October 7, 2011, 12:37 am

    I’M FED THE HELL UP WITH THESE LIL FRICKERS!!! I’VE TRIED TRAPS(STICKY & OLD FASHIONED) POISON AND THE LIL MICE APARTMENT THINGYS AND I STILL HAVE THEM I DON’T EVEN COOK NO MORE AND I LOVE TO COOK I BARELY WANNA COME HOME! I TRIED A CEMENT AND MASHED POTATO MIX TONIGHT HOPEFULLY THIS WORKS AND I’M GONE PUT SOME PEPSI IN A BOTTLE TOP FOR THEM TO DRINK BEFORE I GO! SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE I WANT MY DAMN HOUSE BACK!! IF THIS WORKS I’LL BE SURE TO PASS ON THE GREAT NEWS :)

  359. Bob has posted a tip on October 9, 2011, 12:24 pm

    If the cork of which was plugged with a bottle of sunflower oil has an unpleasant smell, it’s easy to hold in the 5 – th% glycerin solution, and keep it for as long as you need to cork an unpleasant smell disappeared hoziayushka.ru/index.php/Home-smarty-English/difficulties-with-the-plug.html

  360. Sally has posted a tip on October 10, 2011, 9:13 am

    GODD NEWS–I got a full night’s sleep—- no mice! My story and solution to date, is belowwww…….

    Whewwwwwwwwwwww— I read everrrry post and thank you all for the comments, hints and stories!

    I hate anything that moves faster than I do (spiders, snakes, mices, etc., etc.)

    My first problem was CRICKETS and SPIDERS in the basement. It was inundated and the miserable things were showing up upstairs. As much as I hate chemicals, poisons, etc, I decided I had to bomb the basement. Took care of the crickets, spider, etc—but the mice population moved upstairs. In about 3 days, I had mice and signs of mice everywhere! I even had pooplets on the bar soap in the bathroom that looked like it might even be a rat. EWWWW!!! I set out traps, d-con pellets, bait bars–the whole show.

    They ate the PB right off the entire eight traps—caught nary a mouse!! Didn’t touch the bars and couldn’t tell about the pellets. And– I could still hear them running around at night. So, NO-SLEEP!!! I could even hear them in the bedroom….

    The next morning, saw two of the little buggers run across the living room floor. AND–some sorry critter had pretty much destroyed my chenille rug and left it strewn all over the floor!

    This went on for three days without any signs of improvement. Oh–and of course, NO SLEEP! I even ordered the peppermint oil online.

    Yesterday, I decided to reverse my actions and set off yet more bug bombs–UPSTAIRS, while I shopped for more mouse bait! Before I went to bed, I set out a “tom cat” bait station/trap and put the remaining bait bars in several secluded places.

    Then, it was time to go to bed and I was dreading another night of rustling, pitter-patter of mouse feet, and that awful sound as they run thru the walls! OH GOSH!!!

    Before I went to bed, I used lavender essential oil in a few ounces of water and sprayed the entire area, including my bed, pillow, curtains, bedskirt—everything!! It was kind of strong–but what better scent to go to sleep with than LAVENDER?!

    Through the entire night–not even a rustle– no pitter patters–NOTHING but a great night’s sleep! Finally!

    Do I think the mice are gone? Prob not but I think they may have moved downstairs. at least temporarily. This will give me a chance to stuff the hole around the drainpipe under the sink and caulk around the fireplace, etc. I am leaving the bait, traps, etc. in hopes that I can get ahead of the winter invasion of these miserable creatures!

    And, I will be spraying my bedroom again tonight and every night until I WIN this BATTLE!!

    Good luck to all of you!

  361. Clair McNatt has posted a tip on October 10, 2011, 5:14 pm

    Go to a Feed Store or County Co-op and buy some poison pellets called Havoc. The pellets are eaten by the critters and it kills them – embalms them so there is no odor. Apparently the pellets are tasty because they will eat alot of the pellets – and then you’ll find the dead creature – often times in the pellets. I put the pellets in an old jar lid. Works like a charm. Of course if you have small children or pets you shouldn’t use this. I suggest putting some in the attic and garage which will prevent the varmits from getting in the house.

  362. Darryl has posted a tip on October 10, 2011, 8:37 pm

    I wonder if someone sprayed the attic and inside the wall with raid if it would kill them or make them run for the outside? I remember when i was a kid my uncle had a bat fly in the house and trapped it in the bathroom and sprayed 2 cans of raid in the room and in the morning the bat lay dead on the floor??? This would probably require you to leave the house for a day or two? Then there is the clean up later ? Has anyone tried this or something similar ? Curious? I guess it all depends on how dsperate we are ? If anyone tries this please let us know how it works?

  363. rcmans1 has posted a tip on October 11, 2011, 6:16 pm

    There is peperment mouth wash at the dollar tree store maybe it works at least cheaper as want say havent tried though but to the lady said its expensive good luck . I need try the same .

  364. sally has posted a tip on October 11, 2011, 7:56 pm

    GOOD NEWS–BAD NEWS!

    Ok–so haven’t seen a mouse or any signs of a mouse since the lavender–bug bomb, etc. BUT–today there is an AWFUL smell in my utility room! YUCK!! I assume that it is a decaying mouse carcass–peeeuuuwwww!

    HOWEVER–the point is–it is a DEAD mouse and it can’t run around terrorizing me anymore!!

    The smell will go away eventually. Right now– it is the smell of VICTORY!!!

  365. Celeste has posted a tip on October 11, 2011, 10:15 pm

    After discovering a mouse in my condo – I was able to detract them with the following:

    1 – Cut their food source. Place all foods in glass containers.
    2 – The peppermint tea bags soaked in peppermint oil is a good idea.
    3 – Plug holes with steel wool and then cover w/spray foam around the perimeter of the hole you plugged OR plug w/steel wool and use something to glue smooth surfaced glass (not plexiglass) over the hole —mice and rats cannot chew through smooth glass so this is near fool proof!
    4 – Use Pine Sol to clean your h/w or tile floors
    5 – Behind my dishwasher is a .5″ gap from the wall, e.g., no baseboard so I think it was coming up from there. I placed old lightbulbs in a brown paper bag and smashed them then dusted it down the crack – so they won’t walk over the small, thin, sharp glass.

    I would be interested in whether any of these tips help. Best prevention is to cut the food source and block entry ways with smooth glass – they can chew through almost anything else over time.

    If you live in a wooded area, I heard fox urine will keep them away. I would imagine the smell is horrible and I’ve only heard of people purchasing that where you buy hunting stuff.

  366. Lorraine has posted a tip on October 13, 2011, 8:02 pm

    Because mice have a great sense of smell, once you do trap one, clean the area with bleach. It will destroy their scent.

  367. Kimberly has posted a tip on October 13, 2011, 8:09 pm

    I love this sight! I have been reading every chance I get! I am a little sad that I have reached the bottom of the post!! My story is very much like yours but I do have one additional problem I have not read about here. I am petrified of these mice! Every little noise I hear I think is a mouse. I can’t sleep- I know one crawled on my leg last week. It woke me up instantly. I only feel safe outside. Needless to say I sit in the car or on our patio until my husband gets home. I drench myself with Vicks at night. Even as I type this it is one letter at a time- from my iPhone because there is no way I could go into the computer room in fear that one will jump on me. Here is my problem: the mouse and my husband, who is now as fed up with me as I am with the mouse! I sent him to buy traps and he came home with TWO! Dude!! I wanted about 30!

    I read all of your tips( hence the Vicks) and I have every different trap and poison- bags, trays, and today I bought antifreeze. He wanted to put it in one spot-again- really??? I had him cut the bottoms off of styrofoam cups to use as little “mice baths.” So as of right now my husband thinks I am nuts and is now on our other sofa! So I have the mouse and Mr. Meanie! I will post again and let you know what worked here in Illinois. Keep posting!! Your posts have encouraged me and validated my feelings! I am going to dose myself up with some Xanax and hope maybe I can put myself into a self induced coma!! Lol. P.S. If any of you have an unsympathetic spouse….please share your helpful tips!! Thanks again!! Kim

  368. steve has posted a tip on October 14, 2011, 7:47 am

    I’ve heard that keeping a cat in your house is a good way to get rid of mice. Just let the cat roam around at night before you know it shaazaam!! the mice are dead!!

  369. donna has posted a tip on October 15, 2011, 3:47 am

    plzzzz help me how can i get rid of mouse ive seen only the 1 but have been told were thers 1 thers more ;( ive put bait box down but still its there ive not slept for 5 days im so scared ;( i am going 2 try peppermint oil tonight i dont no were i can buy shake away i live in the uk i realy hope some1 out there can help many thanksxxx

  370. Fred has posted a tip on October 15, 2011, 8:55 am

    Best way to get rid of them and to keep them away is by using poison year round. It took me about 2 weeks of using poison and I no longer hear them in my wall(took me 3-4 years to figure this out). If you live in an apartment this option might not work for you. I just get the little pellet poisons that come in a tray and set them under my house. One BIG drawback is you might have a mouse or 2 die in your wall and that can smell pretty bad. I have pets and as long as I keep the poison under the house and keep the crawl spaces secure I have no fear of poisoning my own pets.

  371. Missy has posted a tip on October 18, 2011, 1:50 pm

    I have recently had a mouse issue…like this last weekend!! I purchased 4 traps and poison..i purchased 2 of the live traps and they did not work. The other 2 traps i purchased are ortho max they are easy set and they have a hair trigger. 20 mins and snap one down! thrw the dcon in the attic in hopes that if there are more. Ortho Max Easy Set my recommendation!

  372. Brit. has posted a tip on October 19, 2011, 1:17 am

    Im confussed on how people know how many they have. I liked the idea with gloves so they dont smell human. I hate the little b@$*$#$#. I went to put on my boot today and there was litte paper strips and then i was shaking it and a freakin mouse fell out. Needless to say I wore my Under Amours today.

  373. Haywud has posted a tip on October 19, 2011, 4:26 pm

    I hate these suckers. Don’t have mice, but I have rats. Luckily they are outside, but they have set up home under my deck and apparently have started burrowing under my brick patio.

    I guess this is part of having outdoor pets. Found some holes at the fence line and figured they are coming out and getting the dog’s food.

    Moved a deck board and found a huge pile of dog food. Also found a torn up rag under there.

    They have a nice system of tunnels burrowed under the deck (deck is basically 2×6 on the ground – built so that it lines up with our brick patio). Looked at the corner and saw a hole tunneling under the patio. Patio is 20×15, so I can only imagine how long those tunnels are or how many may be living in there.

    Dealt with this a few years ago – ended up catching 4 or 5. Thought it was solve since we now feed the dogs in the morning…..guess not!

    Would rather not deal with poisons, but did dump an entire tray of the pellets where I saw the tunnel under the patio last night. This morning it was all gone. Set a couple of snap traps baited with peanut butter, but all were still there this morning.

    They are outside, so I guess they pose little problems, but causes issues with my dogs starting to dig at the fence.

    Not sure what to try – thought I may pour a couple of gallons of ammonia down the tunnel and see what happens. Last time I grabbed a water hose and tried to flood them out, but they have so many places to hide. Ended up taking up about half my deck boards (like every other board) to find them and poke them with a stick….eventually they ran and dogs caught them…..but I can’t do that with the patio.

    Wonder if vinegar would be any good? Maybe a couple of boxes of baking soda and then a bottle of vinegar….would be kind of cool to watch!

  374. Margie has posted a tip on October 20, 2011, 12:20 pm

    I am concerned that if I put poison out for the mice other animals might eat the mice and become sick or worse -die-. I got tired of the mice tripping the traps so I do something a little different with my traps. I tie a piece of twine, preferably cotton, to the area where you would place the cheese. I then coat the string in peanut butter. They love peanut butter! They have to actually tug on the string therefore tripping the trap! AMAZING! Works like a dream and no poison!

  375. Becky has posted a tip on October 22, 2011, 4:15 pm

    I want to know if mice can come in through the dryer vent!!! If they come in down the inside of the hose, can they get out thru the dryer somewhere? I will do ANYTHING to keep them OUT!!!!! My vent is way up high (but I know that doesn’t make a difference) and the flaps open real easy!!!!

    They freak me out and I can’t sleep!!!!!!! Right now I have all kinds of traps set and nothing!!! One ran across the floor this morning!!!!!! I borrowed my daughter’s cat for a weekend and he got one!!!! It is a real shame to be afraid in your own home!!!!

  376. Dr.M.VJoseph has posted a tip on October 22, 2011, 7:18 pm

    I think mint can work, I going to try it. I have heard from some reliable source that mint leaves can keep away rhinos , elephants & tigers. Why not mices ?? Or are they smarter????

    Yesterday a taxi driver told me that white mice can keep the balck one away through their scary white eyes shining at night. It think it quite possible as black jagurs can keep away white monkeys.

    Dr.Joseph

  377. Nancee has posted a tip on October 24, 2011, 12:37 pm

    I moved to a new basement suite and the mice have arrived… tiny little guys. I have ferrets who require 24 hr food and this is what they are coming in for. The suite has wall heaters (water based steam heat) and they may be traveling on these. I will get more peppermint to put out.

    Dilemma: Last week I found a mouse perched on top of the wicker basket in front of the cage. It didn’t move (even after I screeched in surprise to see it sitting 10 inches from me and where I’d just cleaned the cage!) Someone was outside and removed it with a leather glove… it was moving its head… that’s it. I thought maybe a ferret had bit it but no blood!

    This morning I found a dead mouse lying on the floor by an inside door.Back feet straight out. We’d been away 3 days and I wonder if I could have been walking back and forth last night not seeing it!

    WHAT would cause DEAD mice?? Does anyone know? My ferrets went straight to their big cage upon returning… I just don’t want these little critters passing on something to my pets!

    Meanwhile I will continue the use of peppermint oil. I can’t use the other suggestions as my ferrets to run loose for a while daily. There is also an opening around my tub that humans can’t access so that MAY be a possible entry point along pipes. Because of a wall heater blocking it is difficult.

    Sorry that I don’t have any tips at the moment… just concerns. I know dead is the preferred state for most of you… but IF it means disease (though they look perfectly fine)…

  378. julie has posted a tip on October 24, 2011, 1:08 pm

    A friend of mines Mom had the best tip for getting rid of mice without any problem.Get Instant potatoes.Pour dry potatoes in a bowl and in another bowl put water.They eat the dry potatoes and then drink the water.The potatoes expand and no more problems with the mice.I have tried this and it works great!This will cause no harm to your pets if they get a hold of them.

  379. IVBrwn has posted a tip on October 24, 2011, 9:49 pm

    @Kimerbly

    I know exactly how you feel. We have been living in this house for over 10 years….about 4 months ago shortly after I returned from college….I discovered we had a mouse problem…Naively we all thought it was just A MOUSE….that turns out not to be the case

    LET ME SAY THAT I AM TERRIFIED OF BUGS….YET COMPARED TO MICE…GIVE ME STINKBUGS ALL OVER MY AIR CONDITIONER. My family is losing sympathy for my phobia. I happeen to be the most petrified person in the house…and guess who spots a mouse in her room a few weeks ago? SMH. And I was actually believed to have been seeing things!!

    So, tonight while I’m on the phone with my boyfriend…I hear this noise I’ve never heard before…I think I’m hearing them now lol….but I immediately dropped the phone and cut everything off to get a better listen…*OMG IT JUST CAME BACK!!* eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek *cries(

    anyway I thought it was in my room again, turns out the little shyt is in the walls or the attic I have no idea. To make matters worse my vent is a little loose and I’m scared its gonna break thru the tape and come falling in my room =[

    My room smells like a COTTON BALL SOAKED IN PEPPERMINT OIL. I also taped one at my vent….thinking maybe I shud add more

    I WANT MY COMFORT BACK…COMMENTS LIKE “ONCE U HAVE MICE U HAVE THEM FOREVER” MAKE ME WANNA STRANGLE THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT. We had an orchin tech come out and those little paper traps have been of no assistance. I need relief. I’m praying this peppermint oil keeps my room safe…I’m learning to deal with them possibly being around the house…I CANNOT DEAL WITH THEM IN MY ROOM…i JUST CANT.

  380. Hannah has posted a tip on October 26, 2011, 8:42 am

    I have been fighting an infestation for a couple of years now. I started out using humane traps, they’re small black contraptions that catch the mouse and contain it until you can release it. This worked great (used peanut butter), but after catching 14 mice my husband decided something more serious had to be done. He was convinced they were returning to our house but I was driving a couple miles down the road to release them. So unfortunately, we had to start using kill traps. I’ve been buying the white plastic ones, and they work great with peanut butter as bait. I’m an animal lover and would never want anything to suffer so glue traps are out of the question. I can’t use poison because I have dogs, and my neighbors have outdoor pets that I’m afraid would eat the poisoned mouse. But it’s never ending and it’s so disappointing. I am trying to plug up holes, but it’s an old home…I feel like a mouse will find it’s way in no matter what I do :( I hate killing them but I cant have them living in my house. I’m thinking about moving onto the electric trap…expensive but if it will help rid my house of mice I think it will be worth it.

  381. Hannah has posted a tip on October 26, 2011, 8:56 am

    Oh, and for those of you that aren’t sure where they are coming in from…have you checked your foundation vents? One night while I was home, I could hear the mice in the leaves outside of my bedroom window. I went out side with a flashlight and saw a mouse! He ran off and scampered through our vent. When I looked closely there was a tiny tear in the screen of the vent and this mouse fit right through it. A man at Lowes said I would have to completely replace the vent, and be sure to use screens that were metal, not that plastic stuff because the mice will chew through it. This is getting expensive :( Oh and you HAVE to keep your pet food in a container, not in the bag. We bought an airtight container from Petsmart that said rodents cant chew through it. You also HAVE to put your pet food away at night, dont leave it out in a dish. The mice were hoarding it all over the house. You wouldnt believe the places we were finding dog food. I even found a stash in my dryer sheets box so that idea that bounce repels mice? No way.

  382. cheri has posted a tip on October 26, 2011, 8:25 pm

    we had a problem with mice are my old job and we were told to put mint tea bags in our drawers. it worked wonders. i just moved into a house that has a mouse proble n we hung peppermint tea bags in all the cabinets n i found peppermint air freshner so i am going to try that too.

  383. Jeannie has posted a tip on October 27, 2011, 8:40 am

    I heard that a fabric soft sheet repels mice. I have had mice in my house many times; at one time my mom lived with me and took care of the problem. Now it is my turn. My question is what about the dishes? I have been washing dishes before I use any dish now for a long time to the point that I have become extremely phobic. I am close to total shut down. For therapeutic purposes, to confront my phobias, I have been told to only wash the dishes where there is evidence of a problem and not to wash all the dishes in the house. My phobias are not a fear of germs that will harm me, but that I will be doing an injustice to others that I share my food with. I have found that no matter how hard I try, I cannot live in a germ free environment. At this point I am not sure which constitute a phobic practice or which practices is an acceptable social practice. Your input would be greatly helpful and appreciated.

  384. Confused has posted a tip on October 27, 2011, 9:29 pm

    No tip—very confused about my mouse situation. Early yesterday morning I saw a mouse go from my bedroom around the corner into the pantry. My jaw hit the floor. No signs of it before the sighting. Tonight when got home from work me and bf scoured the whole entire friggin house…
    No droppings no urine no chewing no shreds of paper or nests. Nothing. is this good or bad?? Lol now I’m just confused and frustrated cause I know it’s here somewhere.
    He ate the peanut butter off the trap last night. Tonight we set more regular spring traps glue strips and the decon round spinning traps. I’ll let u know if I have any luck. I just can’t figure out what kind of infestation I have!! Sometime not knowing is worse.
    Sitting up all night for the second time on my couch waiting to hear a trap spring….I also sprayed Lysol around my little couch area hoping to discourage it from getting close to me. Then remembered people saying they love soap. I just put a ton of dy shampoo in my hair too. If it likes that smell I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night with a mouse eating my face!!!!!!!

  385. John has posted a tip on October 27, 2011, 10:12 pm

    The best tip I have to offer everybody is something I read at a different pest control site [ http://togetridofmice.com ]. They said that most experts recommend setting 6 traps per room that you’ve seen mice in. The idea is that the more traps you set, the more opportunity you have to catch the mouse. By setting 6 traps, you should be able to cover all your bases. I’m not sure how much it would really make a difference, but it makes sense. For those folks still having trouble catching mice, maybe that’s what you need to do – set more traps!

  386. Tamela has posted a tip on October 27, 2011, 10:51 pm

    Just moved to a new house about 5months ago, haven’t had any activity until last week. My mom saw one of those bad boys poke it’s head out between a piece of sheet rock that was leaning against a hallway wall. That seemed to be it’s spot because she saw him like 3 more times, so my dad decided to put down glue traps , 4 in a row, so you think he’d step on one, right? That night we watch his butt run the base of the wall surpassing all of the traps and into my room. Now he’s in the kitchen. He ate holes in the bread on the counter and my dogs treats. I see it every night run to the fridge to then to the stove and back again. We will have to try the peppermint oil too! Wish me luck!!!

  387. Tami has posted a tip on October 27, 2011, 11:04 pm

    My dad was a pest control man for 44 yrs…has seen and tried everything out there and these new bait stations they have ROCK. they are tamper proof so safe for kids and pets, they have a craving agent in them as well so they mice are attracted to them. the bait is a parafin block, they walk in the bait station chew on it then leave, it has chlorophyll in the bait as well so when they do die (36hrs approximately after consumption) they wont smell. i was trying other options as well to get rid of them with no luck, after my dad told me that mice cannot control their kidneys and urinate as they walk all over your place and things i decided not to be worried about using bait……

    nasty but true so call a pest control tech out as they are the only ones that can handle these bait stations and you will be rid of mice in a week or less just like me :)

  388. Confused has posted a tip on October 28, 2011, 9:10 am

    Update–caught the SOB with the sticky traps. Didnt even lick the peanut butter off the other traps. We bought the kind in the plastic trays. Seems to have worked I just hope I don’t have a total infestation.

  389. steeplejack has posted a tip on October 30, 2011, 5:50 pm

    I recommend shooting mice in the kitchen with an air pistol. This is highly effective and far more humane than glue traps! You need one with a bit of clout, and open sights. Weihrauch HW45 in Europe = Beeman P1 in America. Put a thick folded newspaper on the floor where the mice get, to protect your floor. Put a chunk of wholemeal bread in a plastic carrier bag, about a third of a small loaf will do. Use the thin rustly biodegrading kind of bag. Put it on the paper and leave the top open so you can look down into the bag from about 3 feet away. Mousey will quickly slash a hole in, and you’ll hear rustling and chewing noises, especially when the bread is dry and hard. They prefer really ancient bread. Best time is about 10 pm. With a little stealth you’ll be able to get a clear view and easy shot. Use flat-fronted pellets (paper pumchers) such as Walther Finale Match for an instant kill. The dry bread is like a magnet to them – you’ll get them the first evening they show up. This keeps the population down to near zero.

  390. Kathy R. has posted a tip on October 31, 2011, 5:12 am

    For the fellow with the rat problem: A couple of years back, I wound up with an old bird cage when I had to take a whole pallet of junk I didn’t want to get a couple of items I really did want at an auction. Unloading, I remember thinking, “What in the heck am I EVER going to do with a friggin bird cage!?!?” I tossed it out of the way for inclusion in a yard sale, whenever I get around to having one. Months went by. One night in the fall of 2010, I noticed a rat making trips from the bucket of dog food, out the door, back for another load, etc. I live out in the boonies, where scumbags tend to dump dogs. I’m one of the VERY few who take them in and try to find homes for them, rather than just shooting them or waiting for starvation or coyotes to do them in. I have a hard enough time feeding the dogs on a disability income, without providing a winter stockpile of dog food for field or pack rats, too! First, I tried glue boards; but, the rat managed to dislodge itself from the board; and, by later that night, it was back. No point wasting 2 more glue boards. I thought of the bird cage; and, dug it out of the pile it was in. I blocked the holes on the sides with some 1/4″ hardware cloth, drilled a small hole in the rear center of the lip of the clean out tray, tied some dog food bag string through the hole, ran it up through the back, across to the front at a level that I could “clip” the gate up with a small piece of scrap electric fence wire that was bent in half. The string needs to be of a length which just slightly elevates the clean-out tray. (I elevate the back of mine about 3/4″) I then baited the back of the tray, just below the string, with some dog food stuck into some peanut butter. It didn’t take 5 minutes before I had that rat trapped in the bird cage. I clipped the gate down with the clip from an old leash, loaded the cage into the car, and drove about 20 miles to the dump to release the rat. It did take a long, thin stick to get the rat off of the bars and out the gate, when it was time to release her. Once she found the gate, she was off like a shot. A friend of mine has a mobile home on my property, too; and, has a big problem with rats. Trapping them from there has proved a little more time consuming; since, he leaves people food out. Trapping at his place involved having to build a (larger) holding pen out of hardware cloth; since, we’ve had to save trips (gas) to the dump by taking 3 and 4 at one time. Transferring them from the trap to the holding pen isn’t hard; and, so far, we haven’t had any escape. I’ve made a “rat prod” out of a longer piece of electric fence wire that’s folded in half. it works well for getting them off of the bars and steered in the right direction, even though it can take a few attempts to get them through the gates.

    Regarding glue boards: putting peanut butter on a glue board does something to the glue. My guess is that it has something to do with the oil in peanut butter. I generally bait mine with a few pieces of dog food; and, they work just fine for mice. I cut mine into smaller (about 3″) strips; and, try to keep them in small areas. Partially, this is to make them go further; and, partially, it helps to prevent them getting stuck to dog’s feet, tails, butts, etc. I even had one stuck to one of my dog’s ears one time! The more he tried to get it off, the more it got stuck in his hair! I wound up going through almost a full bottle of mineral oil getting it off of him!

    Once mice are stuck to a glue board: The most humane way I’ve found to dispatch a mouse that’s stuck to a glue board is to use a pair of needle nosed pliers to get it into a small ziplock bag; then, out to a metal work table I have outside. A quick, clean whack to the head with a small sledge hammer dispatches them into the next life without them even having time to feel it. The bag prevents “splatter” (and having to clean the hammer every time); plus, it makes disposal more sanitary. To those who “just don’t have the heart to do it,” I recommend not using glue boards; since, it’s far more humane than leaving them to suffer a slow and painful death. I tried drowning them before I started using the hammer; but, that takes too long. I just “put myself in the mouse’s position;” and, an instant, painless death would be what I’d choose… I just focus my compassion into insuring that it IS instant; and, that it occurs as soon as possible after one gets stuck on the board.

    Snakes: If a snake has ROUND pupils, leave it alone, it’s non-poisonous; and, even if it’s too small to eat full-sized mice, it will search out and eat the babies. If, on the other hand, it has vertical, “slit” pupils, KILL IT – it’s poisonous!!! If a non-poisonous snake gets stuck on a glue board, gently remove it using mineral oil; then, release it to feast on mice. If a poisonous snake gets trapped on a glue board, a long handled shovel works well for removing it and for chopping off its head outside. Beware of the severed head; and, keep pets away from it. I’ve HEARD that they can reflexively bite for a while after being dead. (Not sure if that’s true or not; but, better to err on the side of caution…)

    I know I probably shouldn’t say this; but…. {shrug} Until I read this, I always just sort of assumed that the stereotipical “shrieking bimbo on a chair at the sight of a mouse” was just comedy fodder. Get a grip! A mouse isn’t going to chase you – it’s going to try to get AWAY from you! Yes, they can carry diseases; but, a bigger problem is that they’re destructive and absolutely LOVE to chew on cords, wiring, etc. – which is not only costly but can be a fire hazard. Good reasons to get rid of them; but, “being terrified of them” is not only melodramatic; but, only perpetuates the stereotypical myths that are WAY overdue for being buried! It reminds me of the bimbos who refuse to do well in math and science because it might make them “less popular;” or, who refuse to learn how to change a flat tire because they “might break a fingernail.” (More like they’re just too lazy!) Men might buy it; as a female, I’m just really irritated by it. Respect has to be earned; and, it’s NOT earned by playing “damsel in distress.” Unfortunately, women like myself have to go to greater lengths to overcome the damage done by those perpetuate the stereotypes. (BTW, This comment is NOT intended to be “a flame.” If anything, it might cause some of the gals who find “the shoe fitting” to take a closer look at how they’ve been brainwashed and give them internal permission to quit playing into the stereotype. That would benefit both them and ALL females!)

    I wish the oil of peppermint trick worked; but, reading the other poster’s comments, it doesn’t appear that it would work out here. I can’t use cats; ince, if the dogs didn’t get them, they coyotes would. I can’t use bait; since, I don’t want to risk poisoning the dogs. For those of you who can, “Just One Bite” bait worked well when I just had one dog, who wasn’t inclined to eat dead (or alive) mice. If the mice get really bad this winter (we’ve had a burn ban most of the summer, which causes the rodent population to explode; since, garbage doesn’t get burned regularly), I might have to resort to the baited bucket of water. :(

  391. Dee has posted a tip on November 2, 2011, 12:13 am

    we have a mouse problem at first these lil bugger would only come out late at night and only down stairs in the kitchen, but here lately its like they have been testing us. Now we see them in the day and upstairs in the bedrooms. I made my own concoction of bleach amonia, dish soap, fabuloso, and rubbing alcohol and put it in a spay bottle and spayed the entire kitchen floor with it every night and for the most part it keep them away, but today i sat back and watched the buggers play, the really are cute critter, but i just dont like how they just pop out on you and try to run and hide once you walk in the room and i definitely don’t want them crawling on me while i am sleep. They have made me super paranoid, every time i see a shadow out of the corner of my eye i jump or look real fast trying to see where it went and most of the time it is just my mind playing tricks on me, im goiong to try the peppermint oil and bayleave tomorrow though

  392. Matthew has posted a tip on November 2, 2011, 2:49 pm

    I had a few mice when I first moved into my place, and took care of them with old-fashion snap traps set with peanut butter. That was about ten years ago.

    Recently, I’ve spotted evidence of another mouse (or mice) in the house. Feces, and some holes chewed in the bottom of a bag of dry dog food. I put out some of the glue traps yesterday, but I haven’t caught anything yet. I think I’m going to try some more snap traps.

    These traps have outstanding reviews at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202229591/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. I think I’ll pick some of these up tonight and give them a try.

  393. Adel has posted a tip on November 3, 2011, 7:14 am

    rodents have an oily body. they often rub their body against walls, therefore leaving some marks on they wall. In heavy infestations when shed a flash light on the wall in the dark you will see reflection. rodents do not see, they are partially blind the do not see defined shapes. they just see blurred image, however every hair on their body is a sensor. they walk about the walls they never trespass in an unordered fashion through the room unless encountered by you and get scared. usually they leave behind pheromone so others will follow the same rout or it will follow the rout on the way back. if this pheromone is interrupted by removal the mice become disoriented and may lose track for a while.

    Since they emit oil from their body, try this formula and you will see them no more. sprinkle the hottest ground chilly powder u can lay your hands on. The chilly powder will stick to their bodies and burn their skin to death. They will look for roughest wall or article to scratch their skin. their skin will will get bruised. and the chilly powder will get into their inner bruised body and die of their wounds. This is the most effective and tried method. You can make a solution of chilly powder by mixing it with water and spray it on walls or behind awkward situations. once the water is dry the chilly powder sticks to the wall or behind the sink or what have you. The chilly powder solution may become some what slurry and block your spray bottle nozzle keep shacking because chilly powder tends to keep settling to the bottom. good luck. keep us posted of your results.

  394. Adel has posted a tip on November 3, 2011, 7:43 am

    peppermint oil is good but u need to buy the 100% pure one which is expensive 100ml worth about $ 50 here down under. the one you buy from food store is only essence. it is not pure the pure one remains effective for about a month with out the need to replace the soaked cotton balls with oil. go for cheap or least expensive yet effective ” chilly powder” it next to kin or cousin if u know what I mean. Glue boards are good but not the ones the ones you fined in your supermarket.

    there are good ones only sold to professional pesty’s. if you happen to have glue boards, place a small piece of chocolate such as Tim Tam or similar ” the size of half of your finger nail” in the middle of the board. once they tried to reach for the chocolate they get stuck to the glue and they struggle to death with it. or if they manage to get away, they will get injured and die of their wounds later somewhere else. Glue board can be laid against the wall. no gabs between the wall and the board. If the board is rectangular in shape, make sure to place so as to maximise blocking the pathway of the mice. meaning place the board longest side in the pathway and shortest against the wall. By the way mice and rats love chocolates and chocolate coated biscuits.

  395. Anil Kumar Patra has posted a tip on November 6, 2011, 9:41 pm

    i had a mice problem u just have to do one thing by sprickling some bleashing on the ground mice are not comming to this place.

  396. evelyn has posted a tip on November 8, 2011, 4:22 pm

    I was looking for this one that I found…I don’t know about you people but I don’t have any peppermint oil and want to use something I already have around the house…I add a little bit of peanut butter to lure them better….here it is;
    I Just found a recipe for home-made pet friendly Rat and Mouse killer on a website from Tennessee as follows :

    1 cup of flour
    1 cup of sugar
    1 cup of baking soda ( Bicarbonate of soda…the stuff in the box not the can)
    and I add a touch OF PEANUT BUTTER….

    Mix together and place in small bowls where you notice rodent traffic.

    Says it’s safe around household pets.
    (The bicarb will react with stomach acid and produce carbon dioxide gas, obviously in excess to create the swelling. Apparently, most of these vermin and creatures cannot pass wind, hence the internal combustion. )

  397. evelyn has posted a tip on November 8, 2011, 4:24 pm

    I FORGOT to say….I just roll in little balls and place them all over the house!!!! instead of bowls..that way you can roll them between fridge and counter..stove…behind dryer…etc….

  398. Sally has posted a tip on November 8, 2011, 4:25 pm

    WHAT A NIGHTMARE!
    Everyone here struggling with mice has my FULL and complete sympathy. I have been fighting this battle for 6 yrs in my house. I am so freaked out that I will not go into my basement which is where they seem to live and stay ( thankfully). I removed every single item from basement into garage so I have no reason to go down there.

    On top of that a few exterminators said they were rats! Tails longer and a little bigger, even more freaked out!

    I agree that poison works but they WILL die inside your house, last winter I collected 6 or 7 dead ones. I am so traumatized by them,it takes me weeks to get the courage up to venture down to see if there are dead ones. I was so desperate I was just heaving poison everywhere in hopes I would get rid of them for good! Luckily I have no pets and no small children, just me and the rats! But as mentioned NOT a permanent solution.

    The cold weather is back and they are back! I am now spending $2000 for someone to attempt to completely seal my house perimeter and roof-line, vents etc- but no guarantees on that either. He said they can’t guarantee because they are so clever, adaptable and desperate to be in your house in winter,eventually some will get in. He said he has been doing this for years and the goal is to keep it to a dull roar, you can’t fully get rid of them, everyone will have them, whether you know it or not!

    MY ADVICE: Do everything you can to seal house 1st and then have a constant extermination plan in place with a professional so you don’t have to deal with removing the dead ones etc. Stuff even the smallest cracks with steel wool, seal all pipes that come into the house, yourself or have it done by someone. After 6 yrs and reading all these posts, it’s like fighting World Hunger!

  399. julie has posted a tip on November 9, 2011, 9:56 am

    Has anyone tried a spray bottle of bleach? These little bastards are annoying me so much I fantasize about teaching them a lesson!!

  400. rafaela lutz has posted a tip on November 9, 2011, 12:23 pm

    THE BEST baking soda!!!

  401. linda has posted a tip on November 12, 2011, 12:08 pm

    Even if u use the glue traps still put peanut butter on them even if they say they smell like peanut butter.There is never
    just one mouse if u let this problem go u will be infested.

  402. AliceMalice has posted a tip on November 13, 2011, 10:45 am

    have lived in my house in the country for almost TEN YEARS and all of a sudden mice TAKE OVER! it happened overnight we started having more and more in the walls and the glue traps worked like a charm and we killed thirteen in a week, then things got quiet, well imagine my anger and surprise when months later as its getting cold I am fixing soup and grill cheeses for my son and a giant mouse runs out in the middle of the day across my stove and behind the coffee maker, it got away but then I put glue traps out (already had them left over from the first battle with mice) two hours later I get up and go to the kitchen and before I turned the corner I could hear it struggling, it was stuck fast to the glue trap, I took a stick and beat it til its skull was crushed and sadly even though I love animals dearly, It FELT GOOD! I HATE MICE! HATE THEM with a passion! they are filthy and nasty! the next morning my hubby said he saw another one the same size the same NIGHT in the kitchen! I am ready to just move out! More glue traps but did not trap that one, am hoping it was just the ghost of the first one.GRIN

  403. CGR has posted a tip on November 13, 2011, 9:00 pm

    Not really a tip, at least not yet…

    We had a few mice the first fall we lived in this house (7 years ago). They were confined to the lower cabinets in the kitchen, mostly in the utensil drawers. I never saw a piece of mouse poop anywhere else in the house, and I would have if there’d been any because I’m a super neat freak and I clean a lot. I recall we had a few of those live traps that look like a long box with a door that swings only one way so they could get in and not out. Caught a couple, let them go at a park several miles away, then switched to snap traps. It didn’t take long, maybe three more mice, and they were gone. Never saw another piece of mouse poop until this morning! And trust me, I check EVERY SINGLE TIME I OPEN THE UTENSIL DRAWER. (They love the clear silicone spatulas from Williams-Sonoma but not any of my other ones.) No mouse poop yesterday, mouse poop this morning. But only in the drawers, just like last time. Did a thorough house-cleaning today (including washing all bedding) and saw no other droppings. The dogs also haven’t “said” anything, and they loooove chasing small animals.

    Found this site after sending my husband to the store for some traps (either couldn’t find the reusable ones we had or we got rid of them at some point). There are a lot of tips here, and I’m not sure which ones really work, but I’m trying the snap traps baited with pb and dry dog food (which we keep in air-tight plastic containers, haven’t found any droppings where those are kept) and cotton balls with drops of lavender, rosemary and cinnamon essential oils placed in and under the cabinets. (If I remove the drawers, I can get underneath the cabinets. They’re original to the house–1920–and poorly built. I’d love to replace them, but…that’s a lot of money I don’t have.) Poison is not an option since we have the two pups.

    In the meantime, I have removed and washed every single thing that was stored in the lower cabinets. Did all of it need washing? I don’t know, but it was a great way to weed out lots of stuff we don’t use anymore or forgot we had. I put everything in boxes and moved it to the dining room on the pedestal dining table, so there is nothing in the cabinets or drawers except cotton balls and traps. I’m hoping that if the little buggers make it to the dining room, they won’t be able to get to the top of the table. But they’ve never been outside the kitchen as far as I can tell, so I think we’ll be OK.

    When we moved in, there was steel wool stuffed in a hole in the cabinet under the sink. Now I know why. I re-stuffed the hole with a giant wad of aluminum foil with cotton balls soaked in lavender and rosemary oils in the middle. I’m hoping that keeps them out. We filled some holes and cracks outside the house earlier this fall with that spray foam stuff, so hopefully we cut off some of their access points. That foam is still intact, so they haven’t chewed through it. I guess we need to go around the house again and be more ruthless with the spray foam and add some steel wool to it.

    We sleep on a different floor so I’m not sure we’d hear the traps snap if they went off overnight. We’ll be sure to check first thing in the morning! I will be back to report the results of our efforts, either once we’ve gotten rid of them or once I’ve lost my sanity.

  404. John Doe has posted a tip on November 14, 2011, 10:32 am

    Bleach Poison concoction with parmesan cheese and / or peanut butter.

    I don’t like killing them either, but people, if you want instant results, this does work every time. I’m having to do for my brothers family now. I’ve done this countless times and please, enough of the humane comments. I’ve been humane enough, but this is to solve a problem. Regular Clorox bleach; take any chip, cracker, cereal like honey grams, chex, whatever, salt thins, bread… does not matter – put the bleach on whatever it is you use, then cover with parmesan cheese and leave for them in the suspected areas of entry. I also mix peanut butter with bleach and leave a generous amount on bread, crackers, cereal etc… you would think the bleach smell would make the mice say “hell no I’m not touching that,” but NO! they take and will eat and die. I usually mix the bleach/peanut butter concoction well (don’t like to have the smell be over-powering).. as for the parmesan cheese (cheap fake shake kind you buy in supermarkets); just take your bread, chip, cookie etc.. dribble bleach on most of your bait (but don’t over drench it) and then shake parmesan on top and pat it, maybe put some more on top to make the smell more potent and place in suspected areas for them. THEY WILL eat it … only issue is if they don’t die in the open, you’ll need to call someone to eradicate the deceased. I do it myself, cheaper and more humbling. Good luck… it works!

  405. Diane has posted a tip on November 16, 2011, 3:14 pm

    Does the bobcat urine work? Anyone tried it? Do you put it inside or outside?

    Thanks!

  406. kw has posted a tip on November 16, 2011, 7:14 pm

    I don’t know if anyone has seen the tv show with Billy the exsterminator. I learned that if your trying to kill mice or a mouse, that if you have dog food laying around the mice poison WON’T work!!!!!! You have to get rid of the dog food. DOG food has vitamin K in it and is what the mouse needs to counteract the poison. Make sure the dog food stays sealed up in air tight containers and monitor your dogs feeding schedule. Since we have put the dog food in the container and the kids have quit spilling it on the floor of the garage the mice poison has worked. In summary…get rid of food that has vitamin k in it that the mouse can get into.

  407. olnick has posted a tip on November 19, 2011, 12:34 pm

    After reading ALL the posts, I have come up with…. catch them out side and keep them out. I keep getting a Random one (yeah I know) 1=99! in my attic. Thought I had them licked, found an open area in the soffet at the corner of the house sealed it with flashing. had NONE for a month. Today another kill in the attic! I’ll clean it all up with bleach again and get some bobcat urine to coat the area in. I’m also going back to check on the flashing to see if any part of the soffet has been chewed away. and fill the opening with expanding foam insulation. I’m going to use the bucket with water trick at the ground location to catch them prior to getting to the house. I do feel for all on this link as to the frustration in dealing with them

  408. Alanx has posted a tip on November 19, 2011, 11:20 pm

    News from England with house mice. I live in what Americans would call a trailer.

    Considering the corpses seen over the last month and guessing from the stench from the poisoned ones, I’ve killed at least 20 of the varmints.

    I’ve read it is important to wear gloves when handling traps and laying the bait so that human scent doesn’t get on them.

    I’ve used uncleaned snap traps with success within 20 minutes of that trap’s last kill. The modern advanced plastic snap traps are having the best kill rate, and they are much easier to set.

    I’m not sure if you can buy bromodialone laced wheat in The States, but I’ve just gone out and bought a big box – THIS STUFF IS HARMFUL TO PETS AND PEOPLE, but will reduce the mouse population.

    Changing your methods regularly looks like a good idea, leaving baits unset with food on for a while and trying out different baits on traps.

    My mice started off with liking roasted sesame oil on bread, then i went on to the classic crunchy peanut butter and mars bars.

    Being thorough is a good idea. – 6 traps and four bait stations to a kitchen is a good idea. It looks to me like that there is a king boss mouse in every group, and it seems if you kill him, the other mice won’t touch the traps until a new king boss mouse who gets killed in the traps.

    So if you are not careful, you might end up poisoning two mice very very well while the rest of the gang keep having babies. The multiple bait stations and traps will help get round this problem.

    So go in, go hard and go excessive is my advice, and keep the traps and poison out until there are fifteen days of no evidence of mice. Mice like fresh poison, so I clear out my bait places and replace with fresh every 5 days.

    My next tactic will be a bucket trap, and if I have to, sticky traps, but only as a final step.

    I’ll let you know how I get on. The mice I’m catching are getting smaller and smaller.

    On dead mouse smell: these bags:

    http://www.pestcontroldirect.co.uk/acatalog/Deodorants___Disinfectants.html

    have worked for me in containing the smell of recently dead mice. The horrible smell still bursts through for a couple of days, but the bags take the edge of the worst of the nauseating smell – enough that you can eat and don’t have to move into a motel.

    I’ve found that these bags have cleared the bad smell in 5 days for me (but be warned, if you’re situation is more humid and warm the smell could persist for longer).

    You need three of these bags per room

  409. alanx has posted a tip on November 19, 2011, 11:24 pm

    To clarify – My boss mouse got zapped in an electric trap in a little area he’d appeared to make his own. I’ve left that trap unset loaded with peanut butter and the rest of the squeakers haven’t gone near it. It looks possible to me that boss mouse can mark poison bait stations as his own.

  410. alanx has posted a tip on November 19, 2011, 11:28 pm

    Link to American site for those dead mouse odour bags ;

    http://www.cleartheair.com/english/dead_rodent_odors.html

  411. alanx has posted a tip on November 19, 2011, 11:34 pm

    Correction – there are some mice it seems are resistant to bromadiolone, but there will be other poisons they will succumb to

  412. rhode island has posted a tip on November 20, 2011, 12:27 am

    My mother taught me to place a dryer sheet in the back of the silverware drawer. seems to work.

  413. Megan has posted a tip on November 20, 2011, 8:50 pm

    We have had the best luck with the old wooden snap traps and putting REAL cheddar cheese for the bait

  414. stacey has posted a tip on November 21, 2011, 7:00 pm

    OMG i hate the little shits! i have been in my house for nearly 2 years now and we have always had mice!!! i just cant get rid ov em! i clean every day and dont leave any food lying around! but now i think they have got worse i have even seen 2 at a time on kitchen worktop! im at my wits end! i cant sleep at night im that scared lol! il try the peppermint oil and i just hope it works! its hard though because i have fields and woods etc at back of my house so as im getting rid ov em more are coming in! i have just heard recently that orange peel around perimeter of your home and near where they are getting in repels them! i dont kno iv it works but im willing 2 try anifin lol x

  415. Mouse hunter has posted a tip on November 22, 2011, 3:47 am

    Sneak into your kitchen at night and blast them in the face with wasp and hornet spray then smash em with a lacrosse stick.

  416. brenda has posted a tip on November 23, 2011, 5:45 am

    I’m going to try everything, maybe even a shotgun, they give me the creeps.

  417. Jenn has posted a tip on November 23, 2011, 1:09 pm

    I have read through a lot of these tips and haven’t seen this one yet :-) A couple people at my work swear by this and i am going to try it out tonight. Decon the crap out of your house, put a couple TALL buckets of water in the middle of the room filled half way with water. Put a thin peice of wook or make a ramp going up to the top of the bucket and smear some peanut butter at the top. A lot of people don’t like decon because the mouse dies elsewhere and then rots. Supposedly after the mice eat the decon they get very thirsty and drown themselves in the bucket. It will take a couple days because they have to eat enough of the decon. We will see if it works!

    Also i did try cheap traps with peanut butter and it didn’t work for about a week but i was very persistent and put out more and it now works like a charm… i think it depends on where you put the trap. I originally put it in a place they never came across but found the hot spot apparently. I have trapped six in two days.

  418. Major Anatomy has posted a tip on November 23, 2011, 7:24 pm

    The Hav-A-Hart traps work well, but they only catch one rodent at a time, unless you happen upon a “siamese” (conjoined is the PC term) mouse.

    Way up there, someone was complaining that their plug-in sonic traps attracted Brown Recluse spiders. Mice and other rodents will eat Brown Recluses, Wolf Spiders, and Hobo Spiders, controlling their population.

    Given the choice between mice and poisonous spiders, I would rather have the mice.

  419. Frank has posted a tip on November 26, 2011, 12:55 pm

    TIP:

    what i just set up was a oatmeal bowl with DRANO! once they eat it, the drano will react with water to form sharp crystals that will literally cut there insides out.

    FUCK THOSE BITcHES! I tried the same thing with squirriels who kept eating my garbage, tearing the garbage bags and leaving a mess for me to clean up! those bitches too! i covered expired bread with drano, and they all dead! hahahah!

    gl everyone!

  420. FAME 8396 has posted a tip on November 30, 2011, 10:49 pm

    Where do I begin? I have lived in my house for seventeen years. I use to have a cat, and never saw anything – she was a great hunter, but after fourteen years, we had to put her down. I never got another pet. Our neighborhood is plagued with another rodent – chipmunks! I can’t stand them either! I read somewhere to get rid of chipmunks – use mothballs. So for the past few years, I have placed mothballs around the outside of the house, under the deck and in the garage. Well since I kept seeing the chipmunks, this fall I didn’t use the mothballs – well what I did find was mouse droppings (YUCK!) I freaked out! I immediately went to Lowes’ to get traps. I wasted my money on the type of traps that “kill” the mice but you don’t have to see them! After almost a week of empty traps and still seeing droppings – I called Terminix. They came the next morning – the technician told me it was probably one or two mices in the house by the amount of droppings. He gave me a choice of glue traps or snap traps. After seeing the movie Forget Paris and scene with the glue trap catching a bird in the house and the bird trying to fly away and getting stuck on her face and hair – forget that ! I went with the snap traps (still gross – but at least it is dead unlike the glue traps). The next day, one of the traps had one! I haven’t send any more droppings – it has been over a week and I finally have started to feel some piece of mind! I am so sorry I didn’t spend the few dollars for the mothballs – perhaps I wouldn’t have lost hours and hours of sleep, spending hours and hours cleaning, washing dishes, throwing away food that we suspected the mice were near, etc. I hated the control these little sh**’s had on me! I was paralyzed with fear – I didn’t want to go to my kitchen or my basement! I dreaded looking on my counters, near my stove and microwave, etc., the whole house! I was always kept my house clean – never ate in the bedrooms, washed dishes everynight, took the garbage out everynight – I love to cook – but I hate the smell of food so after the meal is over with – I always made it a point to keep the kitchen clean. These sob’s just made me ill!

    I did follow another tip from this website – I have placed Irish Spring soap in the cabinets that do not contain food and the closets (The Terminix Technician stated the house did smell really nice!)

    I know this may sound silly – but as I was leaving for work one morning – I open the basement door and I told the little sh**’s to get out of our home and that they were not welcome. I told them to go and live somewhere else like a field (I didn’t wish this agony on my worst enemy) and that this was war! I know how it sounds silly or crazy, but I needed to feel some type of control in my life. I was amazed how these little creatures gripped me with fear in my own home! After reading so many other comments on this and other websites, I realized that I am not alone on how I felt! It still sucks! Living in fear of rodents in your home! This has been an experience I will never forget! And everyone has a mouse story!
    I am keeping the faith and I keep checking for droppings with my flashlight at least three times a day during the week and five times during the weekends! Good luck everyone!

  421. Shane has posted a tip on December 1, 2011, 11:02 pm

    We have noticed the mice in our home for 3 weeks as of tomorrow and have had traps our ever since. We know of 3 for sure 1 of which may be or have been pregnant. Today we caught our first one with glue pads and a few small pieces of Tex Mex shredded cheese. Within an hour of putting the cheese on the trap we had it. So we are putting it on all of our traps and will hopefully get rid of the remainder of them.

  422. Lucy’s Sis has posted a tip on December 4, 2011, 9:15 pm

    I just had a handy guy recaulk on the outside where it has separated due to the weather and then he stuffed steel wool in all crevices that looked like something could fit in there, also he caulked wherever it looked questionable. A pest control company put poison baits in the attic which is where I heard activity and today when the handy kid was here, we put up in the attic four traps where the mouse walks in to eat the peanut butter and can’t get out. while I am waiting for them to eat the poison I do not care to hear them scratching – I figured they would eat the poison and my peanut butter trap and croak in there. I am also going to put the pepperment oil outisde where I found a dead one. thanks for the tip. the family behind me has always had mice and they just catch them and throw them in the garbage. They dont do anything to prevent them. I dont want to kill them, but if they come into my house, in my living space – they are fair game.

  423. Dan has posted a tip on December 7, 2011, 5:47 pm

    Has any one ever heard of Cyanne Pepper? anyway i put it all around the house thinking it will stop the mice from comming in. maybe they wont walk through it. what do you think?

  424. Alisha has posted a tip on December 8, 2011, 11:06 pm

    I just came across a website that says that hedgeapples repel insects and mice. I havent tried it but i hope to get some next year when they are available. I have had luck with the stick pads. and i have had luck with the steel wool but, i did discover mice droppings in under my bathroom sink and they are coming from a hole my husband has not covered all the way.. (yeah he is going to fix that.. lmao) and so i went and checked under my kitchen sink where my pots and pans are and there are A LOT there.. so im not in a very good mood right now to say the least.. i saw that the had TRIED to eat through the steel wool and couldnt so they pushed it out of the hole..

    so i got a butter knife and stuffed the steel wool in there really tight. i am going to get some caulking and caulk around the steel wool like was stated so maybe they cant push it.. lol i dont know. but i am not wanting to be dealing with this right now.. i have a 4 year old and just blah.. we get them like every other year.. around this time since its Arkansas and we live on 6 acres.. kinda just goes hand and hand when it the weather starts to get really cold.. i love coming to these sites to see what people are using.. and i hate using chemicals to kill them and have the trapped in my house and making it stink.. so im hoping i can just get them stuck to the pad and carry them off.. i feel bad for them dying but i would like them out of my house more.. happy hunting..

  425. Mick Walsh has posted a tip on December 9, 2011, 3:07 pm

    I seem to get the mice every year and they are a definite indicator that the cold weather is approaching. I am on quite a bit of medication and have powerful out of date sedatives, anti-psychotic medication which I put to good use rather than take them to the chemists for disposal. I crush them and mix about 50/50 with small amounts of tinned Tuna or other fish and place in areas I see the mice frequent.

    The first time after I used my method, I was asleep but was woken up by this dull thudding noise. I sat on the edge of my bed and watched the mouse theatrics as 2 were running along the curtain pole and 2 others were climbing up the curtains but obviously being disorientated by the eating of my concoction, kept falling to the floorboards. They were definitely sedated, still agile but obviously unable to run fast and untroubled by my appearance.

    I went back to bed and that was the last I heard or saw of mice that year. I am about to repeat the process this year with expected results in 2-3 days.

    I never thought of trying peanut butter as bate instead of fish but will do now and lay traps too so I can have a count.

  426. Melissa has posted a tip on December 10, 2011, 2:58 am

    I read somewhere that you can fill your old air wick plug-ins with oil of your choice. I think I am going to put peppermint into mine so then the whole house will smell of peppermint.

  427. Mick Walsh has posted a tip on December 11, 2011, 5:19 pm

    It is 24 hours+ since I saw the latest mice. They were sedated as slow movements indicated. Did not like to use but caught a mouse stood in its tracks full on with a prolonged shot / spray of Raid, fly and wasp killer. It must be the only flee less mouse for miles around. Possibly they found it so obnoxious they decided to leave my home, I hope so but if not, I will repeat the dose with sedative added food and traps.

  428. lindilou has posted a tip on December 16, 2011, 7:00 am

    To keep away any vermon you have to make sure you don’t leave any food source out,this means put food in mouse proof containers,wash up,dont leave till morning,block all holes….a mouse/rat can get through any hole it’s head will fit through.We live in a rural area so food scraps go to the dog/on an ants nest or in the compost..not in the bin..they will be atracted to the smell.We are also fortunate that we have pythons living in the roof…..yeah yeah cringe…but we rarely have a mouse problem.Never put bait down and seal the room…..make sure mouse can get out.: )

  429. Ritesh has posted a tip on December 18, 2011, 11:53 am

    I was just going through this couple of weeks ago. nothing mentioned here worked. Tried traditional trick my granny told me. so not sure if mice/mouse in west are any clever.
    take some wheatflour, add sugar syrup and make a dough. now make small balls atleast 40-50 (ours is a small apt. 1300 sq. ft, so 40-50 were enough) and deep fry them. now put them every where in your house.
    did this last week and i guess they are gone now. hand around 3 mice that i could notice.

    Again, this is just what worked for me. May or may not work for you. If it does, leave a thank you note. :)

  430. Tine has posted a tip on December 21, 2011, 11:30 am

    Hi everyone,

    I’ve had some problems with mice getting into my RV in the past and my friend told me about this product called Mouse Free. Since I had already tried the other methods (moth balls, dryer sheets) I decided to give this a try and applied it to my RV last summer. I haven’t seen a mouse yet! It’s also easy to apply, all you have to do is connect an air compressor to the application gun and spray the product under the RV. It doesn’t smell bad at all it actually smells like peppermint! So far so good! Here’s the website if any one wants to have a look, http://www.mouse-free.com

  431. ebony has posted a tip on December 21, 2011, 2:42 pm

    My mother had a really bad mouse problem when she moved house, last year . She discovered them four weeks after she moved in and it took her 12 weeks to get rid of them. She removed all the food and put them into containers. she put down traps (but they would not go near them).She got one of those a sound repellent (which did not work).She than blocked every hole with steel wool and than re-plastered the holes (still no luck). she was lucky to get a good builder because he discovered that there was a hole under her bath tub and that’s how they got in). she is now mice free and keeps fruit and vegetables on display with no problem.

    My story goes like this- I just moved 7weeks ago and three days ago I heard rustling along with a musty smell in my kitchen (sometime in the afternoon). Then two nights ago I saw a mouse in the kitchen (3am).

    I called my landlord and he said he will come and take a look in two days time (tomorrow). However he said I would have to wait 10days for him to close any holes (there are so many holes/get traps etc because it is Christmas in a few days time.

    Mice are smart and they will know how to out smart you. so in the mean time I am doing small steps to give the mice a chance to leave first.

    My first step, clean the kitchen (and all around the house) and put all food (any food that cardboard box or plastic and fruit, seeds, rice, pasta, flour, sugar etc)in containers/fridge etc…

    The next morning after this step, I discovered even more mice droppings on the kitchen counter top.

    my second step – 100% PURE PEPPERMINT OIL… I looked everywhere and found it in my local health store, I applied lots of drops to cotton buds and put them all over the house! I also added drops to water and mopped with the peppermint water (make sure the peppermint oil is NOT MIXED with anything else and CANNOT be use for cooking etc.

    THE FIRST 2 STEPS ARE JUST A WARNING TO GET THEM TO MOVE BEFORE I BLOCK UP ALL THE HOLES AND TO GIVE ME MORE TIME TO FIND WHERE THEIR COMING IN. I would perfer to block up holes when they are out of my home and not inside my home.

    My third step I will try in 2days time is to fill some holes myself using steel wool…

    My fourth step (I will try this 1 day before my landlord comes-because I do not like mice) is to get a big deep bucket and spread peanut butter inside the bucket. I will place the bucket near the kitchen counter top (one of their hang out spots)and they should not be able to resist the smell of the peanut butter and fall in (I know this works because I have seen it work for someone else). I do not want them alive so I will figure a way to kill them when they are in the bucket!

    My fifth step- my landlord will close the remaining holes and try and find their nest (if I have not already done so), put down glue boards and continue with the peppermint method.

    My sixth step- get my neighbours (who live below me) to do the same, because if they are also living in their home they might want to come back up to mine!

    If all fails I will get my friend cat to come over because he is always killing mice and birds.

    I will keep you all posted.

  432. Grandmajia has posted a tip on December 24, 2011, 7:43 pm

    Spent my Christmas Eve cleaning my pantry, under my sink and every other spot I think the miserable beasts have invaded. I thank you all for the tips. I put fox pellets outside the house and around the front entrance to our garage. MY WORD that stuff stinks. EEEUUUWWW
    Also got a smaller version of the Victor Multikill. This one is made for rats, but hey, it will just kill mice faster, huh? One on the ground floor and one in the basement. I will pray for them to work, cause like the rest of you—this is unacceptable to my lifestyle to have these critters in my home! We just built a new house cause the one we used to live in had bugs, bats, mice and snakes. The bugs and mice were my problems. My husband hated the snakes and I had to keep saving him from them. Poor baby! ;-D
    Praying for you all to have a critter free 2012. God bless you for what you have survived already!!!

  433. alanx has posted a tip on December 26, 2011, 9:01 pm

    Update (last posted on 19th November).

    It is boxing day now and there hasn’t been any smell of mice dead or alive since December 12th.

    I’ve seen about 18 dead mice approx caught in breakback traps and electric traps, and the dead mouse stench has come and gone over 8 weeks. There must have been at least 24 of them.

    The most successful breakback traps were modern advanced plastic ones (B and Q). The highest catch rate was just at the back of a deep freeze where the mice trotted round the corner. The second most successful trap (plastic again), had the front of it inserted into the little pile of poison bait at the most popular feeding spot – under a cabinet next to the cooker. These little furry things really like cookers.

    The best bait for traps was chunky peanut butter.

    The odour removing bags I mentioned worked, but when there is a recent kill they do not remove all the smell – but they certainly remove the worst of it.

    So, in a space of 20ft by 10 ft it took five breakback traps, two electric traps and six separate piles of poison to see off 20 to 30 mice. (i’ve no pets or kids in my home – poison would not be a good idea at all if you do have pets and kids).

    It’s a good idea to find information on where to place traps.

    It’s a good idea if the poison is fresh.

    Wear disposable rubber gloves when you handle bait, bait boxes and traps – this stops your human scent getting on them.

    Persistence is the key. Keep the traps and poison out for two weeks after you notice no more sign of mouse activity.

  434. B Phillips has posted a tip on December 27, 2011, 7:51 am

    Please be careful if using peppermint oil and you have cats! Peppermint oil is toxic to cats if they ingest or breathe it in!

  435. john wilson has posted a tip on December 27, 2011, 9:23 am

    i see all these tips but havent seen this one lol if your neighbor or someone you know has a cat . have them give you alittle of their urine out of a litter box wet litter in a sandwich baggy not sloppy lol put some around in areas you know they are comin in on jar lids sometin keep away from kid areas duh which mice usualy have out of the way ares of entry and the smell will convince the mouse there is deffinatly a cat somewhere if you cant or wont have a cat . cause they are the best mouse killer ther is good luck

  436. Kathy w has posted a tip on December 28, 2011, 2:30 am

    Saw a mouse in my garage and set up bate and traps. No evidence anywhere in the house and no mouse droppings in the garage. Kind of strange but still set out traps I. The garage and In the house. Will update

  437. Kristi has posted a tip on December 30, 2011, 1:35 am

    I tried glue traps and had no luck, but went yesterday and bought the plain old traps I caught a mouse within an hour!! So I say they work best!

  438. Kelli has posted a tip on January 1, 2012, 9:29 am

    All these tips sound great and I am definately going to try them one by one!
    We recently rented a house and have noticed mice…EEEWWWWWW! nasty little thingd! I got a cat because my dog would just watch them…my new kitty is a fantastic mouser!!!!!
    We also use glue traps and those have worked pretty good for us too!!!
    nothing for bait either…we just set the trap down and we catch them…they like are furnice room although i can’t determine where they are getting in from..still some work to do on that part…but thanks guys…I am so gonna try these tips!!
    Have a wonderful day!

  439. Over It has posted a tip on January 2, 2012, 10:05 am

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Guess Santa thought I didn’t deserve a place on the nice list because I got a cupboard full of mouse shit for Christmas! Hooray! Just what I always wanted…

    Have baited house with poison but having read people’s experiences about pets finding dead lethal mouse bodies around I’m petrified my puppy is going to eat one!

    Have spent 4 nights between Chrissy & New Years up til 1am cleaning and crying! My poor boyfriend…he has to deal with a hysterical cleaning GF as well as plugging up holes with foam fill and board. Can’t do it anymore!!!!

    Thanks for al the posts, have been laughing so hard at some of them… good to know i’m not in this alone!!

    Off to shops tomoz to try some of these natural remedies(except capturing them in snap lock bags and hammering them to death-thats freaking SICK!)

    Thanks again…good luck people!!

  440. Katie has posted a tip on January 5, 2012, 7:24 am

    I know it might seem a little disgusting, but snake poo can also deter them. We heard about it and having owned a snake at the time we scattered a little bit of snake poo around in the roof where the mice were and it kept them away for quite a while, however, its not a complete solution, every so often we have to scatter more around as we find that eventually it dries up too much and therefore isnt effective anymore.

    Now that we have noticed a couple mice in the kitchen though I might give the peppermint oil a try! Thanks for the tip! :)

  441. Lisa has posted a tip on January 5, 2012, 10:23 am

    I had a mouse (ok rat) problem for quite awhile – I live in a manufactured home and could not find ALL their entry points. I have lots of animals so poison was out of the question. I found that the sticky traps (rat size) worked wonders. I lined the area under the pantry door with them so they had to walk over them. Got 2 the first night and finally caught the third by putting his knawed on potato in the back of a box with the trap in the front – he could not resist. Got em. I have not had a repeat invasion. I will definitely be putting mint oil under my sink, in my pantry and under my stove though. I do not want them back.

  442. Meech has posted a tip on January 11, 2012, 4:33 pm

    Please don’t use glue traps, they are terribly inhumane and illegal in many places. If you insist on killing the mice, please use a snap trap; they kill quickly. Just a suggestion and a brief plea, thank you!

  443. hoffie has posted a tip on January 12, 2012, 9:26 am

    well i dont feel so bad, we have a mouse and it has decided to use my dish cloth as a bed. Im so scared to open the cupboard and see this thing look at me. Bf thinks its funny cause every noise to me is this mousey drives me mad! will try all the bits and pieces you guys have posed.. the mouse hunt begins.

  444. Cherylftm has posted a tip on January 14, 2012, 11:28 am

    I’m In England and we went away for a week befor Christmas and when we returned I found droppings in the bathroom,bedroom,living room and kitchen and found the entry point which is under the bath(and there’s gaps in the plastic bath panel)so I’ve caught 3 in snap traps but really I need to stop them coming in but my house is old and made of sandstone with the neighbours garden coming half way up my house so I can’t find where they are getting in and I can’t get to the entry route!I’m worried that if I block the gap under the bath that they don’t leave and find other ways in and come I to the house again!luckily they haven’t ventured out from under the bath due to them sometimes sneaking the chocolate without setting the traps off but I’m hoping if I block the hole off they just leave for good!we had them in the loft a couple of years ago and caught about 6 with snap traps then they must have gone!

  445. Tooscaredtosleep has posted a tip on January 16, 2012, 5:21 am

    I’m SOOOO glad that I found this site…finally I’m not alone! I have been battling mice in our house for about a month now and I have felt like a prisoner in my own home! The very first time I saw a mouse, I was laying on my bed and the little s**t ran right across my bedroom floor. I immediately jumped up and asked myself if I really saw what I thought I saw? My BF walked into the room and I told him that I thought I had seen a mouse. I was FREAKED out! He didn’t seem to be too bothered by it, only that we needed to get some traps…I kept telling myself that I was imagining things and that I didn’t REALLY see a mouse…until I saw mouse droppings in my closet where I stashed Halloween candy to keep away from my kids. It/They had been crawling all over my shoes!!! So the next day I bought about 2 packs of glue traps and placed one in my closet. The very next morning I heard the squeal of a caught mouse. I was so scared that I asked my 10 year old daughter to open my closet door and check the trap. (I know, but she was braver than me, lol) and sure enough I had caught the little sucker! I was so excited and asked my boyfriend to dispose of it once he came. There was no way I was going to pick it up..

    So, my terror is over and I am done with mice, right? WRONG! I kept find droppings everywhere! Now I am really scared. I was hoping that that one little mouse was it. Well how many do I have and where are they??

    I needed to go and buy more traps but I was so embarrassed to buy them AGAIN from the store. I didn’t want people to think that I was a nasty person and was living with mice…I am not a neat freak but I do like cleanliness so the thought of people thinking I was a dirty person bothered me…but the mice bothered me more and so I went and got more traps. I’ve placed them everywhere but have caught nothing. Did they see the struggling mice before and now know not to mess with the glue traps?? I don’t know but they weren’t working and I was still living in fear.

    So, we eventually told the owner about the problem and he came to “assess” the situation. I don’t know what he needed to assess, we have mice now do something! He placed new flaps on the bottom of the doors and sealed some holes under the house where we have a crawl space and also a mysterious hole that I found in a bedroom closet. He swore that the mice are not in the walls, but after reading all the posts on this site I see that he was WRONG! That’s where they are!

    He also set up a bait station that I was happy about, but now thinking more about the dead mice that will be decomposing around the house, I don’t know if that was such a good idea…but I want them dead! I am definitely going to try the peppermint oil and mint plants around the house. I’ve got to get rid of these suckers and start living again. I’m tired of going into every room and turning on the light and looking around before I enter or staying up late at night listening for gnawing sounds and running of mice.

    I WILL win this war! How do you know how many you have though? That part freaks me out. I keep reading posts that people say they’ve caught 14 or 20 or 30! I can’t live imagining that there could be that many in the house…

  446. Carol has posted a tip on January 20, 2012, 11:36 pm

    Hello, We found at times the mice can eat the peanut butter without setting the trap off, so we now use Marshmallow Fluff, (the stuff to make Fluff-a-nutter sandwiches), and the Fluff lasts about 2-3 days if  it takes that long for the mice to find it. In fact, we have caught 11 mice in the back laundry room, their entrance place, and one in the office. Bay leaves are fine but they are better to keep ants out. Thank you, Carol 

  447. Hennessyrose69 has posted a tip on January 25, 2012, 12:45 am

    Or just get a house cat to rid them vermonts… ha ha ha

  448. Hennessyrose69 has posted a tip on January 25, 2012, 1:01 am

    Well, what can I say? I live in an apartment that is located next to a river which has a lot of rocks and on top of that my neighbors have mice as well as cockroaches!!!! Just the thought. I lived here for four years now and it first started with the cockroaches! Seen a few here and there but then they got worse now the exterminators come every 4 to 5 months! Not quite enough! I know it’s my neighbors fault. Then about two years ago I seen mice s**t in my cupboards below the sink so I moved the pots & pans out of there and the last time I seen one was this summer and I just seen one last night and I used my last sticky paper and caught it. Yay! BUT… Tonight I was trying to write a letter and I heard a squeaky sound and I thought it was my imagination and what do you know?! Seen that little s^^t trying to sneak out and like you Carol I chased it into the bedroom closet and I’ve been watching for it but no sighn of that little rodent yet!!! I do wish the other tenants would take more consideration with their infestations!!!!! I’m worried about my health. Don’t have any little children here with me and you would think that the Housing Authority would crack down on infested apartments. Hopefully I can get this problem situated. GROWSE. The thought of Haunta Virus!!!! Just sickens me.

    Thanks for listening to my ventilation. Ha Ha

    I’ll be back in a few weeks to update the situation here. Good Luck to everyone with this pest problem.

  449. Mt. Kisco has posted a tip on February 6, 2012, 11:02 am

     Hi a dryer sheet? What is that? I have them in the silverware drawer too. Gross!

  450. Guesstka has posted a tip on February 10, 2012, 11:22 pm

    I understand your pain… I have been experiencing your same problem off and on for about a year… Just when I thought I had the problem under control then I would see sightings that they were in my home again…
    I laughed very hard when you said you asked your daughter to look in the closet for you… Little kids are very brave because my daughter looks for me as well… Something about that cute innocence…
    Sorry I don’t have any helpful tips… Everything that I know is on this page… I don’t know what worked and what didn’t… Im going to try again and write it down this time to figure out the best way to remove them…

  451. Anonymous has posted a tip on February 12, 2012, 4:08 pm

    I am so sick of them and today is the day I’m declaring all out “them or me” war. I have tried it all. Well, not really. I won’t do glue traps or poison. I have 3 small parrots and they have a tiny room not much bigger than a closet where they eat and hang out when I’m not home. Anyway, their seeds get everywhere in that room, of course and every single night I clean up every single seed from everywhere in that room. It takes me two hours, but there is not ONE seed for the mice to eat. This has caused the mice to come out during the day and then drive me insane in their search for food at night. I can’t sleep anymore because twice I have had them come up on my bed while I’m trying to sleep- and those are the times I knew of because I saw them. I can’t imagine how many nights they’ve crawled on me while I was dead asleep. Ugh.

    So I have two different variations of humane traps. The first one, only caught one and it was a baby so I’m assuming the only reason he was caught was he was too young to know better. They have never even gone near the other one. I’ve resorted to snap-traps even though I don’t like them either because years ago I had a horrible experience with one in my old apartment where it just caught the mouse’s tail and then he was running around squeaking with this trap dragging around behind him. I finally caught him, got his tail out and let him go. I felt so bad about that too. They completely ignore the snap-traps anyway. The bastards are way too smart.

    Peppermint oil made my entire apartment smell like a friggin giant candy cane and I couldn’t eat anything without tasting mint for two weeks. Plus, it didn’t really make them go away anyway. I’ve plugged everywhere with steel wool but that has just trapped them INSIDE my apartment. Now it’s all a matter of catching the bastards, but I can’t! They are onto my every trick. I even tried an upside down shoebox held up with a pencil and a string tied to the pencil. When I saw the mouse go for the food under the box, I yanked the string, but he was too friggin fast!! Argh!!

    Their musky odor makes me sick. I hate walking into my apartment and smelling mice. I hate my life so much right now because of them. I can’t get a cat because of my birds and I don’t see the point of trying the electric trap because why would they go in there if they don’t go in the humane traps? I can’t live like this anymore. I literally cannot sleep and I’m exhausted. Today I’m going to the store and buying peppermint oil again and then I’m going to clean up the entire apartment and move all the furniture away from all the walls and take everything that is on the floor or under the bed out and scour the place raw. Then I will literally find a way to catch each and every one if I have to do it with my bare hands.

    Anyone know if chloroform would work to knock them out? Maybe if I put some on a cotton ball and they sniffed it, they’d pass out and I could scoop them up that way. Can you even get chloroform anywhere? (sigh)

  452. Timntosha541 has posted a tip on February 13, 2012, 12:13 am

    If I do this stuff and get them out of the kitchen and laundry room will they go to other rooms in my house? I’m freaking out and don’t know what to do. I have an 8 year old and don’t want them in his room, and most of all want them dead and out of our house. My biggest fear is them spreading around the house. I can’t afford an exterminator, if ANYONE can answer my question about them spreading that would be great. I’m going to homedeopt in the morning and going to buy a bunch of woodin traps. Thanks yall

  453. Loraleeorth has posted a tip on February 14, 2012, 9:12 am

    what do you do with the baking soda?????

  454. Lost it, Lisa has posted a tip on February 15, 2012, 4:05 pm

    Oh my! I TRULY felt alone and sooo glad to come along this sight! I knew we (our neghboorhood, somewhat) had mice…we are in a townhome development and some neighbors and I have had some here n there. But I guess I kinda thought they were just passing thru, hunting for food. Well, our basement started with this HORRIBLE smell, I described it kinda like wet popcorn, dirty socks or something n have had it for about 2 weeks DYING to know what it was. I only go down there for laundry and bathroom, but the other end is actually set up like a den, we never use. A sectional, cream colored that was still very stiff, as its not used, never got “broken in”.

    Well, my parents are in town, staying with me and my mom wanted to watch a different show then we all were. So we went downstairs to turn the tv and as she sat on the edge of the couch…UGH! She noticed mouse poo. I turned the light on and OH MY GOD! I have NEVER seen SO MUCH mouse poop EVER in my life!! It was like they were my pets and this is their room! After standing, SHOCKED, I ran upstairs yelling for my boyfriend to wake up, as if i had cut my finger off or something! Once we went back down to check it out, my Mom shakes the remote like “um, my show please” Standing there, soo many emotions and thoughts fluttering thru my head I LOST IT! I told all 3 of them off, cried grabbed a glass of wine and went to my room. I sat there, quiet by myself thinking “what the heck!! I am NOT dirty! How is this happening? What am I missing? What do I do?” Then, thats it! I went down, vacuumed, through out all of the new throw pillows, took all of the cushions off, threw them out only for my boyfriend to look and tell me they are living in the couch–thats never used!

    My parents and my BF look at me like I am TOTALLY OVER REACTING but I feel so violated, dirty, creeped out, pissed and angry! I too, turn the lights on and look around now before I step into a room. I have 2 lil dogs and now I have to put their food up? Change how I LIVE?? Oh THIS IS WAR! I am heading to Home Depot after work and getting 12 snap traps (I have 3 set already) and will buy ALL suggestions above! Thanks everyone for sharing, as I felt so ALONE & UNCOMFORTABLE! Mad that I am losing a couch and the option of another living room–but I am SOOO not attached to it, SO HASTA LAVISTA! And watch out lil effer’s, CAUSE HERE I COME! Good Luck to all of you as well!

  455. bentley has posted a tip on February 16, 2012, 12:19 am

    i have been having mice trouble since last summer, and i live in a “two family flat” i don’t understand where they have come from

  456. Lala has posted a tip on March 3, 2012, 1:29 am

    Here I am at 2 am looking for something to prevent a mouse enter trough my screen door. Yes. He goes under the outside door and climbs the lower part of the screen and gets inside. I’ve seen him 3 time tonight. I’ve had this problem a long ago, and many mice have come and go. I’ve catch them with glue traps, and the other ones (guillotine, which I prefer because they really die). Sometimes two get trapped in just one.

    Ha I just saw it. Hate them. so persistent. If I go to sleep it will enter. I will try Vicks, because I heard It repels cats and rodents. tomorrow I will tell hubby about the flour and cement mix. Sounds awesome. Hopefully I will move to a brand new home soon, and there will no be rodents or roaches. Hate them equally.

  457. Sylvia has posted a tip on March 10, 2012, 3:38 am

    OMG, I have been sitting reading these tips for over an hour now and I can’t stop laughing at some of these very creative tips! I’m here to give you a tip and to share your pain!!!
    I HATE MICE!!! We found mice in our apartment which is one of a two family home. It doesn’t help that our landlord on the first floor is denying that they have mice! Anywho… We had mice about 2yrs ago and it was bad! I woke up one morning and declared war! I bought glue traps (worked extremely well w/cheese on it),got the poison pellets and killed the ones that didn’t get stuck on the traps but found dead mice bodies behind furniture etc. In a short time we caught about 8!! It’s crazy because we keep our place SPOTLESS but they still get in. We then plugged every hole visible w/ steel wool pads. Everything was fine for about 2 yrs …

    Just the other day a little mouse came out to say hello like 3 times in a row as we sat & watched television. I don’t have any money to buy poison or traps but I read the tips about the peppermint oil & will try that. I read one lady say that she found some foot bath that contained the oil & used it so I will try it as well. I was so happy at the fact that I had peppermint foot soak sitting there. I armed myself with cotton balls, the oil and went to town!!! I will let you know if it works! Next stop, potato flakes!

  458. April has posted a tip on March 16, 2012, 10:56 pm

    I am as frustrated as all of you !!! Also reading all these stories makes me feel like I am not alone! Its just soo frustrating!! So these get (I believe) thru the hole in the wall from where the washer/dryer hookups are. Last week a friend came over and helped me board it up a bit but apparantly there are still holes.. I just now put some foil to try to fill in the holes but not sure if I got all of it. anyways… so here’s how I killed a mouse tonite b4 doing the foil …

    I got home and since we had left in a hurry today I did not get the kitchen as clean as I wanted it to.. I have been really trying harder to make sure its all clean before leaving & going to bed b/c these mice are making me crazy.. so, I decided to quickly start to clean but then had a hunch to look under the stove (the top lifts up for cleaning ~ not that I am good about cleaning under it) well low & behold there was a little mouse staring up at me. First I tried to cover up all of the burners b/c I thought thats where he was getting in from, but in the back was also a space for him to get out. So he started running around the counters but since I know the area they are getting in at, I quickly put a box there so that if he tried to go there, he would fall in the box. There we were ~ him looking at me, me looking at him trying to figure out my next move. My poor 5 year old daughter was there watching the whole thing, getting me things that would help me (as I was telling her what to get b/c i did not want to risk that he would get away if i moved)

    so actually before he had gotten out I had put a small pot of water on the stove b/c i was hoping to drive him out with the heat ~ or kill him either one~

    as the little monster was trying to make another escape back towards my stove the quickest thing that i could grab was a container that i have vinegar in and i started throwing it on him ~ which made him run slower and then he fell into the sink. so i grabbed the bigger vinegar container and just started pouring it on him. Then after i felt he would not be able to jump up i turned on the hot water quickly and then remembered that i had that pot of water on the stove.. so i quickly grabbed it and threw it on him. Kept the water on for quite awhile longer to be sure he was for sure dead. Then took him outside and threw him by the bush. nasty, nasty, nasty.

    these darn things keep eating the bait off of the wooden traps though! a friend of mine even helped me by baiting it with sunflower seeds and he said they always work.. well the darn things stole those sunflower seeds! and then they have been stealing the peanut butter too.

    so finally i did what someone else somewhere on this page said with pb mixed with pepper (i used cayanne). we will see if that will work or if it might scare them off. i don’t know. i am hoping they just will not be able to get in but i didn’t have a TON of foil that i put .. so who knows they might find another hole to get in with.

    nasty.

  459. Kimberly V has posted a tip on March 20, 2012, 3:21 am

    I’m back and so are the mice. It’s been 10 months since their last visit. Learned a few things. Cat/dog food even outside on a porch attracts them like crazy. Now for my horror story. I booby trapped my kitchen with sticky pads and conventional traps. I even had the entrance and exits to the kitchen lined with sticky traps. This has worked before to confine them to one area. I awoke yesterday to find a missing sticky pad and no mouse. They will eat their legs off trying to get off the pad. Sorry mousehuggers, but if the no kill traps worked for me I’d use them. Don’t like to see anything suffer, but these things terrorize me. They ignore no kills and the spin traps. Looked every where for the escapee. The only appliance I cannot tip is the fridge. For the love of Pete. It is 4:00 a.m. here in Carolina and I cannot sleep for fear of these nasty mice. I’ve spent a small fortune on my mouse arsenal…..again. It seems that the heat brings them in around here. I am planting mint around the house tomorrow! So exhausted that I think I’m seeing things. The only good thing about this is that mice freak me out so much that I will not eat when they are around. Think I’ve dropped a few lbs. This escape artist must be a field mouse, cause they will jump with the darn sticky attached to them. My tip…self medicate!

  460. Tanis has posted a tip on March 26, 2012, 11:17 pm

    I have read most of your tips and stories and I am in for the count and will let you know what I found works. Recently they torn down a few Cilows in town (not even a block from my house) and then removed the old grain hoppers and other grain storing bins….Two days later I wake up form a nap in the afternoon to a mouse nesting in my hair and have had a mouse infestation that is just growing like crazy….

    I have a cat that is trying his best but just cant keep up because I think they have figured out where he can go and can’t….He will wait for hours for one of them to come out of its hiding place….I don’t know what more to try I live in a old farm house so lord only know how many different points of entry there must be that I will never be able to find…but I got two kids ages 6 and almost 1 I can’t have then running all over the house and if one thought it was a good thing to crawl in my bed and nest in my hair I am fearful for my kids beds…..

  461. Ginger has posted a tip on April 5, 2012, 7:41 pm

    The only thing that has worked for me is the traps at Walmart that has the yellow thing on it. Put peanut butter on it toward the back and put it on sensitive. Glue traps work but you have to get the mouse off as soon as possible or it will pull itself off, I have actually caught a small snake on one.

  462. mightyhunter has posted a tip on April 12, 2012, 9:16 am

    For those trying peppermint oil, do not confuse it with the food flavoring type. The kind of peppermint oil you want is a essential oil found at many health food stores (and sometimes bath stores). I got mine at GNC at the mall. You can also find it at drugstore.com or amazon.

    Good luck.

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