Spotting a mouse in your home can leave you asking yourself what to do—and for good reason. Mice do more than just scavenge for crumbs. They gnaw through electrical wires (a common cause of house fires), chew on wooden structures, damage furniture, and leave droppings and urine all around your home. Even worse, they carry diseases, including hantavirus and salmonella.
Here’s everything you need to know to tackle a rodent problem, including DIY techniques and professional pest control options to help you get rid of mice for good.
Identifying Mice
Your first step should be to confirm the presence of a mouse infestation. While treating mice is similar to treating rats, rats are larger and more cautious. Thus, a rat trap might not be the best solution to a mouse problem. The easiest way to tell the two apart is by their body size and the droppings they leave behind.
| Rodent Characteristic | Mice | Rats |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 5.5–7.5 inches | 10–18 inches |
| Weight | 0.5-1 ounces | 5-18 ounces |
| Fur | Lighter and smoother | Darker and rougher |
| Head shape | Pointed | Blunt-nosed |
| Droppings | 1/4 inch with pointed ends | 1/2–3/4 inch with blunt ends |
There are three different types of mice that tend to make nests in homes: the house mouse, deer mouse, and white-footed mouse. They have slightly different behavioral patterns, so you might need to implement slightly different treatments for each. All three types range in length from 5-and-1/2 to 7-and-1/2 inches, including their tail. Here are some key characteristics:
- House mouse: Small in size, with gray-brown hair and tail longer than body; likes to live near people and stay close to nest
- Deer mouse: Gray-brown or red-brown hair with white belly and feet and tail less than half the length of body; likes to travel from nest
- White-footed mouse: Nearly identical to deer mice, but larger in size; likes to travel from nest
Signs You Have Mice
Even if you never spot a live mouse, your house still may have an infestation. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you’re likely to spot droppings and gnaw marks before you see a mouse. Mice are nocturnal and tend to stay hidden during the day, but they’re also highly social and live in groups. You’re unlikely to even have just one or two mice in a home. If you spot several live mice over the course of a single day, you could have an infestation of up to 5,000 mice. Inspecting for the following signs can help confirm you have a mouse problem in your house.
- Droppings that are between 1/8 and 1/2 inch
- Scratching sound in walls
- Scurrying sound in rooms
- Nests made of shredded paper and other insulation behind or under furniture
- Gnaw marks on bags of food, wood, and electrical wiring
- Footprints in dust
- Musty odors (from mouse urine)
DIY vs. Professional Mice Removal
DIY mice removal can work for small infestations or as a precautionary measure. Basic traps and bait might be enough to control the situation. But when it comes to larger infestations, persistent or rapid mouse reproduction, or serious property damage, professionals can provide customized solutions, advanced exclusion techniques, and targeted treatment plans. They also ensure proper handling of toxic substances, minimizing health risks.
In short, if you spot a mouse or two, trying a DIY trap could work. But if mice seem to have taken up residence, it’s time to call in the experts.
Cost of Professional Mice Removal Services
On average, a single visit for mouse removal costs between $200 and $600. Most pest control companies also offer optional service plans for year-round coverage. These plans typically have a higher upfront cost, followed by seasonal renewals. Natural pest control methods are often less expensive. Note that natural methods take longer to work and might require multiple visits.
Prices can also vary depending on the severity of the infestation, the size of your home, and your location. Larger homes or properties with hard-to-reach nesting areas often require more extensive treatment, which can increase the overall cost. Urban areas tend to have higher service fees due to increased demand and cost of living. Before committing to a provider, request multiple quotes and make sure the estimate includes follow-up visits and sealing of entry points to prevent future infestations.
How To Get Rid of Mice Yourself
There are several steps you can take for mice removal and prevention. Explore them in the dropdown sections below.
- Remove food sources: Mice can and will eat nearly all human food, so be sure to keep your food contained and seal away scraps.
- Wash dishes immediately after using them
- Wipe down countertops
- Enclose all food in airtight containers
- Sweep the kitchen floor
- Make sure garbage is secured and taken out regularly
- Seal all entry points: Mice are excellent at squeezing into small spaces—even openings that are just 1/4 inch in size. Rodent-proofing your home will keep any new mice from entering. Eliminate access points like cracks in the foundation and wall openings, especially where utility pipes penetrate walls. Be sure to use sealants like caulk and steel wool, as mice can chew through wood, plastic, and rubber. You can ensure your door creates a tight seal when closed by applying weatherstripping around the door frame.
- Use humane traps: Humane mouse traps catch mice without harming them. The plastic traps are well-ventilated and have spring-loaded doors that click into place. Mice enter the trap to get the bait, and when they step on the trigger pad, the door snaps closed. You’ll need to check these traps more regularly to avoid leaving the live mouse for too long. Make sure to release the mouse at least one mile from your home. Read more: How To Set Up A Mouse Trap
- Use wooden snap traps: Trapping is your best bet for catching and eliminating mice—baits work much slower and may be dangerous to handle if you’re not a professional. Poison baits are hazardous to pets and children. Additionally, mice that die trapped in the walls can create a terrible odor. Wooden snap traps, on the other hand, can take care of light to moderate mice infestations, killing them one at a time. Electrical traps also exist, but they’re expensive and tend to run through batteries very quickly.
- Clean off the area. If there are food crumbs around, the mice might be attracted to them instead of your bait.
- Place a dab of peanut butter or a piece of cheese or chocolate in the trigger plate.
- Set the trap. Place it in an area where you suspect there is a lot of mouse traffic, with the trigger at a 90-degree angle from the wall—directly in the mouse’s path. Set a trap every two to three feet in areas where you suspect there is the most activity, like in dark corners, along walls, and behind appliances.
- Do not throw away the wooden snap trap once you catch a mouse. Mice are drawn to the scent of other mice and are more likely to investigate a trap if another mouse has been there. Remove the dead mouse, bag it and place it in an outdoor trash can, add new bait to the trap, and reset it.
- Set up bait stations (not recommended): Poison bait stations include rodenticide in sealed packages, usually in plastic or cellophane. The mice chew through the package, eat the bait, and die. These chemicals are dangerous to people and pets. We recommend leaving this option in the hands of professionals.
How To Prevent Mice
Making your home less accessible to mice can prevent them from coming in. The Environmental Protection Agency strongly recommends prevention as the first step to pest control. Taking a few simple actions now to prevent a future infestation can save you a lot of hassle and expense in the long run.
- Keep your lawn and shrubs trimmed so that mice can’t hide in them.
- Store wood piles at least 20 feet from your house, and never rest them against the foundation. Mice like to use these wood piles as shelter in the colder months and may move into your home from there.
- Repair plumbing leaks as soon as possible, and eliminate sources of standing water.
- Pay special attention to sealing and rodent-proofing your garage and basement, two notorious trouble spots.
- Throw away food trash in tightly sealed garbage containers.
- Consider an annual pest control inspection and treatment to catch any problems early.
Top Recommended Companies for Mice Removal
While you may be able to remove a mild to moderate mouse infestation yourself, you’ll need help with a more severe one. Pest control professionals have access to better equipment and rodenticides than most homeowners. Since technicians will also identify and seal locations where rodents may enter your home, we recommend hiring a professional pest control company to get rid of the mice in your home, particularly for large or repeated infestations.
The specialists at Terminix, Orkin, and Hawx have the equipment, products, and experience to do a professional-level job. According to our research, these companies offer the best range of rodent control services at affordable prices. Additionally, all three offer a satisfaction guarantee: if the mice return between treatments, their technicians will treat the problem for free.
Terminix: Best Overall
With over 95 years of experience and 2.9 million residential and commercial customers worldwide, Terminix offers easy online customer service with an efficient real-time chat function. Generally, it’s the most affordable of the pest control companies.
Learn More: Terminix Pest Control Review
Orkin: Best for Urgent Service
Orkin is a trusted name in the pest control industry and has provided services for over 120 years. The company has serviced 1.7 million residential and commercial customers across the country and offers targeted control for termites and bed bugs, mice, rats, and other rodents.
Learn More: Orkin Pest Control Review
Hawx: Best Customer Reviews
Though it’s a smaller pest control company, Hawx has glowing customer reviews across multiple review sites. In addition to its comprehensive Home Service Plan, Hawx offers a specialized rodent control service consisting of exterior bait stations that aren’t accessible by children or pets.
Learn More: Hawx Pest Control Review
FAQs About Mice Removal
Should I call a professional exterminator to get rid of mice?
We recommend hiring a professional pest control company to get rid of a mouse infestation. Mice tend to live in large groups, and they can cause serious health problems. DIY methods will kill small numbers of individual mice, but professional methods can take on a large infestation.
How does an exterminator get rid of mice?
Exterminators use a variety of methods to get rid of mice. Pest control specialists often start by sealing all possible entry points, like gaps in windows and cracks in the foundation. Then, they will identify the type of mouse you’re dealing with, because different types may behave differently and require different treatments. After that, they will decide to use either traps and mechanical devices or rodent baits, or both.
How much does it cost for mice removal?
The cost for mice removal will depend on where you live and the extent of the infestation, among other factors.
How long does it take an exterminator to get rid of mice?
It will depend on the degree of infestation, but typically it takes one to three months for exterminators to get rid of mice.
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Team backs up our pest control recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. We review pest control plans, navigate the provider website, speak with customer service representatives by phone and online chat (if available), request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plans and services, reputation and customer responses, customer service offerings, workmanship guarantees, financing, and availability to arrive at a final score on a 5-point rating scale.
