How to Get Rid of mice in your house: Complete Guide

To get rid of mice in your house, you need a three-part approach: set traps in active areas, seal all entry points, and eliminate food sources. Mice can squeeze through openings as small as a quarter inch, and a single pair can produce up to 60 offspring per year. For homeowners in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri, mouse problems are especially common from September through March when cold weather drives rodents indoors.

This guide from Miller Pest Solutions covers everything you need to know—from DIY methods to when it’s time to call a professional exterminator.

Signs You Have Mice in Your House

Before you can solve the problem, you need to confirm it. Here are the telltale signs of a mouse infestation:

• Droppings — Small, dark pellets (about the size of a grain of rice) found along walls, in cabinets, under sinks, and near food sources
• Gnaw marks — Fresh gnaw marks on food packaging, baseboards, or wiring (a serious fire hazard)
• Scratching sounds — Especially at night, coming from walls, ceilings, or under floors
• Nesting material — Shredded paper, fabric, insulation, or dried plant matter gathered in hidden spots
• Tracks and rub marks — Greasy smudge marks along walls and baseboards where mice travel repeatedly
• Musky odor — A distinctive, stale smell from mouse urine, especially in enclosed spaces
• Actual sighting — Seeing a mouse during the day usually indicates a large population, since mice are nocturnal

Step-by-Step: How to Get Rid of Mice

Step 1: Identify Entry Points

Walk around your home’s exterior and interior looking for gaps mice could use to enter. Common entry points in Midwest homes include:

• Gaps around utility pipes (water, gas, electrical) entering through foundation
• Cracks in older foundations—especially common in pre-1960 homes in Des Moines, Omaha, and Kansas City
• Spaces beneath garage doors and side-entry doors
• Dryer vents and exhaust fan openings without proper covers
• Where the siding meets the foundation
• Around window-mounted AC units
• Gaps in weatherstripping around exterior doors

Pro tip: If you can fit a pencil through a gap, a mouse can fit through it. Pay special attention to where different building materials meet—these joints are common failure points in Midwest homes.

Step 2: Seal Entry Points

This is the most critical step. Trapping without sealing is like bailing water without patching the hole. Use these materials:

• Steel wool + caulk — Stuff steel wool into gaps, then seal over with caulk. Mice can’t chew through steel wool.
• Hardware cloth (¼-inch mesh) — Cover larger openings like vents and crawl space access points
• Sheet metal — For covering larger gaps at the base of doors or around pipes
• Concrete patch — For cracks in foundation walls
• Door sweeps — Install on all exterior doors, including the garage service door

Step 3: Set Traps Strategically

Traps are the most effective DIY method for reducing an active mouse population:

Best trap types:

• Snap traps — The classic wood or plastic snap trap is still the most effective and humane option. Quick kill, easy to check.
• Electronic traps — Deliver a quick electric shock. More expensive but very effective and easy to dispose of.
• Live traps — Humane option, but you must release mice at least 2 miles away or they’ll return.

Avoid:

• Glue traps — Inhumane and less effective than snap traps
• Poison bait (for indoor use) — Mice can die inside walls, creating terrible odors. Poison also poses risks to children and pets.

Trap placement tips:

1. Place traps perpendicular to walls with the trigger end facing the wall
2. Set traps every 5–10 feet along walls where you’ve found droppings
3. Focus on behind appliances, under sinks, in the basement, and near entry points
4. Use peanut butter as bait (more effective than cheese—that’s a myth)
5. Set more traps than you think you need—overtrapping is better than undertrapping
6. Check and reset traps daily

Step 4: Eliminate Food Sources

• Store all pantry food in airtight glass or metal containers
• Clean up crumbs and spills immediately
• Don’t leave pet food out overnight
• Secure garbage cans with tight-fitting lids
• Clean under appliances (stoves and refrigerators are hotspots)
• Store birdseed and pet food in sealed containers in the garage

Step 5: Remove Nesting Sites

• Declutter basements, attics, and garages
• Replace cardboard storage boxes with plastic bins
• Keep firewood at least 20 feet from the house
• Trim bushes and vegetation away from the foundation
• Remove leaf piles and yard debris near the home

Why Midwest Homes Are Especially Vulnerable to Mice

Homeowners in Des Moines, Omaha, and Kansas City face several factors that make mouse problems more common than in other regions:

• Harsh winters — Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri winters regularly dip below zero. Mice seek warm shelter starting in September and October.
• Older housing stock — Many Midwest homes were built in the 1940s–1970s and have gaps in foundations, siding, and around utilities that modern construction standards would prevent.
• Basements — Nearly every Midwest home has a basement, providing a dark, warm entry level for mice.
• Agricultural proximity — Grain storage, farm fields, and rural-suburban interfaces in Iowa and Nebraska create large mouse populations near residential areas.
• Attached garages — A major highway for mice to move from outdoors to indoors

When DIY Fails: Signs You Need Professional Mouse Control

DIY methods work for small, early-stage mouse problems. Call a professional exterminator if:

• You’re seeing mice during the day — This indicates a large population competing for resources
• Droppings in multiple rooms — The infestation has spread beyond a single entry point
• Persistent scratching in walls — Mice may be nesting inside wall voids where traps can’t reach
• Musky odor throughout the house — Heavy urine accumulation signals a serious infestation
• DIY traps aren’t working after 2 weeks — The population may be too large or entry points too numerous for DIY methods
• You’ve found chewed wiring — This is a fire hazard that requires immediate professional attention

How Miller Pest Solutions Handles rodent control

Professional rodent control from Miller Pest Solutions goes far beyond setting a few traps. Our approach includes:

1. Thorough assessment — We identify all active areas, entry points, and contributing conditions
2. Strategic trapping — Professional-grade traps placed in optimal locations based on rodent behavior patterns
3. Complete exclusion — We seal every entry point mice are using to access your home, using commercial-grade materials that withstand gnawing and weathering
4. Sanitation guidance — We advise on cleanup procedures for droppings and contaminated areas (mouse droppings can carry hantavirus)
5. Ongoing monitoring — Our quarterly pest control plans include rodent monitoring to catch new activity early