The unpleasant smell of mice droppings and the sight of them scurrying near your garage wall is something no one enjoys. Knowing how to keep mice out of garage will enable you to stop these irritating little creatures and ensure the safety of the things in your garage.
Mice can pose a risk because their urine and droppings can carry diseases such as listeria and salmonella. So, their presence can quickly spread these diseases to the entire household. They can also destroy wires, fabrics, boxes, and other essential things you have.
What Attracts Mice to My Garage?
Many people have either a detached garage or the garage attached to the home. Irrespective of the garage type, they usually house your car, tools, and maybe lawnmowers.
But for most people, it’s also an extra storehouse for some other items which make mice come into the garage and become comfortable. Some of the things that attract mice to your garage include:
Clutters: Having piles of clutters on your garage floor is an invitation to mice. Also, items you keep for seasonal use can be a good hiding place for these pests. You should have these items off the floor as much as possible.
Gardening Materials: Keeping gardening materials like mulch, grass seed, etc., is another way of inviting mice to your garage. They can feed on these materials and also hide in them.
Pet food: Many people see their garage as a safe place to store their pet and bird food. However, it may not be completely safe as the mice will see the pet food as an invitation to feed. The mice will feed on them and also remain there for continuous feeding.
Old Vehicles: Old vehicles or the ones you don’t move frequently can become a house for mice. These vehicles are dark and comfortable, thereby creating a good hiding place for the mice.
Firewood: Mice see the piles of firewood in your garage as a source of food and shelter. The insects that live in the wood serve as their food, while the wood creates a secure place for them to make their nests.
Food Particles in the Car: Having pieces of food in your car is another way of attracting mice to your garage. The particles will lure them to your vehicle as they are always hunting for food.
What are the Symptoms that Mice are in My Garage?
Having known the things that attract mice to garages, it is essential to know the indications that there are mice in your garage. Detecting it fast will help you get rid of them since you’ll be learning how to keep mice out of garage and car as you read further.
Here are some of the symptoms to guess there are mice in your garage:
Droppings: Dark, tiny droppings littered in cupboards and surfaces in the garage is an indicator that mice are present in your garage.
Nests: Mice usually make nests with paper, lace, and other materials. Are you wondering how to find a mouse nest in garage? Ensure you look in some hidden places inside your garage you’ll find them.
Strange Ammonia-like Smell: Mice urine smell like ammonia. Such a strong smell in your garage shows that these rodents are living there.
Noises: Mice make noises during their activities at night. So, when you hear scratching noises in the basements, partition walls, and other hidden places, there are likely mice there.
Tracks: You can notice the presence of mice by their tracks on a dusty floor. You can achieve a dusty floor by sprinkling some powder on the garage floor and looking out for mice track the next day.
Grease Stains: Dark grease stains on floors and walls is a sign of mice. The grease stains happen when they brush their bodies on surfaces.
Mice: When you see mice in your garage, whether dead or alive, it is a clear symptom of mice presence.
How do I Prevent Mice from Getting into My Garage?
It is best to have mouse-proof garage storage to avoid mice infestation in your garage and home. Mouse-proofing will stop mice from getting access to your property. So, the tips below will show you how to keep mice out of garage naturally with little effort.
- Use stainless wire wool and sealants to seal any holes in pipes around the garage. Rodents such as mice can come in through pipe holes, so sealing them will keep mice off.
- You can fix spike strips to the lower part of old garage doors to stop mice from entering.
- Check the garage roof for damage. If there is any, you can repair it with wire mesh and keep mice off.
- You may fix wire mesh over air vents. The wire mesh stops mice entrance while still allowing air circulation within the garage.
- Always keep grasses and tree branches short. They can serve as shelter to mice and give them quick entrance to your garage.
How to Keep Mice Out of Garage
Having just a mouse or two in your garage is bad enough, but knowing that they reproduce fast and move into your home from the garage is something even more disturbing. So, it is best to keep them out as soon as possible.
Here are some of the things you can do to get these rodents off your garage:
Take Out the Things that Invite Mice
It is easy to find the items that attract rodents, such as mice in your garage, empty boxes, seeds and grains, food particles in the car, vehicles you rarely move, furniture, rags, etc.
You could begin by removing some of the items from the garage, and then use a big plastic bucket with a lid to store the grains and other food supplies.
You should also turn on any rarely-used car and rev its engine from time to time. Then, inspect the car’s trunk, glove compartment, and hood for any wire damage. Doing this often will ensure that mice won’t make nests in the car.
Position Bait Stations in Strategic Places
After removing the items that draw the mice to your garage, the next will be to place a bait station in the corners where the mice come to look for food. You can detect the place by looking out for mice droppings and setting the bait there.
It is necessary to inspect the bait twice a day to remove any mice caught and try to replace the bait after some days to ensure freshness. Also, you can remove the bait station from there to other locations in the garage to trap more mice.
Note: Ensure to keep the bait station where kids and pets won’t reach it, and also, wear gloves when handling the bait station as it’s a way of making sure your scent doesn’t get to the device and scare off the mice.
Apply Natural Repellants
Mice depend on their sense of smell a lot. They go to areas where they can smell food and comfort but can’t stand a strong smell like peppermint or cinnamon. So, applying any of them may keep the mice away as the scent will serve as mice repellant.
You can use essential oil, prepare a home remedy, or get the products from stores around you. Apply it inside and around the garage to keep mice away, and remember to reapply the repellant after some time to keep making the scent strong in the environment.
Go for Electronic Repellants
Electronic mice repellants are excellent at keeping mice and other rodents out of garages. They are designed to emit sound waves that keep mice uncomfortable. Humans don’t hear these waves, but the mice hear them and cannot stand the sound.
For some people, an electronic repellant is the best rodent repellent for garage. The reason is that it is stress-free to use. All you have to do is; buy it from the stores, plug it into a power outlet and it starts working.
So, whether you’re looking for how to keep mice out of garage in winter or fall, these outlined methods will work as they are effective in most seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
Q: What can I put in my garage to keep the mice away?
The best things to put in your garage to keep mice away are those things that smell make the garage uncomfortable for mice. For example, mice hate the strong smell of ammonia and cinnamon.
So, you may put any of these items or a combination of them in your garage to help keep mice away. However, ensure you make the smell strong enough to make the mice uncomfortable. You can also buy the already prepared ones in stores near you.
Q: What scent will keep mice away?
Strong scents of natural repellants such as cinnamon and peppermint may keep mice out of your environment. Ammonia also has a pungent smell that mice can’t stand. So, this scent could help to keep mice away.
Q: Do mothballs keep mice out of garage?
No, mothballs do not keep mice out of garage. Although mothballs contain a little naphthalene, it’s not able to keep mice away. So, using mothballs to keep mice out of your environment may not give a good result.
Q: Do dryer sheets repel mice?
Yes, dryer sheets can keep mice away from your garage, especially if the mice are few. Dryer sheets have strong scents that smell nice to humans but are unbearable for mice and other rodents. However, this method won’t give many results, if there’s a large mice infestation.
Q: How do I keep mice from getting under my garage door?
The best way to stop mice from getting under any type of garage door is to fix a high-density brush under the door. The brush will be a strong barrier against mice as they’ll no longer be able to chew the bottom area of the door and enter the garage.
Q: Does Irish Spring soap deter mice?
Irish Spring soap does not keep mice away. Some people believe that mice consume the animal fat used to produce Irish Spring and other soaps and that the mice will die after eating it because of the soap’s chemical content.
But, a mouse needs to consume a large quantity of soap to become affected by its chemicals. Also, it is not likely that most mice will rush to eat a bar or bars of soap.
Q: What is the best natural mouse repellant?
Some of the best natural mouse repellants are cinnamon, cloves, peppermint, and cayenne pepper. You can apply it by soaking cotton balls in clove oil or oil you get from any of this food. Then, drop the cotton balls where the mice are disturbing.
However, you may need to use other methods of repelling mice if you have a heavy infestation in your garage or home.
Q: Does ammonia keep mice away?
It is believed that ammonia can keep mice away because of its strong smell. Ammonia smells like urine. So, when mice smell it, they’ll think there’s a predator around, and they quickly avoid the place. Therefore, ammonia may help to keep mice away.
Q: Is there a spray that repels mice?
Some sprays in the market are made to repel mice when you spray them in a mice-infested place. Examples of spray repellents include Bobbex spray repellent, Kate Naturals rodent repellent spray, Tomcat repellent rodents continuous spray, etc. You can get them in a pests shop near you.
Q: Do electric mouse repellents work?
Electric mouse repellents are designed to emit ultrasonic sounds that alarm mice and keep them away. These repellents can be effective, especially when you install them newly, although their effect may not last for a long time.
Final Words
Mice infestation can be a serious concern to any garage owner, but finding the right ways to get them out will clear your anxiety. Following these on how to keep mice out of a garage, will help you kick those annoying rodents out and keep them from coming back.
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