You go into the attic expecting to see a treasure chest of your things from back when you were younger. Your nose detects the scent of piss and waste. A pair of googly eyes attached to a face with two huge front teeth and a tiny furry body with a long tail greet you instead. You have mice in your attic. 

Mice are a type of rodent that are basically just longer than a rat. They are usually colored grey or brown with a lighter shade on their bellies. However they differ, they are pests and we don’t want them anywhere in the house, not even the attic. Mice, just like other rodents like to nest and gnaw on papers and cardboard. This is probably why they chose your attic as their new room or worse, their new breeding ground. More mice means more damage, and a higher risk of getting sick. Remember, rodents are huge carriers of disease-causing bacteria and can be hotbed for fleas and other bugs and insects that can cause you even more problems both house and healthwise. You need them out of the attic and out of the house stat. Here’s 5 steps to force mice out of your attic in just a few days.

Trap your current tenant.

You can opt to use mouse traps sold in supermarkets or home improvement stores. Snap traps are pretty common and easy to find, so are electrical traps, but are a little messy, not to mention, inhumane. 

Perhaps you can opt to use better traps like the sticky traps which encourage a no-touch approach. Or try a live trap that won’t hurt the little creature in any way. You may set up live traps with food to attract the tenant. Contrary to popular belief, peanut butter and oats work better as baits than cheese. Prepare to handle the tenant if you use live traps. 

Place traps in strategic locations. Where you put them is critical so we suggest doing your observation and research before carelessly setting up traps so you don’t hurt yourself as well. Wait for this overnight. Once trapped, you may set them free at least 3 miles away from your house so they don’t come back...for revenge. 

Cleaning time is all the time.

So you’ve trapped and set one free. How can you be sure there’s only one? Clean your attic! Throw away unused and unimportant paper and paper materials. Don’t forget to wear a mask and a pair of gloves when cleaning the areas they’ve nested in. Their urine has a strong scent and can give you a pretty bad headache. Needless to say, their waste is filthy and shouldn’t be touched as much as possible as to avoid whatever disease it carries. Make sure you clean the attic and yourself right after to prevent contamination of other areas in the house, specifically the kitchen. 

You might also want to try cleaning the attic regularly to guarantee that no other unwanted tenants nest in. A clean attic won’t drive them away, but a dirty attic will attract them surely.

Clean the area and trace all possible entries. Check the walls, pipes and ventilation for holes and cracks.

Seal all holes and fix all damages.

If you find any damages caused by the tenant, fix it. Apart from the noise and your constant presence, any left and untrapped tenant will be forced to move out. Sealing all holes and cracks will prevent them from coming in the same way. 

Force the last ones out and keep them out.

Mice nest and don’t pay rent but are in your attic, and in your house for three reasons: food, water and shelter. So cut their food and water source. Always check for crumbs, unsealed jars and cabinet locks. That way they’re forced to find them elsewhere. 

You can also drive them out of their hiding places by using different strong-scented things you find in the house. Pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion are things in the kitchen that can annoy your tenant and force them out of the attic. Sprinkle pepper or cayenne pepper on possible entry or hiding spots and wait for them to come out. Take note, you might want to set up an extra trap just in case there’s still a couple of them left. You can also cut up and crush onions and garlic and spread them on the same areas to encourage them to find a better-smelling nest.

For less natural options, you can try spraying alcohol or filling bottle caps with ammonia and place them on the possible hiding spots. The ammonia scent will remind them of the urine of possible predators, which would have them running away and out of the attic for their own safety. 

Guard those spots. Those solutions can be harmful to pets and kids or anyone who plays with them. 

Call for help.

For any kind of problem, it’s nice to be able to call friends for help. In this case, if you have furry friends who are naturally born hunters and predators, ask for their help. Have them walk around the attic and check for remaining tenants that need to be evicted. Fair warning, mice can fight back when threatened and cornered so guard your friends as they do the job for you.

Bigger pests and infestations will need a more professional way of eviction. If you’re hesitant to use your hands and have your pet do the job, ask a professional pest control service to do it for you. It’s costly and sometimes repetitive which means it’s gonna cost more, but at least you won’t have to do it yourself.

However, if you’re determined to do it yourself, be humane and stay safe at the same time, we have another solution to fix your pest problem. Ultrasonic pest repellents are the new way deter mice and other pest infestations in your house, or in this case, your attic. The HomeShielders Plug2Repel Ultrasonic Pest Repellent is not only eco-friendly, but is also pet, human and pest-friendly. There will be no need for traps, no need to handle pests, and no need to call anyone for help. It’s fast-acting, cost-effective and has a permanent result. All you have to do is plug it in and rest knowing that your attic is mice-free. Visit our site for more information about the product.