The best way to keep mice out of your Sioux City garage--and your home--is to prevent them from wanting to live there in the first place. Here are some tips to make sure rodents feel most unwelcome.
Seal all garbage in metal trash cans with lids.
Eliminate the food at its source, and the rodents will move on to look for an easier meal. Metal trash cans cannot be chewed through, and they typically feature tight-fitting lids, which considerably reduces the chances of something sneaking in to feast. Keep trash cans outside of your garage and away from the perimeter of your home.
Stake out the perimeter.
We know how important landscaping is to curb appeal. The trick is to make it beautiful for your home, without making it a beautiful home for rodents and pests. Keep ground-hugging plants trimmed at least 18 inches away from the perimeter of your home, and keep landscaping off the ground as much as you can. The harder you make it for rodents to find shelter and living spaces, the easier it will be able to keep mice out of your garage and house.
Set up a decoy.
Love your landscaping? Think beyond the stiff plastic owls of previous generations. Decoys that move, float, or shine in the breeze may allow you to keep the low-growing ground covers and plants you love without luring in the rodents who also find them attractive. From life-like owls to shiny ribbon to wind chimes, decoys hung from nearby trees or stakes help keep mice away from your garage door.
Clean your garage.
Nothing inspires a mass cleaning of a garage or storage shed like the discovery of a mouse. A cluttered, seldom disturbed storage space is the perfect place for mice, who will make short work of turning cardboard boxes and papers into the highlight of communal living. If you've been saving items for a yard sale or for safe keeping, remember this: they will be worth a lot more if they aren't destroyed or covered in droppings. (Gross, right? Now that you are motivated, get some tips on how to organize your garage).Seal it up tight.
Mice can creep through spaces the size of a dime, so examine your home's exterior for areas that seem like an open invitation. Pay particular attention to areas around pipes, windows, doors, and cracks that may have deepened or widened. Fill the holes with copper wool if you can find it; caulk can be chewed through and steel wool can rust and degrade. Make any garage door repairs as needed, especially if it doesn't seal to the ground properly.
Having mice in your garage is on thing, having them in your home is another. In order for your garage not to be the welcome mat for rodents, keep your garage door closed as much as possible and follow the tips above to keep curious eyes--and their four small feet--away.
Is your garage door letting in more than just your car? Overhead Door of Sioux City and Yankton can help!
