Mice are pests that you’re likely going to have to deal with at some point in your life. If you’ve seen signs of mice in your home recently, then you might be worried about what to do.
You might have even noticed mice droppings in your cabinets or cupboards. Sometimes mice will get into cabinets looking for food, and you might find that certain things have been chewed on or messed with in some way.
As frustrating as this is, it’s also somewhat confusing for people who don’t know much about mice. How did the mice get into the cabinets when the cabinet doors were closed tightly?
Keep reading to learn about whether mice can open cabinet doors. This should teach you more about what mice are capable of as well as what you can do to keep mice out of your cabinets and cupboards.
Mice Don’t Need to Open Doors
Mice don’t really need to open doors to get into cabinets or cupboards. You see, mice are very good at squeezing through tight spots to get into cupboards or cabinets.
Kitchen cabinets are especially appealing to mice since they often contain food. Mice can hide in there and they can even stay warm inside of kitchen cabinets.
They can get into the cabinets by squeezing into holes or cracks that might be present. There could be some type of crack or hole somewhere near the cabinets that is allowing the mouse to get inside.
So it isn’t that the mice are somehow opening your cabinet doors. They’re just squeezing into the cabinets somehow through various tiny entrances.
Humans often overlook things like this because they don’t assume that mice would be able to get in. You’d be surprised by how mice are able to fit through tiny cracks even when it looks like they shouldn’t be able to.
How to Keep Mice Out
Now it’s time to learn a bit about what you can do to keep mice out. If you use this advice well, then it should be possible to take care of your problem without it being a huge deal.
This is going to take a bit of work, but you’ll need to do these things if you don’t want your kitchen cabinets to be a safe haven for mice. It’s well worth the effort, and you’re going to be happy with the results once you’re done.
Seal Any Food in Plastic Containers
It’s not going to be ideal to leave food in cardboard packaging because mice can chew right through that. If you have cardboard containers holding things such as pasta, cereal, and other types of bagged food, then you should transfer them into airtight containers.
You can buy airtight food storage containers that will safely store all of your food. These containers are made out of thick plastic that mice won’t be able to get through.
The lids on these containers lock in an airtight fashion so that nothing can get inside. Your food will stay good for longer periods of time, and you won’t have to worry about mice eating it.
This is going to take away the source of food that the mice cherished so much. It makes the kitchen cupboards and cabinets a much less appealing place for them to stay.
Find and Patch Holes or Cracks
Next, it’s going to be necessary to find and patch any holes or cracks that might be allowing the mice to enter the cupboards. Some holes and cracks might be obvious, and you’ll be able to make the necessary repairs right away.
Other holes might take some time for you to discover. If you’re unsure how the mice are getting in and out of the cupboards, then you can do some detective work by utilizing baby powder.
Simply sprinkle some baby powder at the bottom of the cupboards so that the mice will leave tracks. This will give you a visual representation of the path that the mice have been taking to get in and out of the cupboard.
You can follow the tracks back to the source, and this should reveal what the mice have been doing. If all goes well, then you’ll learn where the holes are that you need to patch up.
It might also be necessary to alter the kitchen cabinet doors to ensure that they close securely. Sometimes doors don’t close all the way for whatever reason.
This can be fixed by modifying the door a bit or simply fixing the positioning of the hinges. Do what you can to eliminate potential entrances for the mice and you’ll have an easier time moving forward.
Deterrents
There are some deterrents that you can use to make the kitchen cabinets less appealing to mice. You’ll find that mice don’t like many different types of scents.
Placing peppermint inside of the kitchen cabinets will likely make the mice not want to go in. You can soak a cotton ball in some peppermint oil and then just leave it in the kitchen cabinet.
Another idea is to place mothballs in the kitchen cupboards because mice don’t like those. One of these ideas should work nicely to keep the mice from wanting to go into the cupboards.
Set Mouse Traps
Of course, you don’t likely want to continue to allow the mice to live in your home. This means that you’ll want to eliminate them at some point in time.
When you notice that you have a problem with mice, your first instinct might be to set mouse traps. This is a good idea because it can eliminate the pests without it being too hard.
There are actually many different types of mousetraps on the market. Some of them use standard designs that have been around for a long time, and others are a bit more complex.
If you’re looking to kill the mice that have invaded your home, then you’ll be able to set standard spring traps. This is the iconic type of mousetrap that has you set a piece of bait on a piece of metal that will trigger the trap once stepped on and kill the mouse.
Going with this method works pretty well, and you can use many different things as bait. Some people use cheese, but others will use peanut butter because it sticks to the trap well and the mice need to work to try to get it off.
Some people don’t like the idea of killing mice, though, and there are humane traps available to purchase. These are capable of trapping mice live and they will just be stuck in a little trap until you come to get them.
You’d need to relocate the mice that you catch as far away from your property as you can. It’s up to you how you feel about killing mice, but it is notable that the mice that you relocate would likely become a problem for someone else later on.
Take Care of Mice Fast
Don’t hesitate when you notice that you have a problem with mice. These little rodents can breed fast, and you might wind up having many mice in your home if you become complacent.
It’s always going to be better to deal with the problem right away instead of letting it go. You have options to get rid of mice, and you can take steps to secure your kitchen cabinets as well.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.