If there’s one thing no one wants in their home, it’s mice. These small rodents can cause damage to your home and create a mess, not to mention give you a headache in the process. It’s crucial to get rid of mice as soon as possible since they can multiply very quickly. If you find yourself in a situation where you are sharing your living space with these unwanted houseguests, here’s what you should do to help the situation.
How to get rid of mice in your apartment in 5 steps
Read the simple steps below to find out how to get rid of mice in your home or apartment.
Step 1: Notify your landlord
The first thing you should do if you see signs of mice in your apartment (droppings, holes, sightings) is to notify your landlord. The landlord or property management company will want to know if there is a rodent problem in the building to avoid more costly repairs and maintenance issues in the future. Plus, the maintenance team may already have a contract with a pest control company that they can send out to your unit in a timely manner to handle the situation. To speed the process along, try to find the source of entry.
Step 2: Find the source
The next thing you should do to get rid of these furry little rodents is to get to the source. A mouse’s skeleton is quite flexible, which helps them squeeze through even the smallest of holes. Start by plugging up any cracks or crevices in your walls that mice could potentially squeeze through. Be careful not to disregard holes in ceilings, baseboards, drawers, and windows; mice can make their way through these too!
Step 3: Clean up
It’s no secret that mice are attracted to food. You’ll want to clean up any crumbs that might be left on the floor and make sure all of your food is tightly sealed and put away. Airtight food canisters are a great investment for dry foods kept in the pantry, drawers, or cupboards. Carefully inspect any packaging that is ripped or open and throw away anything that is not sealed; mice will take advantage of even the slightest opening in a bag or box of food. Going forward, keeping your kitchen clean and sweeping up any crumbs will help prevent you from attracting mice.
Step 4: Take action
There are a few common methods used to get rid of mice. Among those, mouse traps and professional exterminators are your best bets. As a renter, your landlord is legally responsible for ensuring you have an apartment or home free of rodents, and they will likely choose one of these three common methods. All three options have unique benefits but they also come with some downsides, so here’s what you need to know about each one.
Mousetraps
Perhaps the most popular remedy for mice is the mousetrap. Using a mousetrap is fairly quick and it doesn’t require a lot of work. Stick glue traps, paper traps lined with non-toxic glue, are super easy to use and fairly efficient. The mouse will enter the trap and, essentially, stick to the inside of the paper. Once you’ve trapped a mouse, you or your landlord can discard the entire glue trap.
The snap trap is a chemical-free way to get rid of mice. Simply place the trap where you believe mice may be coming in and out of, and wait. When a mouse touches the device, it will trigger the trap and catch the little rodent. Dispose of the trap afterward, or have your landlord come by and do it.
For a more humane approach to catching the rodent, you can try plastic catch and release mouse traps. Bait the mouse into the trap with a piece of food and the door will close behind. This enables you to remove the captured mouse from your apartment and release them outside of the property.
There are two downsides to using traps:
- There is a waiting period; you won’t have much control over when the mice will come out next, so you could be waiting a while to trap one
- Placement can be tricky; if you don’t place the traps strategically enough, the traps will be ineffective
Call an Exterminator
This is the more costly of the two methods, but it’s also the quickest way to get rid of mice. Using exterminators requires the least amount of effort since you won’t be the one doing any of the work. This option will be expensive, so make sure that your landlord will be the one fronting the bill before calling an exterminator.
Step 5: Prevent future issues
If you prefer to go the natural route, peppermint oil is your answer. Although it’s not an effective remedy for removing mice that are currently in your home or apartment, peppermint oil is a great deterrent. Mice do not like the smell of the oil and will be less likely to enter an area with this aroma. Use the oil preemptively and you won’t have to bother with traps or an exterminator. If you’ve already rid mice from your apartment, use this as a follow-up method to ensure they don’t return. A few things to note:
- Be sure to purchase 100% pure peppermint oil—imitation or diluted peppermint oil won’t work on mice
- Peppermint oil produces an extremely strong odor, so be careful with how much you use
- Simply soak a few cotton balls in the oil and leave the cotton balls where the mice may enter your home or apartment
FAQ’s
How do I know if I have a small mouse problem or an infestation? The best way to identify how big of a problem you have on your hands is to look for the signs. Mouse droppings are a great way to indicate how many mice you are dealing with, how long they have been there, and what areas they are visiting in your apartment.
What should I do if I’m still seeing signs of mice? If you’re still seeing signs of mice in your apartment after you take all of the above steps, you may have to consider a move. If the issue is a larger building issue and unable to be contained, review your lease terms to see if you are eligible to break your lease and find other accommodations. In most cases, the problem will be able to be resolved, but knowing your rights as a renter will be important should you need to vacate.
In summary
Following these simple steps will aid you in ridding of mice from your home. Put in your due diligence and you should be able to contain the problem before it becomes a larger issue. Again, renters in most states are guaranteed a unit free of rodents, so be sure to tell your landlord immediately to get the mice removed as quickly as possible.
If you find that you need or want to move because of the rodents, search thousands of apartments for rent on Zumper and choose your next one.
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