Some of the most unsanitary pests that can invade your home are rats and mice. They ruin food, chew walls, wiring, and furniture, and leave their droppings everywhere. Although rats are generally considered more objectionable, mice are far more common, particularly in suburban environments. Here's how to get rid of mice and rats.

Do Pests Walk Through the Door?

Rats and mice are motivated by the search for food. In cold weather, they seek food, warmth, and shelter in your home. They breed rapidly, producing six to ten litters per year. Because they are primarily nocturnal, you seldom see them. However, their droppings are a dead giveaway that your home has been invaded.

How to Get Rid of Mice

Many pest control products for rodents are available on the market. Traditional spring-loaded "snap" traps have been in use for decades, but today you have many more options. Escape-proof humane and windup traps capture multiple mice that can then be relocated to an outdoor environment. Electronic traps kill humanely with a high voltage jolt. Pre-baited glue traps are also effective, ensnaring the mice, which then suffocate. You can also use bait and poison, mostly in pellet form, of both anti-coagulant and nerve agent varieties. Traps are the preferred option if you have pets or small children because bait can cause extreme discomfort and even death.

Don't Let Mice in The Door

For a long term solution, keeping the mice out of your home in the first place is best option. The low-technology solution is to seal up any openings from the outside with copper mesh wool. Similar to steel wool, the copper mesh is rust-proof and long-lasting. A newer, high-technology method is the electronic mouse repeller, a device that plugs into an electrical receptacle and transmits high-frequency ultrasonic sound waves that mice cannot stand, but which are inaudible to pets or humans.