Keep Your Garage Safe from Mice and Other Pests

Sure, you love animals, and you would never think of hurting them. However, you aren’t running a zoo, and as cute as mice or squirrels might be, they can carry disease. They also tend to do a substantial amount of damage to the garage and the items you are keeping there. Mice can chew through just about anything. This includes getting into your boxes of keepsakes and photos they will tear up to make a nest. They can also chew through wires on your garage door opener.

Mice reproduce faster than you might think. If they have easy access to food and a good place to hide, you will have more mice in a matter of weeks. This isn’t just because new mice are finding your garage, but the ones there are breeding. A female mouse can give birth to up to 14 babies per litter. They are mature and breeding by the time they are just six weeks old! Even a couple of mice could soon mean an infestation.

Hiring exterminators is not cheap. You may also not want to hurt the mice… but you need to get them out of your garage. Let’s look at some of the solutions for getting rid of mice and how to make your home remain free from pests.

Organization and insulation are important to making this happen. We’ll cover more on these later.

Uh Oh… You Already Have Mice?

What if you already have mice in your garage? Before you can pest-proof the house, you must make the current unwanted residents leave. Having traps that kill or using poison could be an option, but it should be last on your list. If you have pets or children, you don’t want them to get hurt. Maybe you just don’t want to do anything that would hurt the mice or squirrels.

Fortunately, there are some other options at your disposal. If you cut off their food sources in the garage, and if it’s during summer, they will start to move outside in many cases. However, you also need to make sure that there is a lot of human activity in the garage. Make it unwelcome for them, so they don’t want to return even to nest.

If you think that you might just have one mouse, or maybe two, you could opt to use a humane mouse trap. These types of traps are easy to use, and they will not kill the animal. They just trap it, so you can then take it outside and release it. However, don’t put it too close to your house or other houses.

Take it at least a mile away. This means a walk or a short road trip, but it’s better than turning around and seeing the mouse run back into your garage.

Mice might be cute, but they are a problem everywhere.

Do you own a cat? You’ve seen the cartoons. You know that cats chase and hunt mice. Maybe you could let your cat have some time in the garage. Even if they don’t catch the mice, they might still convince them that it’s time to vacate.

Another good way to get rid of mice is to mess with their senses. They are not fond of certain scents like peppermint, white vinegar, and others. Consider soaking some of these scents onto cotton balls and leaving them around the garage. This can be a simple method to get the mice to leave.

However, this is not a solution that works long-term. If you use this method, you will want to take advantage of the time they’ve left the garage and properly pest-proof it.

No Vacancy for Mice and Other Pests

The first thing you need to do to get rid of the mice is to make it a place they won’t want to be. Organization and removing attractants will help. Here are a few tips to help you get going.

● First, make sure you reduce the amount of clutter in your garage. If you have a lot of debris that’s not organized, it becomes easy for the mice to find places to hide and nest.

● Remove any types of food sources from the garage. This includes cat and dog food, as well as the birdseed. Anything that might interest the mouse and feed it should be taken out of the garage. If you need to keep it in the garage, put it into plastic or glass containers.

● Find a new place for the trash. If you are keeping trash in the garage, it will start to bring in the pests. Put it outside and get a locking lid if you are worried about outdoor pests getting into the trash.

● If you have a fireplace, you might want to find another place to store your firewood. Piles of wood make great homes for mice.

● Sweep the floor regularly to look for signs of mice. Check for holes or crevices on the floor and along the walls. Be sure to check the exterior walls, as well.

Pest-Proofing Tips

Once you have the mice out of the garage, you want to keep things that way. The following are a few easy tips to help make sure squirrels, mice, and other critters don’t try to get inside.

Cut Tree Branches Close to the Garage Roof

Squirrels are amazing jumpers, and if you have tree branches that are too close to or overhanging the garage roof, it makes it easy for them to get access. Cut them back a bit.

Good insulation stops pests from wall nesting.

Proper Insulation Is Essential

Insulation can help to keep the mice and other small pests from making their nests in your garage walls.

Polyurethane spray foam is a good option. When you fill your walls, it will stop the mice from creating nests. It also has different properties from icynene spray foam, which helps to make it a better solution.

Of course, spray foam is not a rigid insulator. If the mice really wanted to, they could still get into the walls. However, it’s not a food source for them, and it tastes bitter. Most of the time, they will look elsewhere. They could still attempt to use it for nesting in some cases, but if you have taken the other precautions, it should be less of a problem.

Fixing a Hole

Mice can get in through wood and even plastic by gnawing if they are determined enough. Therefore, you need to check the condition of the floors and walls, as mentioned earlier.

You might want to repair holes with things they can’t chew through, such as aluminum or steel. If you find holes and you aren’t sure of how to fix them, you could opt to use the spray foam. You should only use it on small holes, though. it’s not a solution for everything.

In some cases, you might notice your garage door is not flush with the ground. This could be providing access for mice. It could mean you need to replace your garage door.

What Type of Door Should You Get?

Changing your garage door can be a great idea. It can help to keep your garage safe from pests, and it can give your property a facelift. Of course, you need to be sure you are getting the right door for the job.

This means you should stay away from wooden doors. Remember, mice can chew through them, and they might try to nest inside if you don’t have proper insulation. Instead, you should get doors that are steel or aluminum.

Check the insulation, too. This ensures mice don’t try to nest inside of your door.

We have doors made from galvanized steel, so you won’t have to worry about mice trying to gnaw through it. We also have doors with great insulation, which is good for your energy bill, comfort level, and keeping out mice.

Check out the R-16 and R-12 models, Standard+, Townships Collection and Acadia 138. These feature polyurethane foam injected at high pressure into the door. Mice won’t even consider trying to make a nest there.

Check out the insulated R-16 door with polyurethane foam.

The garage doors we offer have weatherstripping and are perfect for your garage no matter what you need.

A New Garage Door Is in Order

Change out your garage door if it’s the reason mice are getting into your space. You can check out what the experts from Dor-Co Garage Doors can offer. We’ll get you on the right track. Get in touch by calling 1-800-590-4455 or on our website.

You will love the beautiful doors from their style to the overall quality. You might consider trying to create a unique model, too.

Request a free email quotation today.