While You're Away, The Mice Will Play: How To Keep Mice Out Of Your Home While You're Gone For The Winter

If you're going to be heading to warmer lands this winter, it's time to take steps to prevent rodent invasions while you're away. An empty house is the perfect environment for homeless mice, especially if you haven't taken steps to prevent the infestation from occurring. Here are three simple steps you can take to stop mice from invading your home while you're away this winter.

Seal Your Home

If your home is going to be vacant this winter, you'll need to make sure you seal it up good and tight. Mice can find a wide variety of ways to get into your home. In fact, mice can squeeze through a hole that's about the size of a dime. Unfortunately, that means mice can get into your home through small cracks in the stucco or even by squeezing under your door frames. To make sure you're not leaving access points for mice when you leave for the winter, be sure to seal your home to prevent mice. Repair cracks in your stucco by filling them with latex caulking. Seal the spaces around your doors and windows by applying fresh caulking and weatherstripping.

Turn Off the Water

There are three things that mice look for during the winter; housing, water, and food. Once you've sealed off your house, you'll need to eliminate the water supply. The best way to do that is by turning off the water to your home. You don't want to leave your water on and then end up with a leak that attracts the mice. Don't just turn the water supply off inside your home though. You'll need to shut the main water valve off, which will stop water flowing to your home and yard. This will ensure that mice don't find access to water anywhere on your property while you're away.

Clean the Cabinets

Once you've eliminated housing and water, you'll want to eliminate access to food. To do that, you'll need to clean out the cabinets of any food that will provide easy access for the mice. If you have packaged food that you don't want to get rid of, store it in plastic storage containers. Place everything inside the containers and then seal the lid with duct tape. Next, give the cabinets a thorough cleaning by vacuuming away the crumbs and then washing the shelves with soap and water. Sealing up the food and cleaning the cabinets will eliminate the odors that could attract mice.