How To Get Rid Of Mice In Attic: 3 Best and Most Effective Ways

So, you’ve revealed mouse infestation in your attic?

Worry not! We’re here to help you learn how to battle these frustrating rodents.

There are different ways and tactics to eradicate this nuisance. But not all methods work effectively. You need real solutions that will work fast and effectively to keep your attic and house mice-free.

This article on how to get rid of mice in the attic will help you to remove this pesky pest once and for all.

Best Way To Get Rid Of Mice In Attic – 3 Best Methods

There are three ways to eliminate mice from your home and attic. These are:

• Mouse trapping
• Using Rodenticides
• Hiring a Professional, Pest Control Expert or Wildlife Control Specialist

Method 1: Mouse Trapping

When to apply this method: If the mice population is small enough, the mouse trapping method may yield fast results if you can do it properly. Of course, this method has some advantages over baiting or rodenticides. It’s an alternative way for those who feel bad when they use rodenticides.

To eradicate the mouse by using mouse traps, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Inspection

• Inspect your whole house and attic.

It will never be possible to 100% get rid of mice permanently until you figure out how they enter your house and attic. A dime or a quarter of an inch size hole is enough for mice to enter your home.

So, the first thing you should do is- check out how mice are getting inside your home as well as the attic. Mice enter in the vents, gaps in siding, and area where pipes and wires go into the house. And then they creep up into the ceiling and attic. Also, look for any holes or open gaps in the rooflines.

• Pay tremendous attention to detail

Discover the possible entry points you need to pay immense attention to detail. So, look for signs of mice in the attic, for example, urine, mouse droppings, chewed item, etc. A black-light is helpful to look for these signs.

Step 2: Execution

• Seal all the entry points of mice.

Making your home rodent or mice-proof is an effective way to stop the infestation of this nuisance. Eliminate each entry point- holes and openings.

• To seal small holes or gap: you may use caulk and steel wool scouring pads.
• To seal bigger holes/ openings: Sheet metal, concrete mortar or heavy hardware cloth are good option to patch the larger openings.

– Avoid wood, plastic, or other materials that mice can chew easily to seal the holes or gaps.
– Make sure doors, windows, and screens fit tightly. To keep the mice out of your home, around loose-fitting doors use weatherproofing strips.
– If you fail to seal your home and attic properly and block off the mice entryways, mice may return in the future and find their way into your home. If it happens, you’ve to start all steps over again.

Step 3: Trapping

So, you’ve sealed every opening and hole?

Great!

Now it’s time to proceed to trap and kill the mice that are already in your attic. Mice are easy to trap. And setting a mousetrap is an inexpensive way. Avoid cheese as bait. Instead, use bacon, peanut butter, or chocolate as bait.

Different types of mice traps are:

• Snap/ spring trap
• Electric trap
• Glue trap
• Live catch trap/ live trap

Set mouse trap on the mouse runways or mouse trails in the attic. If they are high in numbers in your attic, you can use a lot of snap traps or a repeating trap. Follow this step until you hear no more sounds in the attic.

If you don’t want to use the sticky traps or kill the mice and go through the filthy cleanup process, you can use a live catch trap.

What is a live-catch trap?

In a live catch trap, the mouse gets trapped inside it. After they get trapped, you can release them into the wild.

You must wear a dust filter mask or respirator and rubber gloves when handling the dead mouse body. Otherwise, you may come in contact with a disease organism.

Step 4: Cleanup and Sanitization

Don’t forget to check the trap regularly. Dispose of the mouse bodies regularly and replace the new bait. Also, clean up all the droppings found in the attic. These are necessary to get rid of pathogens, germs, and odors that may attract new mice. Cleaning up roof gutter & the attic space will help you prevent the growth of mold that happens with the mouse feces and urine.

Disadvantages of trapping

This method requires disposing of the dead mice’s bodies before their odor becomes a problem in an inaccessible area.

Method 2: Applying Rodenticide or Mouse Block

Rodenticide is toxic baits that are available in meals, pellets, and block forms. These are toxic to a pet, human, and other wildlife. So, you should use these in the areas where children and pets can’t access them.

When to apply this method:

If the numbers of the mouse are high, using rodenticide is a quick way to get rid of it.

Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Set the baits approximately 15 to 50 ft. apart. If the infestation is heavy, place the bait closer to 15 ft.

Step 2: To protect against accidental poisoning, you’re recommended to tamper-resistant commercial rat bait stations that can hold the toxic baits in place and keep pets and children out. And it’s also a national guideline and law while using rodenticides. Try to use the best bait stations. 

Step 3: Refill the bait station more often.

Disadvantages of Applying Rodenticides

It’s not wise to use mice or rat baits that contain rodenticide without trapping them. The reason is the bad smell of dead mice may be a problem in the attic.  

Avoid using poison for mouse control. Mice poison won’t kill all the mice. The mice that die by poison will rot in your house, attic, or any hidden area and will create a mess.

Method 3: Hire a Professional, Pest Control Expert or Wildlife Control Specialist

When Do I Need to Hire a Professional or pest control expert?

As you’ve already seen to be truly successful in getting rid of mice by following methods 1 and 2 is really a laborious task, and it requires a bit of work. It’s not like that you simply put a trap and hope mice won’t return.

In fact, nothing beats hiring the right professional to remove mice and other kinds of dangerous control in the attic and other locations in your house.

Although you exactly know how to apply the method for mice control, handling the job on your own may put you and your family at risk of health hazards in the future.

A professional or a pest control expert will help you a lot to make your home house-proof and BE RID of the mice fast. Hiring a Professional, Pest Control Expert, or Wildlife Control Specialist is the best way to get rid of mice in attic effectively and fast.

Although mice and rats in attic removal cost are a bit more initially, in the long run, it’ll help you save your time and money.

Advantages of Professionals Hiring

• They will quickly find the mice entry points into your home and seal them properly. Making your home rodent proofing is one of the most crucial steps to get rid of mice.
• They will effectively trap all the mice and rodents using humane and 100% safe method for the environment, pet, and children.
• They will sanitize your home and attic. That’s right.
• Calling a professional from the beginning will save your money, time, and do less damage that needs to be repaired later.

Preventing Mice From Returning In Home And Attic

So, your home as well as the attic is free of mice?
Great!
But they may return if you don’t properly seal your home. To prevent future infestations, properly caulk any holes. Moreover, tightly seal any food products to avoid attracting rodents into your home.

Will we share more?

Well, you can repel mice naturally by using safe substances. For this, you’ll need a mixture of clove oil, peppermint oil, and want. Spray this mixture in your attic and around the corners of your home.

You may also have strong-smelling plants such as lavender, garlic, peppermint in your garden and around your house to keep mice away from your house perimeters.

More Facts About How To Get Rid Of Mice In Attic

About house mice

Mice species are found in homes and attics across the U.S.A.

Mice are a common pest and remarkably adaptive rodent to both the home and wild. They love to live with a human. Roof rats and Norway rats are the most common rats found in the USA.

Understanding the habits of both types of rats will help you to identify and control their population in your home.

Geographic locations of norway rats and roof rats

Roof rats are mainly found in a more temperate climate such as in the coastal areas. This type of rat doesn’t like to live in colder temperatures.

They may live in trees fence rails, rafters, and attics. But a roof rat travels a long distance (maximum 300 feet) away from its nest to forage for water and food.

Signs of mice in attic

To be successful in 100% removal of mice from your home and attic, it’s essential to find their nest and resting place.

Most people use the attic as storage space. So, we can say the attic is a dumping ground for unused or little-used household items. The attic is an attractive nesting and hiding area for mice.

But how to tell if your attic is invaded by mice?

If there are mice in your attic, they must leave a trail of evidence. The following signs of a mouse infestation will help you confirm whether they are in your attic or not.

If mice have populated in your ceiling or attic, they will likely leave some evidence.

Here’s a checklist for how to identify mice in the attic:

• Noise

Do you listen to any mouse in the attic scratching or chewing in the ceiling or attic, especially at night? If “YES,” your attic is invaded by mice.

Scratching in the attic or tapping noise in the attic at night is a common sign if there are mice in the attic.

• Footprints

If your attic is dusty, you’ll find mice footprints on the attic floor. You may also sprinkle some talcum powder to reveal fresh footprints of mice. Take a torch and have a closer look for footprint or trace marks.

• Mice droppings

Look for mice droppings in the corners or along the baseboard. If there are mice in your attic, you may find pellet-shape, small dropping there.

• Stench

Mice drip urine as they travel. If your attic is largely infested by mice, inside your attic, you’ll get urine that smells like ammonia. Look closely; you may find urine on the countertops and other surfaces where they travel across.

• Grease marks

Brown grease marks and dark smears will be visible if there are mice in the attic. Check out for the dark smears around attic corners.

• Nesting debris

By light materials such as paper, lint and insulation, mice make a nesting place in the attic. So, if you find nesting debris in your attic, yes they are there.

• Physical evidence

Look out for the physical evidence of mice infestation in the attic and house. These include chewed-up or damaged insulation, chewed-up food packaging, plastic or cardboard boxes or clothing, and much more.

• Dead mice body

If you find a dead mouse body in your attic or around, the possibility is that there could be more of them hiding there.

Attic is a favorite place for house mice or roof mice, but do you know WHY?

Mice prefer to live in attics and it’s a favorite place for them. There are many reasons.

• An attic is a warm place and roof rats like to nest in the warmth of the attic.
• It’s almost a quiet area. And mice like to build their nest in an undisturbed, quiet place.
• In the attic, a lot of nesting materials are available for mice.
• There are hundreds of hiding places in the cluttered attic for mice to live and create a nest of baby mice.

Mice create a lot of hazards. what are these?

Mice and all pests can be a traumatic threat to the health and safety of your family. Several risks occur when mice nests in your attic and home.

• Mice infestation in the attic may spread a plethora of diseases
• They carry more than 30 different diseases.
• The urine and feces of mice create a health hazard.
• They carry bacteria that are responsible to cause serious diseases.
• Besides health hazards, mice cause plenty of damage in your property, such as chewing wood furniture, drywell, etc.
• They chew electrical wiring that may create a fire hazard.

Hope, you’ve enjoyed reading our article on how to get rid of mice in the attic. And you’ll no more have trouble getting rid of those pesky creatures. Eradicate mice and other pests from your attic and home, and make your home a safe and sanitary place for your family and you.

Thanks for reading!