You don’t want mice in the kitchen, not only do they look hideous, but they are filthy creatures. They carry all sorts of germs, and their feces and saliva can contaminate your food. Not only this, but mice can cause untold amounts of damage. They’ll chew through wood, electrical wires, and more. Serious mouse infestations can cause expensive structural damage.
Thankfully, there are plenty of methods that you can use to keep those mice at bay. The method we want to talk about is steel wool, or steel mesh. While they are slightly different, they both can do the same job. It’s affordable too.
Characteristics and Advantages of Steel Wool
Steel wool is very fine pieces of steel wire compressed together. Depending on how fine the metal is (there are various grades of steel wool), it will feel very soft to the touch. For keeping mice at bay, it doesn’t really matter what type of steel wool you opt for. They will all do the same job.
Steel mesh is similar. But rather than being fine strands of wool, the wool will be woven. It is used in almost the same way. Although, if you are using steel mesh for filling holes, you want the weave to be as tight as possible. The tighter it is, the harder mice will find it to get through.
Steel wool and steel mesh have the same advantages:
- They can block small holes that mice may be entering your home through.
- If mice chew through the wool, it could kill them.
Mice will find it impossible to chew through steel wool. They can chew through a lot of things, but steel wool is virtually impassable.
If they munch through a single strand of steel wool (which would take forever), they’ll have hundreds more to chew through. No mouse is going to put themselves through that.
Not to mention the fact that the steel wool is going to do a number on their insides. As they chew through, small chunks of steel wool can break off. This gets into the animal’s stomach; they are unable to pass it through their system. They eventually die.
On top of this, steel wool is very easy to DIY into place. If you know how to use silicone sealant, you’re most of the way there.
Steel wool rarely needs replacing too. While we do suggest that you eventually come up with a way to properly seal up larger holes, it is fine leaving steel wool there for years. It won’t rust.
It won’t disappear. It will just stay there and silently protect your home from rodents.
As we said, there are several methods for keeping mice at bay. However, using steel wool or steel mesh is probably the most affordable method. It also helps that it is very effective too.
How to Use Steel Wool & Mesh to Prevent Mice
Mice are very flexible. They can contort their bodies into all sorts of extreme positions. This means they can crawl through the tiniest of holes. You’ll be using steel wool to block those holes up.
You’ll need the following:
- Steel wool (or mesh). Doesn’t matter the grade. Just a good amount of it.
- Silicone sealant.
- Sealant gun
- Metal snips (for cutting the wool)
Now, walk around your home and try to identify places where mice could possibly get into your home. For example:
- Cracks in walls
- Cracks in your foundations
- Gaps around the windows
Don’t instantly dismiss a hole that you believe is too small for a mouse. As we said, you will be surprised at how small the holes they can get through are.
We suggest that you look around your entire home. While you may have mice scampering around your kitchen, they can get in anywhere.
In fact, most mice get into the home through basements. This is because many people pay less attention to holes down there than elsewhere in their home. So, if you have a basement, wander around. You will be surprised at the number of gaps there are.
Once you have found a hole, you’ll be stuffing the steel wool or mesh deep in there.
Pack the hole as tightly as possible with your steel wool/mesh. You don’t want there to be any gaps. Once you have packed the hole, trim off any excess wool/mesh with your snips. You may also be able to cut with a sharp knife. Snips will be a lot easier, though.
Now, pack a ton of sealant in there. Squirt it in with the gun. Make sure you get the sealant around the outside of the wool. Spray from both sides of the hole, if possible. The silicone sealant should hold the wool in place.
Once the silicone sealant has dried, your hole is protected! It should remain that way for years. Although, if you do have a larger hole, then you may want to consider a more permanent solution later. Because, while wire mesh/wool is great at protecting your home from mice, it doesn’t look that great.
Other Measures to Prevent Mice
Your steel wool should do a brilliant job at keeping mice out, but it shouldn’t be the only method that you use. If you want to protect your home from mice and other pests, then you need to use a combination of methods. This way, if one method doesn’t work as effectively as it should, you can use another method.
One of the reasons why you are putting steel wool in the holes is because you want to make life as difficult as possible for the mice. Most mice won’t try too hard to get into a home. You will want to use other methods that make your home unappealing, such as:
- Seal any food up.
- Make sure that garbage bags are sealed up properly.
- Take the garbage out regularly.
- Keep your home clean e.g., wiping sides down, vacuuming, brushing up crumbs, etc.
- Don’t leave pet food out.
- Don’t let your pet’s water go stale. Change it every few hours.
You must remember that mice aren’t trying to get into your home for fun. They are getting in because they think there is food and water there. If you make sure that there is no food or water on display, then they just won’t bother.
If you have a mouse infestation, then you may want to invest in some traps. You may also want to talk to a pest control expert.
Under no circumstances should you use poison in your kitchen. Mouse poison isn’t just deadly for mice, but it can be deadly to humans. So, you really don’t want that stuff anywhere close to food.
We promise you that if you work hard to keep your home clean, you probably will never deal with a mouse infestation.
Conclusion
Mice can get through the smallest holes. If you want to keep mice out of your kitchen, then it is important that you seal those holes up. While you can call in a contractor to do the job, you can also DIY it. While it may not look as good as a pro job, it is just as effective.
All you need to do is stuff any holes with steel wool. Mice can’t get through it and, if they try, it may end up killing them.
Remember, you should also be using other techniques to keep mice out of your home e.g., ensuring that no food or drink is accessible. If you do find mice, then you want them out of your home quickly. Traps will go down a treat (don’t use poison). If you have a serious infestation, then it may be worth calling an exterminator.
