How To Get Rid Of Mice In Apartment – 7 Step Guide

Rodent Guide
Written By Rodent Guide

I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.

Having mice in apartment buildings is not good!

For a start, you share the building with other folks who also need to be involved in getting rid of the mice, which adds additional complications.

Secondly, the building is big enough for you not to notice a mouse has gotten in until it reaches an infestation level!

In this post, we will discuss how to get rid of mice in apartment buildings by using a 7 step approach that you can begin right now.


What you will learn in this post:

  • 7 step guide on how to get rid of mice in apartment
  • How mice get to upstairs apartments
  • Tips if you have mice in your apartment walls
  • Frequently asked questions

How To Get Rid Of Mice In Apartment


7 Step Guide On How To Get Rid Of Mice In Apartment

This is a step-by-step approach to getting your apartment mouse free!

The first question is, do you own the apartment? If you do, you and the maintenance company will need to tackle the problem, especially if it affects other folks living in the building.

If you do not own the apartment, you should pass the responsibility over to the landlord. That is not to say that you don’t have a part to play! You will also need to get rid of mice in your apartment.

How To Get Rid Of Mice In Apartment Infographic

1. Clean Apartment

Mice love feeling comfortable and safe. An apartment that is not kept clean will be attractive to a mouse or a family of mice. Why? Because it increases the number of hiding places!

Reduces hiding spots is the first step you need to take to know how to get rid of mice in apartment buildings.

When cleaning your apartment, you should use bleach where possible. Bleach is an awesome mouse repellent and a good cleaning agent too! More on that later.


2. Remove Access To Food

I mentioned above that mice love feeling comfortable and safe. If you give them easy access to food, they are set up for life!

Your next job in this guide is to remove easy access to food in your apartment. How do you do that? By storing it correctly in glass jars, or other mouse-proof containers.

The problem that you have is the mice are in a block of apartments. That means if they cannot get food in your apartment, they may be able to access another apartment where food is easy to access. That will keep mice in the building and be the driving force behind a mouse population explosion, quickly followed by an infestation!

Please speak to the other folks who live in the building and ask them to do the same.


3. Seal Entry Points

How do mice get in your apartment? Simple, they have found a mouse entry point! Mice have got into your apartment, which means you have at least one entry point that mice are using. You need to find these mouse entry points and seal them up.

How do you do seal up these entry points? By using 2 key tools:

  1. Steel wool
  2. Caulking

Here is a mouse making its entry point into an apartment:


4. Set Traps

Want to know how to catch a mouse in your apartment? Simple, by setting traps up in some of the most common places, you expect to find mice!

Here are some of the best places to put mouse traps in your apartment:

  1. Kitchen – this is where they will look for food.
  2. Bedroom – your bedroom can offer comfort for mice. The mice may even get in your bed!
  3. Storage AreasMice will chew through a host of items to make a nest. Storage areas are packed full of these items.
  4. Other Living Areas – Storage means more places to hide and more things to chew!

Also, don’t forget to load the traps up with tasty mouse bait!


5. Dispose Of The Mice

Disposing of a dead mouse is usually relatively easy. The only things you need to be aware of are your local laws and your health! Disposing of a live mouse is a little more challenging but not impossible.

I guess the difference is whether or not you have opted for a mouse trap that kills or a live catch mouse trap!

Either way, you will need to get rid of the mouse, dead or alive.


6. Repel Mice

If you want to know how to stop mice from getting into your apartment, you need to understand how to repel mice!

Apart from sealing entry points, there are also natural mouse repellents that you can use to do this job, such as peppermint oil, ammonia, kitty litter, and pepper (amongst others).

It would help if you also considered using bleach to repel mice. It is a good mouse repellant, but it is also very good at cleaning up after the mice!

I’ve written a post on how to get rid of mice with kitty litter, so check that out.


7. Regular Checks

The war against mice is never over! Even when you are sure that all the mice have gone from your apartment, you cannot stand down and rejoice in your victory just yet.

You should perform regular checks around your apartment for signs of mice and for new entry points that may have formed since the last time you checked.

By keeping your apartment secure from mice, you will not get any more in!


How Do Mice Get In Upstairs Apartments?

You may be wondering how a mouse managed to get to your upstairs apartment!

Well, let me tell you that getting to your apartment is no trouble at all, and it could also mean that there are a lot more mice in apartments below yours, which is very concerning.

Here are the reasons why it is not difficult for a mouse to get to your upstairs apartment…


Mice Can Climb Walls

Mice have a good grip. The texture of the wall allows their claws to dig into it. That means the mice can climb outside your apartment building to get to an entry point that lets them into your apartment.

Mice can also climb trees with ease! If you have a tree outside your apartment, this could be the reason why they got up to it!


Climb Up Cavity Walls

A mouse may have found an entry point at the bottom of the building. Once they have gained entry, using the internal structure of your apartment building to climb up is no problem at all for a mouse!

Cavity walls, wood, and stairs will all be used by the mouse to get to your apartment!


Getting Rid Of Mice In Apartment Walls

If you have mice in your apartment walls, it could be challenging for you to get rid of them.

There is good news, though! Because mice have an incredible sense of smell, they will be able to smell the scent of the awesome mouse bait sitting on the trap you set up for it. That means the mice will eventually come out of the walls to venture up to the trap. That is when you will catch the mouse.

Also – it would help if you spoke with other folks who like in your apartment building because they will need to do the same.


Frequently Asked Questions

frequently asked questions

Can I call the department of health on my landlord for mice?

You will need to check with the local regulations in your area, but contacting the department of health will not do any harm, especially if your landlord is reluctant to get rid of the mice from your apartment.

What attracts mice in your apartment?

Food, water, comfort, and protection are some of the key things that attract mice to your apartment. Most apartments will offer mice all of those things, which is why you need to remove them to reduce the risk of an infestation!

What draws a mouse out?

The best thing you can use to draw a mouse out is some tempting mouse bait! Use peanut butter, nuts, seeds, or any sticky cheese to draw the mouse out. You can also use noise to scare mice away, is that is what you are trying to achieve.

Also – will sleeping with lights on keep mice away? – yes, that will help to keep them away while you sleep.


Conclusion

If you want to know how to get rid of mice in your apartment? Then the 7 step process on this page is exactly what you need!

When tackling this mouse problem in your apartment building, you must engage with other residents too. You may not be able to achieve a 100% success rate if the guy down the hall has food and trash all over his apartment!

Remember, mice can carry diseases such as hantavirus, so you do not want them living around your apartment!

Good luck!

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About the Rodent Guide

I’m an expert in do-it-yourself rodent control. For more than 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to helping people live harmoniously alongside these critters by sharing rodent control solutions that are effective and kind.

I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.

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