I have a house that I need to clean up and it is loaded with mouse crap. Especially in the kitchen cupboards, stove, countertops. I plan on putting a large amount of mouse traps out to get rid of them, but as far as the eating areas what is the best most sanitary way to clean up the mess. Is there anything else besides mouse traps/poison that you would do? I will rent the place out, and want to not feel grossed out that I didn’t do a good job of making it clean. Any ideas? Graciez
Graciez,
Mouse problems are a normal, everyday part of having rentals. Many tenants live like pigs and invite mice and roaches with their unclean and unsanitary living conditions. Tenants also frequently bring mice with them in their belongings.
I never use poisons in dealing with mice and my lease doesn’t allow the tenants to use poison. Mice don’t like to die in the open and frequently will get into the walls, in ducting, etc to die. THEN THEY SMELL. Many tenants will tolerate having a mouse in the house, but few will tolerate the terrible smell of dead mice. Therefore, we use mouse traps and electronic pest control devices to get rid of mice. A combination of the two are quite effective.
As far as cleaning up, I vacuum up the mouse droppings and then clean with Simple Green, Scrubbing Bubbles, or other household products.
Good Luck,
Mike
Thanks, anyone else have ideas? Graciez
I second what Mike said. Vacuum and then scrub. I bought a house last year from a pack rat type of lady. I soon realized that that house had residents… tons of mice! When I cleared out all of her crap and cleaned up the mess, the mice went elsewhere for food. I did find a few of them dead in the debris during clean up and just threw them in the dumpster. I vacuumed and then cleaned up the area, that’s it. Good luck!!!
Jared 
Thanks fur-heehee the info! GRaciez
As much as i may not like them too much, a good cat or two might help the scene. But then the cat hair on the couch, hairballs, litter boxes… The list against felines goes on and on, but the mouse terd thing should subside.
Hi,
I have a simple but very effective suggestion if you have several or lots of mice.
I have a house in a rural setting and lots of mice like to find a warm place to spend the winter
My most effective trap that can be left alone and not reset after each mouse is something I call my “mouse tilt a whirl”
Cost- Under $5 for materials
This is intended for use in a basement or other less inhabited space of the house.
Get a 5 gallon bucket and a wooden dowel about 1/2" in diameter
Near the top of the bucket drill a hole on opposite sides of the bucket for the dowel to slide through and rest in.
Next get a plastic bottle with a twist top like a spice bottle. Drill a hole in the bottom of the bottle and thru the lid big enough for the dowel to just slide through. Keep the hole just large enough for the bottle to spin freely on the dowel for best results.
To assemble just slide the dowel thru one side of the bucket, slide the bottle on the dowel as you pass the dowel thru the bucket. Check that the bottle spins freely.
Smear peanut butter on the bottle and add a few inches of water in the bottom of the bucket and you are all set.
To make it easier for the mouse to get to the peanut butter I drill a 1"
hole above the dowel so the mouse can easily “walk the plank”
Put the bucket near something that they can climb on to get to the dowel.
The mouse walks out to the bottle, puts its feet on the bottle, the bottle spins, the mouse loses its balance and falls in the well.
You can put some peanut butter around the rim of the bucket so they have no problem finding the trap.
I used to use poison also but got tired of the smell when they died in the walls. Also the mice would lick the spring type traps clean without triggering them! And glue traps can only be used once and make sure they are tied to something. I had a mouse drag one to a remote spot that I couldn’t get to!
Happy Hunting!
;D
mouse crap is not toxic waste; just clean it up with standard cleaning stuff; use traps; not poisons. I got some traps that look like gaint clothespins for hanging laundry; very easy to set (no crushed fingers int he porcess). I caught 4 mice in one day in my garage.
Happy Hunting ;D
Thanks so much for the info and Johnny-the great mouse tiltawhirl!!! You should patent that one! GRaciez
I’ve seen these Tilt-a-whirl mousetraps since I was a kid in New England. The locals there use them when they close their summer homes up for the winter and the caretakers check them every week or so. They put anti-freeze in the bottom. This kills the mice and doesn’t freeze when it’s below zero…
Keith
Wow, that’s a thought too! I set 8 mouse traps and no mice, I think I just got stuck with the after effects. I found out yesterday that the family that lived here put their garbage on the lot next door and let it pile up for a very long time. The garbage company finally removed it all because it was becoming a hazard. No wonder the infestation of mice. Graciez
use peanut butter in your traps…
…or peanut butter AND a little bit of bacon!
Keith
I say we offer them a full buffet if we are going to spread the peanut butter and cook some bacon.Heck lets throw in sausage and hashbrowns with a small O.J . and scrambled eggs.Sheesh graciez, the house has probably been vacant for a while so the mouse crap has accumulated over time. take a bucket of water and pinesol and clean the place up paint it and throw the tenants in. when they call and say they have mice tell them just what Mike told you . Its a part of life . Give them 2 traps and tell them to call you if they need more.
DO NOT VACUUM MOUSE Sh*T. Mice can carry the HANTA virus. It is deadly to humans. 2 years ago a Brown University student was helping to clean up a house that had lots of mouse droppings in it. He swept and vacuumed the droppings and 3 days later died of resiratory failure. The autopsy found the hanta virus. It is air bourne and is passed through contact with mouse droppings. Wet the area down with a mist then wipe it up. Wear a respirator! The odds of you contracting Hanta virus are very low but why take a chance. google hanta virus. it’s scary stuff.