How to Find Mouse Entry Points and Get Rid of Them

It is often mistakenly believed that mice will only invade filthy environments, but that is simply not true. Even the cleanliest of homes may face an invasion of rodents. Despite best efforts to keep your home and property clean, mice will find ways to access food and water inside your home. Moisture in sinks and tubs provides them with plenty of drinking water. They can also chew through bags and boxes of food to gain access to the food they need to survive. If you have pets, food and water bowls are also a great resource for food and water.

Drying out sinks and tubs, placing food in sealed plastic containers and removing food and water bowls daily is just part of a prevention plan. To keep mice out of your home, you need to find all of their entry points before using any mouse control Toronto solutions. Knowing how to find those entry points is easy with the right tips and advice.

1. Gaps between Vinyl Siding

If you have vinyl siding, mice will explore it for weaknesses. For instance, the J-channels and corner posts that cover the ends of the siding often have hollows in them. Mice will enter those hollows to get into your home and behind your walls. Once behind your walls, mice will use their sharp teeth and claws to create a hole and get inside your home.

Fortunately, you can fill the J-channels and corner posts with a combination of steel mesh, steel wool pads, and silicone caulk. Their sharp teeth cannot chew through the steel wool or steel mesh, and the silicone caulk adds and an extra layer of protection to help hold the wool or mesh in place. Additionally, mice can climb vinyl siding and get an access to your attic and other areas of your house. There a video of mouse climbing a wall inside of the house.

2. Brick Wall Weaknesses

Inspect the outside of your brick home and look for gaps between the bricks, sometimes called weeping holes. If you notice any gaps, make sure you fill them using a proper mortar. Touch up any areas around your brick home in need of mortar filling to mice cannot get in behind the interior walls of your home.

3. Foundation Cracks

Mice will also look for weaknesses in your foundation. Cracks and gaps commonly form in the foundation. Stacked stone foundations are particularly susceptible to damages that provide entry for mice. Fill any cracks or gaps you find with silicone caulk to prevent mice from gaining entry into your home.

4. Garage

If you have an attached garage, it is easy for mice to get into your home. They use uneven garage doors to their advantage to slip under them. Also, if you tend to leave your garage door open for extended periods, it is like putting out a welcome sign for mice. Clutter in the garage is also a big attraction for mice.

Make sure you reduce clutter in the garage. Also, inspect the sheetrock to see if there are any cracks, holes, or other entry points and fill them with silicone caulk. Do not leave your garage door open for an extended period, and place weather stripping along the bottom of the garage door to create a tight seal.

5. Chimney

The chimney is also a weakness. Mice have claws that allow them to climb up anything that gives them a good enough grip. The brick of your chimney is rough enough that they can use their claws to climb up the exterior of the chimney and down the interior. Fortunately, you can install metal sheeting around the base of the chimney so that mice cannot climb it.

6. Utility Line and HVAC 

Inspect both the inside and outside of your home where utility lines run in. Check around plumbing pipes and gas lines. You may notice gaps large enough for a mouse to slip into your home. Make sure you place silicone caulk around the utility lines on the inside and outside of your home so mice cannot get into your home.

7. Holes in Roof 

If you have damages and gaps in your roof, mice will enter your home through the attic. Poke your head up into the attic and look for areas where you see daylight shining through. Address roof repair immediately to ensure mice cannot make their way inside.

8. Weep Vents

Weep vents are small gaps that are found between bricks in the lower part of the wall. They resemble slots, and their purpose is for drainage and ventilation. Weep vents are fitted to prevent moisture damage and are also important for the structural integrity of a building. Unfortunately, they are also a favourite entry point for mice and rats. Most homeowners are bent on whether to fill them or not. You don’t want to fill these holes. Otherwise, your walls will be susceptible to damage.

You could keep out the mice using plastic or metal mesh. However, half the time, mice can chew through plastic, and metal mesh isn’t as durable. The mesh either falls off or is pulled out by a critter, in worst case scenarios it gets clogged with debris. Our technicians have experience with Weep vents; we have specialized weep covers that will keep mice out for good. We will also inspect your home for other possible entry points and ensure they are sealed.

9. Gaps Between Buildings

When building a home with different materials, there’s always a chance for a gap, especially when two different materials meet. This makes for a potential mouse entry point. The gap that exists between bricks and soffit is often a common entry point for mice. As your home expands over the seasons, these gaps get the opportunity to be more pronounced. It is especially worrisome if due to expansion it extends the full perimeter of your home. Other gaps in your home that are common entry points for mice include:

• Roof-soffit gap
• Siding-foundation gap
• Roof fascia gap

It’s important that you contact a professional pest control technician to inspect your home for these gaps. At “The Exterminators, ”we offer inspection services that help homeowners find these entry points. Our technicians will use special material to seal them, preventing future infestations.

10. Door and Frames

In case your home has a poorly sealed door and window frames, they offer easy access for mice to get into your home. Doors that hang unevenly or are too high off the ground are potential passages for mice to slip in. Also, if you have loose rubber weather stripping on the underside of your garage doors, it could easily get chewed by mice and become a potential entry point.

If you notice mice activity in your home, it is important to check your home for entry points. We offer mice inspection services for homeowners. Our technicians will thoroughly check your home for possible entry points. Using special material, we will seal off these points in a way that will not compromise the structural integrity of your home.

11. Roof Vents

Mice have the capability of climbing onto your roof. Roofs in our homes offer several potential access points. The plastic and aluminum vents on our roofs sit high enough for mice to slip into the attic. In many of these cases, what stands between the mice and the attic is usually a thin bug screen. For an inexperienced person, inspecting your roof for these entry points can be a daunting task. However, at The Exterminators, out trained and experienced technicians are skilled at finding these entry points. Through our rodent inspection service, we will identify these points and seal them with special material to prevent future infestation. We will also ensure that our service doesn’t interfere with the structural integrity of your house.

Mice will do whatever it takes to get into your home. They will climb on ladders, overhanging branches, slip through gaps and chew their way through your soffits, they will even swim through your sewer to enjoy a piece of heaven in your kitchen. So, what can you do to prevent them from coming in?

First, ensure that all your entry points are sealed off. Getting your local professional pest control technician to help you with this task will yield maximum results. Ensure that you keep good cleaning habits, mice are not attracted to clean environments. If you rarely take out your garbage and leave food all over your home, mice will do anything to get in. Clear out any overhanging tree branches close to your house. Avoid leaving pet food in or around your compound.

How To Seal Mice Entry Points

Now that you know where to find these mice-entry points, you are probably wondering how to seal them. The key is to use a material that mice have difficulty chewing or gnawing through. One of these materials is copper steel wool. The reason why it is hard to chew through is that their front teeth will get stuck if they attempt to do that. Small holes can be filled with caulk and stuffing the hole with steel wool. Bigger gaps or entrance points need a more specialized approach. Galvanized steel mesh is used. To secure the mesh bolts and washers are used to make it impenetrable. Of course to make it actually work you need to have a keen eye for abnormalities something that can be easily overlooked and pose a threat to the future security of your home or business.

Can Mice Climb Vinyl Siding?

Mice can surprisingly good climbers. Among the things they can climb are, cables, vines, ropes, trees, Climb electrical wires and also shrubs so that they can gain entry into buildings  They can also climb vertical surfaces such as wood, bricks, and sheets that are worn. The way to prevent mice from getting inside the vinyl sliding is to seal small gaps and cracks. Mice can take control of the situation very easily and once they know how to get inside your home, the whole situation causes them to turn into mayhem.

Mice Getting Under Vinyl Siding – How To Stop Them

The way to prevent this or to get mice out of the vinyl is to carefully inspect the wood and check for any abnormalities. It may very well be that mice are hiding under one of the wooden panels that became deformed over time. A mental note may not be helpful so to actually pinpoint the deformities later on you need either a sharpie or a pencil and mark it.  As earlier explained you can seal the hole with caulk and copper wool until you get the panels repaired.

Why Hire Professional Pest Control Company for an Inspection

A lot of people cringe at the idea of hiring a professional pest control Toronto company to get rid of their pest problem. However, hiring professionals has several benefits compared to when you decide to do it on your own. First, these companies have trained and experienced technicians who understand how to treat and handle an infestation. If you are looking to protect your home from pests, consider the advantages of hiring a pest control professional.

Pest control companies offer specialized services

Your home is your sanctuary, and preventing it from invaders means having the best kind of protection. When you hire a professional company, they will often set up plans that are specific and customized for your needs. They will consider the size, level of infestation and long-term prevention. Homeowners also have the chance to do pre-treatments on their sites. The professional pest control technician will also continue monitoring your home to prevent future infestations.

Cost

Paying a regular fee upfront can end up in several hundreds of dollars at the end of the year. However, it will be much more expensive if you have to repair damages caused by pest when rodent, insect and other pest infestations go unnoticed. You might not know the signs of a looming infestation and how to properly inspect your home for pests. Pest control companies know exactly what, and where to look for pests in your house.

Hazard

Taking on a pest control project on your own is a risky task that should be left for the professionals. There’s a high chance of getting hurt or suffering from bites that could be dangerous to your health if you decide to do the job for yourself. Trained technicians wear protective clothing, and adhere to safety protocols to ensure no one gets hurt during these tasks. Pesticides and baits are hazardous chemicals that need to be handled by trained and experienced individuals. Furthermore, technicians take great care when running these projects to ensure that the structural integrity of your home is not compromised.

Article Updated: October 22, 2020