How To Keep Mice Out Of Kitchen Drawers

Mice fit into small crevices in our homes and it’s no surprise finding them in our drawers. These small creatures scurry around the house chewing everything they find including dollar bills! It’s no pleasant experience finding them in your drawers and, it might be hard to realize they already broke in until you find droppings there. You might also notice some gnawed pieces of plastics and paper. But how do you keep mice off kitchen drawers? Let’s look at the different tactics you can deploy to push mice out of your drawers: –

Ways of discouraging and keeping mice out of your drawers

If you find mice in your drawers, there is a possibility something is drawing them in there. Below are some of the ways to draw them out.

i. Clean and eliminate food sources

In most cases, mice find their way to drawers with food crumbs. And theregoes their fun time. Kids can also leave some food leftovers all over and the parents might not notice it until these little rodents have thrown a party.

Your grains should be properly packed in containers where mice can’t find their way to them. With time, they will be discouraged and seek other places outside the house.

You should ensure your kitchen is always smart so that it does not attract mice. Another thing that attracts mice is pet food. Many pet owners do not realize that the food is a mice magnet. Pet owners should therefore ensure the food is well packed.

ii. Use natural repellants

If you don’t want to use chemical products to keep mice off, then there are several natural options available. Check them out below: –

Placing dryer sheets in drawers

With some oleander on the dryer sheets, mice will keep off. You can then go ahead of organizing the kitchen drawers.

Use potato powder

This might not be a very effective way, but it obviously does work. The dry potato powder when consumed by mice expands in their stomach tearing the intestines. What’s next is obviously death. You can sprinkle some in the drawers. Be ready to collect a dead mouse in the house, should you use this method.

Use peppermint

Peppermint is a loved flavor by humans but when we go to the mice world, it’s quite the opposite. They are real haters of peppermint so why not encourage them to leave with a flavor that’s attractive to you?

The best way to chase them away is by getting some cotton balls and pour some peppermint oil onto them then place in your drawers. Place 2-3 cotton balls into the drawer.

Use onions

Just like mint, mice hate onions as much. You can cut an onion or two in halves and place them in your drawers. This method can also kill bacteria in those drawers, as well as absorbing bad odors.

Other repellants that you can use include: –

• Cloves – This spice can be used wholly or in oil form.
• Lavender- Just soak some cotton with lavender oil and place in your drawers.
• Mothballs –They have an unpleasant smell that deters these rodents.
• Cayenne pepper –Works by sprinkling small amounts in the drawers.

iii. Use poison in the drawers

This method can take some time but it’s one of the most effective methods. You can add some poison onto a bread crumb and place it in your drawer.

Since the main reason mice will find their way in the drawers is their pursuit of food, then it might take them some time to realize that there is something wrong with the food. When the mouse realizes something is off, the poison will have already started causing the blood to clot. It is so unfortunate for a mouse since it lacks the ability to puke.

For those with a cat as a pet, you might get worried that the cat might consume the poisoned rat and die. Well, checking the body proportion of the cat against that of a cat, it’s enough to conclude that the poison will be in lower concentration in the cats’ body. That would mean your cat will not be significantly harmed.

The type of poison you use can determine whether your drawers will be mice free or not. Choose the best of them and don’t forget to handle it with caution. Rat poison can kill an adult person even in small amounts.

iv.  Get a cat

Keeping a cat is another effective way of chasing those mice out of your home. All you will need to do is leave the drawers open at night. With time, you might start seeing dead mice in your kitchen.

v.  Track those mice

There are simple ways to track the mice movements and this will enable you to know where they are getting through into your drawers. An easy way to do that is pouring some white flour in your kitchen. To get it right, cover your cabinet area, your drawers, and the wall behind them. The next morning hopefully, you will find some footprints and with that, you can track their entry point. Having found out, here is what you should do: –

Set traps

Placing traps strategically is the key to trapping those mice. Ensure you also check those traps daily. The traps should be placed in an area where mice frequently inhabit like in the basement and in garages. Below are some common traps you can lay to ensure those mice don’t get to your kitchen: –

Glue trap

This trap consists of a very powerful glue that when a mouse steps onto it, it instantly gets stuck there. With that, they have no power to run away.

Electronic trap

This is a very effective trap because the mice get killed instantly.

Snap trap

Unlike the electronic traps, this type is a bit less effective but it does work. Upon getting near the trap, the mice are snapped and this can happen on any part of the body. The mice can get lucky in some instances or even run with the traps.

Block their entry point

Mice do fit in the smallest of all crevices. If you have identified any holes, block them with caulk or even steel wool. There is also rodent-proof spray foam available in the market.

Try checking out for more entrances and fix them accordingly. If the holes are very large, consider applying concrete to block them. Having done that, you will not need to keep worrying about mice intruding your house from outside.

You should also ensure that your garbage tins are clean and properly sealed because the mice might still find their way into them. You can try out sound electronic devices to scare off the mice.

vi.  Plaster and cocoa powder mixture

Blending these two and placing them in your drawers can be good baiting. It usually hardens when ingested into their bodies and thus killing them.

vii. Aluminum foil

Mice love a surface where their legs will provide a firm grip onto the surfaces. Aluminum foil spread in your drawers prevents that and does discourage mice from getting in.

Conclusion

With the implementation of the methods above, your drawers, not mentioning your kitchen can be mice-free in a matter of days.You may not have to worry about the dangers associated with mice in the kitchen. So brace up and try them out!

All the best!