October is a fantastic time of year if you love autumn colours and Halloween, but not so much if you hate rats and mice. This month marks the beginning of their peak season here in the UK, with more and more of them seeking food and shelter in our homes.
Nothing fills me with fear quite like seeing a mouse scuttling about the kitchen. But living in a very old building above a restaurant, it’s unfortunately something I’ve had to get used to. Because no matter how clean and crumb-free my kitchen is before I go to bed, they always manage to find their way in.
After having yet another mouse encounter in the dead of night a few weeks ago, I decided enough was enough. I asked several experts for their very best tips on how to keep mice out, so I never have to encounter that terror again.
I wasn’t keen on setting traps, even though I know that’s logically the best way to get rid. I was more looking for ways to keep them out in the first place, rather than having to deal with dead ones.
The experts’ advice was unanimous – what I really needed to be doing was sealing up the gaps in my home where they could potentially be getting in. And there’s one specific materital that they all recommended: steel or wire wool.
Steel wool has kept mice out of my house (Image: Nicola Roy)
How to stop mice from entering your home
It’s a well-known fact that mice are pretty tiny, and they can supposedly squeeze their way through gaps the size of a pencil. Whoever lived in my flat before me unfortunately did a shoddy job at fixing up the kitchen – there are holes literally everywhere, but since the mouse was spotted scurrying under the fridge (yuck) I decided to start there.
Since my fridge is integral to my worktop, I only had to plug the section underneath it. I took some wire wool which I bought for a couple of pounds from my local hardware store and got to work.
This thick material is really difficult for mice to chew through, so it makes sense that it would be a good deterrent. I stuffed it really tightly, as per the expert’s suggestion, to ensure that the mouse also wouldn’t be able to move it or tug it out.
I hope to never encounter a mouse in my kitchen again (Image: Getty)
There were also a few smaller gaps in the skirting board around the bin so I made sure to seal these up too. Since these were smaller, I secured them with electrical tape – not the most aesthetically pleasing solution, but needs must.
It’s now been a fortnight and – touch wood – I haven’t seen any mice since, or heard them, or spotted droppings on the floor. I had a moment of fear where I thought I might have trapped it inside instead of kept it out, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case.
Steel wool is nontoxic and completely safe to use, so it’s well worth a shot if you don’t fancy relying on poison or traps. However, you should always wear gloves when handling steel wool as it can be quite sharp.
And it’s worth keeping in mind that steel wool can rust if it’s exposed to moisture. To stop this from happening, you can use a copper mesh or a specific stainless steel wool, and it should stay intact.