prevent mice in garage with weather stripping

716 Garage Door Repair > Garage Door Repair > Have Mice in Your Garage?

You need to take immediate action when mice get into your garage because they have a bad habit of chewing through wires and nesting in the walls. As soon as you detect an infestation, you need to take action. The team at 716 Garage Door Repair of Buffalo, NY have some tips on how to get rid of, and keep mice out of, your garage.

Bedding should be eliminated

Look through all the things you’re storing in your garage. If you’re like most Buffalo NY residents, you may have paper, material, clothes, or bedding stored there. If you do, consider moving those items to another part of your house.

If you can’t move those items to a different location in your home, then the best way to prevent mice from creating a cozy nest in your garage is to store those perfect nest-building items in plastic tubs that lock tightly.

Eliminate food sources

We recommend you never store food in your garage, as it attracts rodents and pests. Perhaps you keep pet food or dry goods for your family in your garage. You should consider storing those items under beds or hanging shelving high up in your house if you need a place to store them. Again, if an alternate location isn’t feasible, then a rodent-proof container needs to be purchased and used to hold food.

Mouse traps should be put out

It is possible to purchase wooden traps or sticky traps for your garage, but this is only advised if you do not have pets or children in the building. It is important to hide these traps in corners and away from the main room if you intend to put them out.

Bait should be set out

Rather than having to clean out traps, you may want to try poison bait. The mice will eat the poison and then die elsewhere. This will leave you with less cleanup. It’s the best choice if you don’t like seeing dead mice on the traditional traps. However, if you suspect the rodents live or access inside the walls, avoid using poison, as they may die in a location that you cannot easily access – like inside a wall. The smell of dead rodents can be very strong and difficult to remediate.

Also, this is not an advisable option if you have pets or children that could access the poison. The safety of your family is always the priority, so we don’t recommend poison when pets or children are in the home.

Repellents made from natural ingredients

There are some homeowners who choose to go the natural route for pest control. Here is a simple recipe for controlling mice naturally:

Hot pepper sauce, 1 tablespoon
Laundry detergent for 14 cups
Water in a gallon

Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray it around the outside of your house. You can also spray your baseboards and inside the garage.