Introduction
A home infested with mice is something you would not wish even on your worst enemy. It’s a very frustrating situation, especially if you consider how fast they multiply.
Mice breed year-round, giving birth to a litter of 5 to 6 mouse pups each time. If you factor in that they can mate immediately after birth, you end up with breeding machines that can wreak havoc to your home within a short amount of time.
And the worst bit is, they invade your entire home, including your bedroom. Once these vicious pests start showing up in your home, no place is safe.
Today we’ll teach you how to keep mice away from your bed so you can live rodent free.
Contents
How Mice Get Into Your Bedroom
No matter how covered and protected you think you are, mice can still access your bedroom. These rodents can scale nearly any vertical surface using their tiny paws. It would be awe-inspiring if it wasn’t so horrifying!
Another route mice can use to access your bedroom is the plumbing system. Turns out, mice are not just excellent climbers but swimmers as well. If they have to, they will navigate through drains and sewers to access your home.
Like rats, mice can also squeeze through such tiny openings, you’d think they have collapsible skeletons. So if you install a wire-mesh fence to keep them away, they’ll just ooze through without a hitch.
By now, you’ve probably run to barricade every crack and gap in your house. But that’s not going to stop these relentless creatures because they can easily chew through your walls.
Once mice access your home, it’s just a matter of time before they start crawling into your bed.
But don’t worry, it’s not all bleak. There are a couple of hacks you can use to get rid of mice and to prevent them from setting foot in your home.
What Attracts Mice to Your Bed
The easiest way to eliminate mice from your bed is to figure out what attracted them in the first place. So let’s take a look at some of the things that draw mice to where you sleep.
Food
Apart from the inherent warmth and shelter, mice can also be attracted by the food you occasionally leave lying around your room.
We’re talking about those days when you feel too lazy to sit at the dining table so you decide to eat in your bed. If you have to have your meals in bed, then at least clean up afterward.
Mice are not just attracted to the food we eat. They also eat pet food, which is something you’d never think of as posing any risk.
So if you have a tendency of placing the pet dish outside your bedroom and leave it there all day long, you’ll be encouraging mice to invade your bedroom.
Clutter
It’s not just food and warmth that draw mice to your home. These rodents also look for a peaceful and quiet place where they can set up their nests.
There’s no better place than those old cardboard boxes you keep at the corner of your room, or the clothes you have left on the floor, or any other sort of mess that is available for them to hide in.
To prevent this, you should remove all kinds of clutter from your bedroom. Dust your dressing table and get rid of any accessories that you don’t use, clean up your closet and keep your room tidy.
Free Entryways
Another thing that encourages mice to come to your bedroom is the freedom they have to move around. As we mentioned earlier, mice can fit in minuscule openings in the exterior of your walls, the pipework, roof tiles, and more.
To prevent them from invading your privacy, you’ll need to mouse-proof your entire home. Seal every opening, no matter how small it may be. Areas where you’re likely to find holes include:
- Inside or behind your kitchen cabinets
- Around doors
- Inside the attic
- The section between the floor and wall
- Inside a basement and laundry room
There are tons of sealing kits and solutions on the market. So it won’t be hard to find one that works for the area you’re trying to seal.
Also, we recommend stuffing steel wool into these holes before closing them up. Mice can chew a ton of things but they can’t chew through steel wool.
Best Way To Keep Mice From Your Bed
One thing you should keep in mind is that if your home is already infested by mice, it will be more challenging to keep them from your bedroom.
However, there are a couple of things you can do to reduce the risk of mice invading your sleeping area:
Get Into The Habit Of Cleaning
If you don’t want to share your bed with mice, you might want to reconsider the decision of cleaning your bedroom only when you feel like doing so.
If you were snacking in bed, remember to clean up the food crumbs. If you have dirty clothes, take them to the laundry room. If you have carpets or rugs in your bedroom, vacuum them at least twice a week, especially in high-traffic areas.
Invest In A Pest Control Door Sweeper
If you’re too busy to inspect your home and seal any gaps present, your next option is to buy a pest control sweeper.
The purpose of this is to create a physical barrier, which prevents mice from getting across. All you need to do is place it at the bottom of your bedroom door and it will effectively seal the door from mice, roaches, and other pests.
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils are mostly known for their healing benefits. But there’s one more thing they’re good at- acting as a rodent-repellent.
In particular, peppermint oil is very good at repelling mice while eucalyptus oil is used to prevent rats.
The good thing about essential oils is that they’re natural products so they don’t pose any health hazard when used in your bedroom. In any case, they keep your bedroom smelling great.
How To Use Essential Oils As Repellents
- Start by dipping cotton balls in the essential oil you’ve chosen
- Place the cotton balls strategically around your bedroom. You could put them in your closet, drawers, corners and near entryways.
- Replace the balls every few days. Essential oils tend to evaporate very fast, and this causes them to lose their scent. Replacing with new cotton balls ensures that the scent lasts so that it continues deterring mice.
However, if you feel like this is a tedious procedure, you can invest in an essential oil diffuser or essential oil burner.
You could also create a homemade essential oil spray by mixing two teaspoons of the oil with a cup of water. Spray the solution around your room on a regular basis.
For this technique to work, you need to use high-quality oils; preferably 100% pure oils. Also, keep in mind that essential oils are meant to keep mice away not to get rid of them when they’ve already infested your bedroom.
How To Get Mice Out Of Your Bedroom
Call Pest Control Services
In the event that your bedroom and entire home are already infested by mice, the best option is to hire a professional pest control service.
Although it might cost you a chunk of money, hiring an expert has many benefits. For instance, a qualified exterminator will come up with a specialized plan that meets your specific needs.
He will account for the size of your home, the intensity of mice infestation, and come up with the best eradication approach. He will also advise you on long-term prevention measures.
Sending the pest control cavalry to your home also eliminates the risks brought about by using trial-and-error products to get rid of the mice.
A professional exterminator can determine the species of mice that is in your bedroom, and as such, use the right product to get rid of them.
Use Mouse Traps
If you cannot afford pest control services, you can use a do-it-yourself approach that involves setting up mice traps throughout your home.
Before the invention of pesticides, our ancestors used traps and other DIY mechanisms to get rid of rodents, and they were just as effective. Here are a few traps you can use:
Snap Traps
This is the device people envision when the words “mousetrap” are mentioned. Basically, it’s a trapping tool that pins the mouse in place when they attempt to eat the bait.
The benefit of using these traps is that they’re inexpensive and often sold in packs. This means that you can buy as many as you want and place them strategically around your house.
Glue Traps
A glue trap is a slightly different version of a live trial that entails adding an adhesive to the top of a thin piece of cardboard-like material. If you lure the mouse with bait, it will end up getting stuck on the adhesive.
However, you need to be sure that you’re dealing with mice and not rats. Larger, stronger rats can easily free themselves from glue traps. You can learn about the differences between mice and rats here.
Live Traps
These traps help to capture mice alive. Usually, they consist of some kind of box that preys on the mouse’ curious instinct. Unlike rats that are very wary of their surroundings, mice love to explore.
So naturally, they’ll want to know what’s inside the box. Once inside, the rodent will trigger a mechanism that keeps them trapped.
Some homeowners complain that they set up numerous traps but end up not catching anything. If your mice traps don’t seem to be working, perhaps you’re making one or more of these mistakes:
Don’t Mess Up The Bait
Mice are curious by nature but if they sense your scent near the trap, they won’t get anywhere close it. To avoid transferring your scent to the bait, wear gloves.
Don’t Use The Wrong Food
Many people take the old cartoon image of mice eating cheese seriously, which is why they use it as bait. But do you know what mice love more than cheese?
Seeds and nuts! Yes, mice will eat seeds and nuts like there’s no tomorrow.
You’ll have a higher chance of catching them if you lure them with fruits, nuts or seeds. So instead of cheese, use hazelnut spread or peanut butter.
Using Too Much Bait
The idea of setting up a trap is to catch the rodent not to address their nutritional requirements. Thus, do not place too much food as they might eat some of it and not get caught in the trap.
Get A Pet
Dogs and cats have hunting instincts, which can come in handy when you’re trying to get rid of mice from your bedroom. If you were already considering getting a pet, this might give you even more reason to go ahead with that plan.
If you’re going for a cat, the Siamese, Siberian and American Shorthair make the best hunters. And if you’re going for a dog, consider getting a terrier or a dachshund.
However, if your pets will be hunting mice for the better part of their time, first ensure that they get all their shots. The last thing you want is for your newly-adopted pet to catch something nasty from these vermin.
Use Ultrasonic Repellers
For some homeowners, using traps is too brutal. On the other hand, having to take care of a pet is way too much work. If neither of the above techniques appeal to you, ultrasonic repellers are the perfect substitute.
These devices work by releasing ultrasonic waves that drive mice and other pests away. The waves won’t kill them but they’ll discourage them from getting close to your bed. Also, the ultrasonic waves don’t cause any side effects on you or your pets.
Once you switch on the repeller, it can take anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks for all the mice to leave your home. A single ultrasonic repeller can deter pests for up to five years depending on the brand, so they’re pretty economical too.
Conclusion
If the idea of a mouse invading your sleeping area makes you squirm, you have every right to be concerned. Not only can they cause traumatic experiences but also transmit diseases.
Fortunately, there are several hacks you can use to prevent mice from accessing your bedroom, and your home altogether.
For one, you can get a pet. Certain dog and cat species have natural hunting instincts so they’ll chase the mice down to their death. Alternatively, you can use mice repellents; either natural ones like essential oils or ultrasonic repellers.
Another important thing to do is to keep your bedroom clean. Avoid eating in bed and if you do, remember to get rid of the food crumbs. We hope you enjoyed reading this guide on how to keep mice away from your bed.