Does bleach deter or kill mice? Answering this popular question is our focus in this article.
Mice presence in a home is considered a serious problem and rightfully so because they cause serious havoc to all sorts of structures. Their chewing and gnawing activity is directed at just about anything they find.
This includes insulation cables, furniture, books, and crops among a long list of other items.
Such destructive activity can’t be allowed to go on unchecked.
Does Bleach Keep Mice Away?
You’ll have to take appropriate measures to both repel and exterminate mice.
A lot of homeowners will settle for DIY methods of treatment that include the use of readily available household products such as bleach etc.
So, does bleach actually work as mice repellent? This is something you’ll need to find out by reading through this article to the end.
Do mice hate bleach? Let’s find out.
1. Repelling Or Killing Mice With Bleach?
To understand why bleach is considered for use as mice repellent, you’ll need to consider its strong smell.
Bleach is a cleaning agent that lets off a strong smell when used. It’s an effective decontaminant. In other words, bleach kills about 90% of bacteria and viruses.
So, does this mean that bleach could also kill or repel mice? Not exactly!
Bleach is best used to decontaminate surfaces and items chewed on by mice. It kills any bacteria left on such surfaces by mice. You should know by now that mice carry a lot of germs and diseases on their bodies.
These are easily transferrable to humans through food contamination among other ways.
Mice are known to have a sharp sense of smell. This helps them navigate their way towards a food source, towards a potential nesting area, and away from danger.
Bleach is applied with the understanding that it has a strong smell. It’s only logical that bleach sprinkled around your surroundings will easily be perceived by mice.
Although such is perceived, it’s not enough to make mice stay out of your home. You’ll need to take a more proactive approach.
2. Sorry, Bleach Won’t Give You Much Result
If you had hoped that bleach will help solve all your mice issues, the sad reality is; it won’t! This may be disappointing to you but it helps you look for a more reliable solution to your mice issues.
However, that’s as far as it goes. Bleach will do little to keep mice out of your home.
You’ll have to look for something that works.
3. Alternatives To Bleach For Mice Control
Most times, it’s best to handle mice infestations with dispatch.
In other words, mice issues need to be combated immediately after they’re discovered. Not every method is reliable; as such you’ll need to find one that works.
The services of professional pest management companies are critical to mice control.
You want to easily overcome your pest issues by hiring a competent hand. There’s never a short supply of reputable rodent management services.
These offer a wide range of pest control services that includes dealing with mice problems.
When called upon, the treatment process begins with an inspection of your home.
Such inspection ascertains the level of damage and infestation. After that, the most appropriate treatment approach is decided based on your preferences and existing condition.
The Best Way to Repel Mice
With bleach proving to be an unreliable treatment alternative, your best bet of handling mice issues is through prevention. This ensures that mice do not have the chance in the first place to infest your property.
There are two approaches when it comes to mice prevention; proactive and reactive.
i. Proactive Mice Prevention
Under the proactive approach, you don’t have to wait until there’s an existing mice problem before taking preventive steps.
Rather, this approach acknowledges the possibility of mice infestation happening and takes certain steps to contain the problem.
These steps include;
-
Eliminating Outdoor Access
Mice always come from the outdoors. These will easily burrow through weak points around your home’s foundation or wall. Also, cracks on walls and foundations are easy entry points.
Door and window screens may be absent, thus allowing for free entry.
-
Sealing Your Home
All entry points should be identified and sealed up.
You can have such points caulked up or use iron wool to stuff such areas. Windows, doors, and vents are the most used entry points exploited by mice.
Focus on sealing your wall exterior. This requires conducting some inspection.
-
Removing Outdoor Food Sources
Pet food kept outdoors is a ready incentive for mice to stay close to their dwellings.
These rodents won’t hesitate to find a cozier nesting spot within your walls. By such a major attraction, you’re limiting the possibility of an infestation happening.
-
Yard Sanitation
If there are nuts dropped from trees as well as clutter around your home, you might want to have such cleaned up frequently. Has your yard cleaned often?
This should go a long way to save you the stress of dealing with an infestation.
-
Improved Hygiene both in and around your Home
Hygiene is critical to preventing mice presence.
However, it’s important to know that such will do little to repel mice when they’re already within your house. Hygiene includes the elimination of all food sources including garbage cans as well as pet food.
-
Introducing a Predator
The introduction of a predator into the equation changes the dynamics in your favor. The mere presence of a cat in your home is enough to keep mice at bay.
ii. Reactive Mice Prevention
Reactive mice prevention on the other hand occurs after you’ve discovered an active infestation.
Here, you want to find lasting solutions to the problem.
First, the existing problem needs to be treated followed by the adoption of measures that will curtail future mice invasion.
-
Treating the Problem
To treat a mice problem, it’s best to have a professional get the job done. A wide range of treatment methods is applied for such.
-
Sealing Up Entry Points
If there are entry points used by these rodents, they’ll have to be found and sealed up. This ensures that a repeat of the problem doesn’t occur.
-
Removing Food Sources
There’s always an abundance of food sources in homes for mice especially when good hygiene practices aren’t adhered to. Common food sources include leftovers, food crumbs, pet food, and so on.
Bleach will do little to give you relief from mice problems. It’s only a decontaminant that can be used after treatment is administered.
We’ve provided several alternatives to adopt for treating the problem.