Mice can cause big problems in your home if you do not find a way to stop them from entering it. If you have a basement, it is one of the places that are most likely to be affected. The mice can easily find their way into this area through tiny cracks and holes. They usually make nests in unused corners. If you do not take necessary steps to stops their entry, you could end up with a full blown mice infestation on your hands.
One of the things that you can do to stop mice from entering your basement is keep the doors and any open spaces in this area closed or sealed. Leaving the basement door open will give the mice the opportunity to enter when you are not looking. You should therefore make sure that this place is always closed when you are not using it. You also need to make sure that the basement doors are closed at night since this is the time when the mice are mostly active. If you like opening the doors to let the breeze inside during the day, or even at night, you will need to install screen doors that will prevent the mice from entering.
Another thing you will need to do in order to stop mice from entering your basement is to make sure that there are no food sources in it. Whether it is bird food, human food, pet food or other edible foods, you will need to make sure that they are removed from this area or sealed properly. Rats can chew plastic containers easily, so you will need to stop using them to keep the food in the basement. Metal containers and sealed solid containers will be great for keeping food in this area. Make sure that the area is always clean. Crumbs can collect between containers or bags that you have used to store food and other things in this area, and as a result they will be handy for mice to dine.
You will also need to reduce the amount of mice outside your home if you want to have an easy time protecting them from entering your basement. You will need to trim trees as well as shrubs away from your home. Piles, debris and other hiding spots where mice are likely to take cover should also be cleaned up. Make sure that your composite bins are always tidy to prevent them from attracting mice.
Having a cat in your home will also be a great way of preventing mice from invading your basement. But you will have to be careful here. Before letting the cat into the basement, you will need to make sure that there are no birds there. If the birds have to stay there anyway, you will need to make sure that the cat cannot get close enough to them to scare or harm them. If the cat or dog house is located close to the basement area, you will need to make sure that their food is not left sitting there all day. This is because cat and dog food are appetizing to mice, so it will attract them if it is left to sit there.
