by Derrick |
Last Updated: February 18, 2022 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made on PestControl.iq. In addition, we have many other affiliates offers from other retailers on the site.
You close your door to keep out unwanted guests — and nobody wants a visit from mice! Mice chew through wallboard and wood, and they can transmit diseases like hantavirus, salmonellosis, and listeria through their droppings. But because they breed so rapidly, a few mice can quickly become an extended clan of rodents in your home.
To keep mice from getting under a door, you need to bar their way with a mouse-proof, high-density door sweep. Use caulk to seal any cracks or holes around your door that might allow them entry. You can also keep them at a distance by keeping firewood at least 20 feet (6.10 meters) from your house.
These three things will help you make your home less rodent-friendly. If you want to keep mice away from your door and learn some pointers on getting rid of them once they arrive, keep reading.
Get a Mouse-Proof Door Sweep
Mice can squeeze through a dime-sized hole. A tight-fitting door sweep will help ensure they can’t sneak through the crack under your door. If your door has a gap greater than 1/4in (0.635cm), a mouse can do the limbo beneath it.
Many people use U-shaped rubber or vinyl door sweeps. These help keep cold drafts out and can save you money on your energy bill. But mice can chew through rubber and vinyl. A vinyl or rubber door sweep will keep mice out, though only until they can gnaw a hole.
For keeping mice and other pests out, Pemko Brush Seal will be more effective. A high-density brush sweep from pest control experts Sealeze looks like a solid wall from a mouse-eye view. Chewing through each bristle would take far more time than chewing through a rubber sweep.
If you want to block mice at the door, you can also use a reinforced rubber door sweep. Mice can chew through the rubber, but gnawing on steel wool hurts their teeth. The Xcluder Door Sweep consists of a layer of rubber around an inner layer of polyfill and steel wool. This combination will keep mice, rats, and drafts out and are available in various sizes to fit your door.
For serious mouse issues, you can install a metal kick plate outside your door. Fit your door with 12in (30.48cm) tall 26 gauge sheet metal plates mounted less than 1/4in (0.635cm) from the bottom of the door. (Make sure you can open and close your door without rubbing).
Restaurants and food storage areas use kick plates to keep rats out and are probably overkill for most residential situations. If your mouse problem requires kick plates, you should contact an exterminator.
Check Around Your Door for Mouseholes
A sweep seals the space under your door. But mice are persistent. If they can’t get in beneath your door, they’ll happily squeeze in through an opening in your door frame. And if that space isn’t big enough, they’ll chew it until it is.
Check around your door frame for cracks and gaps. Examine your closed door from the inside during daylight hours to check for any spaces or holes that admit light. Stuff Coldbreak Copper Mesh into any openings (Steel wool rusts when exposed to dampness, while copper has superior corrosion resistance). Then seal it in with caulk.
If you have screen doors, make sure the screens aren’t loose or damaged. Mice can nose at a tiny hole until it’s large enough to allow them entry. They can even chew through fiberglass or low-grade aluminum screens, so make sure your doors have sturdy screens that let air and light in but keep mice out.
Check your porch for small holes or cracks. Look for burrows, mouse droppings, or gnawing damage. After filling any gaps you find with copper mesh, caulk them shut.
How To Stop Mice Getting Under Garage Door
Faced with a high-density brush, most mice will seek other accommodations. High-density brush sweeps come in different sizes. You can put brush barriers on your exterior doors and your garage, which mice often use as a staging area to get into your house. This Osborn Sealeze Brush will help keep mice out.
The Rickford Company Garage Door Rodent Guard will prevent rats from gnawing their way through your garage door’s weather stripping. Mice will chew at the bottom corners of your garage door to gain entry. A metal rodent guard is an inexpensive safeguard that will keep them out.
You can also spray bleach solution outside your garage door and on your porch. But be careful when you do. Bleach can discolor your paint, stain your door, and injure your plants. Moisten your concrete or pavement but try to avoid other areas.
If you have a bird feeder, it will bring beautiful birds to your backyard. However, mice also love bird seed, so if they smell bird seed in your garage, they’ll make every effort to reach it. Therefore, keep your bird seed, pet food, and other edible items in airtight containers.
Keep Mice Away From Your Door
To an outdoor mouse, your home looks like a dream come true. On a cold night, your house is warm and offers security against predators. And, to a mouse’s keen nose, your house smells like an all-you-can-eat buffet. And once other mice follow the scent of your new guests, your home may soon become a Mousebnb.
If your house is near an open field, a wooded area, or a spring, you almost certainly have mouse neighbors. Mice love to explore, and sooner or later, some intrepid mouse is going to make the voyage to your property. To keep your fearless mouse’s journey from turning into a colonial expedition, you need to make your property as uninviting as possible.
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Mow Your Lawn Regularly
Mice love unmown lawns. The tall grass provides them protection against hawks, cats, and other mouse-eating predators. Shrubbery can also provide them shelter against prying and hungry eyes. Keep your grass cut short and trim your shrubbery. Try to keep at least an 18in (45.72cm) vegetation-free zone between your home and your shrubs.
If you want greenery around your home, try adding plants that repel mice like:
- Mint
- Amaryllis
- Lavender
- Marigolds
- Daffodils
- Catnip
- Elderberry
- Wormwood
Dispose of Trash Regularly
Make sure to dispose of trash regularly. Mice will happily eat your leftovers and make comfortable nests with your cardboard and paper. If you have to store waste on your property, spray it down with a mixture of bleach and water. Mice loathe the smell of bleach and will avoid your garbage can. As a bonus, the bleach will kill bacteria that make your trash stink.
Get Rid of Notorious Mouse Hiding Spots
Mice love stacked firewood because they offer many crawl spaces and lots of bark to be gnawed into nesting material. Keep your firewood pile at least 20ft (6.10m) from your house. Concrete blocks, bricks, or firewood grates keep your wood off the ground. Elevating your woodpile makes it less attractive to mice and also helps keep your firewood dry.
Check Items for Mice Before Bringing Them Inside
Inspect items such as boxes of decorations and grocery bags before bringing them indoors. All your mouse proofing may be for naught if you bring in a family of mice while moving your Christmas decorations or college memorabilia from your outbuilding. It’s easy to bring in rodent stowaways unawares. Getting rid of them can be far more challenging.
Final Thoughts
Like most of us, mice prefer the path of least resistance. The harder a mouse must work to get into your home, the more likely it’ll move on to more mouse-friendly territory. The more attractive your environment, the more mice you will attract. Armed with these tips, you should have far fewer problems with mice at your door.
Sources
- Arbor Pest Management: Pest Proof Exterior Doors to Keep Rodents Out
- Corbett Exterminating: How to Keep Mice Out of the House
- Orkin: What Can Mice Chew Through?
- PCT: [Annual Rodent Control Issue] Of Rodents and Doors