Small but mighty, the mouse is a pest that you absolutely don’t want to find in your apartment. These small creatures can gnaw through objects, contaminate your food, and even pose a serious risk to your health. Learn all about how and why these pests enter your apartment, plus all of the best ways to get rid of mice in your apartment, so that you can enjoy your home comfortably and safely!
How Do Mice Get Into Your Apartment
Mice are small and resourceful, capable of sneaking into your apartment through cracks and entryways the size of a dime in order to enter your apartment. Cracks in door frames or window sills can let mice in, but so can doggy doors, plumbing, the AC system, and anywhere with enough room for a rodent to wriggle through.
Why Do Mice Enter Your Apartment
Mice–and other rodents–are simple creatures. When it comes down to it, they enter your apartment looking to fulfill their basic needs–food, shelter, and safety. Clutter, scraps, and crumbs can attract hungry mice to your property, especially if there are a lot of great places to make a nest. Inside your apartment, mice can also hide from the harsh outdoor weather during any season and enjoy a comfortable, climate controlled place to live.
Are Mice Dangerous?
While not exactly ferocious creatures, even the tiny mouse can pose a huge risk to your house due to the highly transmissible diseases that they can often carry. Mice can transmit diseases such as hantavirus, salmonella, and LCMV to humans through their urine, saliva, and feces, making them highly dangerous to keep in your home. That’s why, if you discover mice activity on your property, it’s essential to get rid of mice in your apartment.
7 Best Tips For Getting Rid of Mice From Your Apartment
1. Tell your landlord: If you’re a renter, tell your landlord at the first sign of mouse activity. They can then take the appropriate action for pest control, such as setting traps or calling in a pest professional like AIPM to handle the situation.
2. Determine their entry method: One of the best ways to get rid of mice in your apartment is to stop them from entering in the first place. Carefully look over your property for any small holes that a mouse can enter from, such as doors, windows, or plumbing.
3. Clean your space routinely: A messy, cluttered space can attract mice to your apartment. Clean up all crumbs to remove any temptation for mice to enter.
4. Store food properly: Just like removing food scraps left out in the open, storing food properly can remove a mouse’s potential food source and discourage it from staying in your home. All soft, cardboard packages they can gnaw through should be stored in secure plastic containers.
5. Remove potential hiding spots: Another reason mice love invading your apartment is to search for a safe nesting space. By getting rid of any potential hiding spots around your home, such as boxes, gaps behind appliances, and unused drawers, mice will be less interested in your apartment.
6. Set a trap (or bait): If mice have already invaded despite your best efforts, it’s time to set a trap or bait. These pest control methods can help reduce mouse populations that have already established themselves in your home. However, if you’re living with pets or small children, be careful about where bait is used.
7. Check traps frequently: Just setting the trap or bait isn’t enough to get rid of mice from your apartment. You also need to routinely check the traps and bait to remove any bodies, and reset the areas so that more of the mice can be caught later.
If you spy one mouse scurrying around your apartment, chances are it’s not alone. Additionally, mice can breed at an alarming rate, meaning that even a small mouse problem can increase to a huge issue. In fact, a family of 6 mice can breed into a family of 60 in just 3 months! Therefore, it’s always a good idea to call an expert sooner rather than later. You can try a few DIY solutions, such as setting baits and traps in order to get rid of the infestation, but you run the risk of letting the issue worsen if it’s not properly, professionally handled.
But who’s responsible for taking care of your persistent rodent problems–you, or your HOA?
Generally, HOAs will only cover pest issues affecting public use areas, such as pools, gardens, exercise rooms, or lobby. Everything that occurs in your own private area is generally something you’re expected to tackle by yourself, unless you can prove that the issue spread from a common-use area. And even then, it all depends on the rules and regulations of your specific HOA.
Therefore, calling in for professional pest control assistance is your best bet for handling any mice issues in your apartment. If you’re unsure of which company to trust, your HOA can recommend their preferred pest partner, like AIPM, to effectively get rid of mice in your apartment.
Conclusion
Enjoy a comfortable, mouse-free home by following these tips to remove mice from your apartment–or, call a professional for fast, expert assistance. Since mice can cause a significant amount of damage to your apartment if left untreated, and also potentially spread dangerous diseases, be sure to act quickly at the first sign of mice activity!
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