Either you have mice, or you want to stop mice from infesting your home.
You will need to know the best places to put mouse traps!
But how do you know where to place mouse traps?
In this post, we draw on our knowledge and experience to advise where to put your mouse traps to ensure they are as effective as they should be.
Here is a quick tip – always remember where you put your mouse traps, and always ensure that any children and pets are kept away from those areas!
Mice can carry some nasty diseases, so if you come into contact with a mouse, or mouse droppings/urine, be wary of the symptoms of Hantavirus!
Why it is essential to pick the perfect mouse trap location
Before considering where to put mouse traps, let’s consider why it is necessary to know.
Let’s face it; you want to get rid of some mice. To do that, you need to be smart and carefully consider where the mice may go and the routes that the mice will choose to get there. Only when you know this can you apply the knowledge and correctly set your mouse traps to capture the rodents successfully.
You may have heard mice in your attic or noticed signs around your home indicating that you have a mice infestation. Use this knowledge to decide where you should put your traps.
If you have heard noises in your attic at night, then that it the area that you should start.
When laying mouse traps, you should always look for confined areas first, especially if you notice signs that a mouse can use a mouse to travel around your home.
Confined areas will restrict the movement of the mice, and they are more likely to stumble upon the trap.
Let’s take a look at the best places for mouse traps!
Where to Place Mouse Traps – The Ultimate Guide
Attic
There are so many places in your attic that you should consider when laying your mouse traps. It is a widespread area in your home to get mice. The good news is that catching mice in your attic is relatively easy because you are rarely in it!
When you discover that you have mice in your attic, you will need to go up with a torch to find the most common areas they use. Look around for items they may have chewed. Look out for mouse droppings and urine stains. If you can, I will always place a trap in these areas against a wall.
While you are up in your attic, take some time to investigate possible travel routes. For instance, wooden beams and narrow corridors are the perfect choices for a mouse to travel. These are also the best places to put your mouse traps.
Why? Because these corridors and beams do not offer much room to maneuver around objects.
If you are a mouse traveling through a narrow corridor and you stumble upon a free peanut butter source (we have covered the best mouse trap bait already), then you will always test your luck, right?
Without a doubt, the attic is the best place to put a mouse trap!
Basement
Basements are similar to attics, an excellent place to set a mouse trap. A quiet, protected environment is perfect for them to breed in!
Follow the advice in the attic section above and find out how they travel through your basement.
Thoroughly check for holes in your basement walls for evidence that a mouse is using it to get in and out. Should you find any holes, place a mouse trap near it, loaded with some tasty mouse trap bait!
It would be best if you also placed mouse traps along walls in your basement.
Garage
A garage is a perfect place to set a mouse trap!
Like a basement or an attic, a garage is one of the rooms in your home that humans less frequently visit. So let’s not forget that mice have an incredible sense of smell and will avoid any rooms where they can pick up a strong scent.
Check for areas where mice can enter your garage and place a mouse trap down.
If your garage is connected to your home, you must check the connecting wall for any signs of mice damage. If you find any, this area is a great choice to lay down a trap.
Rooms That Are Rarely Used
Consider any room that a human rarely visits.
Common rooms include spare rooms or storage rooms.
Storage rooms are attractive to mice simply because there will be plenty of items they can use to build a nest.
Check each room for signs of mice and lay down traps in confined areas, or areas close to items that a mouse will use for nesting.
It is worth noting that any room you do not frequently use will not carry much of your scent. That means any new items in that room will seem out of place, and a mouse may be hesitant to approach them. So when you lay down your mouse trap, use rubber gloves or place it in an area that makes it difficult for the mouse to navigate.
Yard
Your yard will likely be the first place a mouse will visit near your property. This is especially true if you have a yard with plenty of plants and trees. Mice love to move undercover.
You should use live traps!
Place a mouse trap in an area where you have your plants and flowers, but is still close to your Home.
You should always consider other wildlife when placing a mouse trap in your yard. Always opt for humane mouse traps, such as live traps. Avoid using snap traps because other animals may be attracted to the bait you have laid. You are out to catch mice, not your neighbor’s cat!
Kitchen
Mice are not only attracted to comfort, warmth, and security; one of the biggest attractions for mice is food.
Your kitchen is certainly going to be a place of interest for a mouse!
The best place to lay a mouse trap in your kitchen is under your kitchen cabinets, along walls.
While lying in bed, mice will roam your house looking for food and nesting items during the night.
As soon as they find your kitchen, they will know where it is, and it will become a frequent room for them to visit. Using the protected route underneath your cabinets, they will feel secure and safe from predators.
Use this to your advantage by placing several loaded mouse traps underneath your kitchen cabinets.
I mentioned above that mice have an incredible sense of smell. This can make them avoid anything new in an area they are familiar with, such as an attic or basement.
A kitchen is going to be different because most items are going to be new to them. This is advantageous to you because they will not fear the mouse trap you have left out for them.
Are you wondering where to put mouse traps in the kitchen?
I mentioned above that the best place to put mouse traps in the kitchen is under the cabinets (snap traps work best), but you should also consider placing a mouse trap in the following places too (I will include cabinets for a complete list):
- Cabinets
- Under the sink
- Inside the panty (watch for little fingers looking for food! Place them up high or use live catch mouse traps)
- Inside cupboards
- Anywhere you have found mouse dropping
Conclusion
Catching mice is always a difficult task. They are small, fast, and fearful of any noise. This post gives you the best places to put mouse traps so you can get rid of mice more efficiently.
It is worth remembering that whenever there is a danger that you will come into contact with a mouse, always be protected. Mice can carry some very nasty diseases, such as Hantavirus. Hantavirus is a virus that is usually transmitted when a person comes into contact with mouse feces or urine. Be mindful of that when handling mouse traps too.
Rodent control is easier than you think.
Good luck!
Thank you for the information you posted regarding mouse catching. I’ve had a mouse in my house for several months and I cant\ seem to catch it with the humane traps (three in all) that I’ve placed around my kitchen where hangs out. I have caught a glimpse of him on a couple of occasions and, I must admit, he’s adorable. If I didn’t have a cat, I think I might want to have him as a pet. I keep refering to a “he”. Could he be a “she?” If you have any further advice on how to catch this clever little critter, I’d like to hear it.
Hi
First, sorry to hear that you are struggling catching the mouse, albeit a cute one! Usually, a slight adjustment in the bait is all it takes. Try using peanut butter, nuts, or anything sweet and sticky. That usually does the trick!
Also, consider moving the trap to areas where the mouse frequents… and use gloves to move them, these little mice can smell a human!