So right now im in the process of making one side of my garage into a man cave area. I dont have huge budget to spend on renovations and progress will be slow. I want to put a couch or some sort of comfortable seating out there, but i know my garage is not mouse proof right now . Anyone have a garage with a couch that has kept mice away from it? Is mouse poison a bad idea? I dont want to smell dead mice.
Mice and garage couch
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wornoutoldman
Well-known member
I've heard Bounce dryer sheets repel mice. Maybe try stuffing a few under the cushions?
finn
Well-known member
I use snap traps, sticky traps, bait stations, and bag pellets.
Got two mice this fall and a couple of voles.
I never find corpses from the bait or pellets, and noticed no odor.
I think they go outside to die....at least that’s what I want to believe.
Got two mice this fall and a couple of voles.
I never find corpses from the bait or pellets, and noticed no odor.
I think they go outside to die....at least that’s what I want to believe.
DFB
Well-known member
Wage war on them 
Both work well for me the spring traps or the pellet bait (I use them both)
Just got 7, 6 in the garage with bait and one in the house with a trap and peanut butter
Both work well for me the spring traps or the pellet bait (I use them both)
Just got 7, 6 in the garage with bait and one in the house with a trap and peanut butter
Bretny
Well-known member
Spring traps and set the trigger so you can barly set it down.
Start by closing up any gaps that they can get into from outside. I fixed many gaps are my current house and it has helped tremoundesly. Went from getting 1 every couple months to seeing 1 once a year now. My biggest area was the bottom plate of the walls that met the foundation wall in the lower level of the house. Builder had shimmed up the wood walls (late 60s) and that was it. There was a 2" gap to the outside world that was hidden by drywall and the sidding. When I re-drywalled the downstairs I found all the gaps.
I had a rental house built in the late 1800s. I could never get rid of the mouse infestation. That house was so leaky with many hidden openings. I was able to reduce them but never fully got rid of them as far as i know.
I had a rental house built in the late 1800s. I could never get rid of the mouse infestation. That house was so leaky with many hidden openings. I was able to reduce them but never fully got rid of them as far as i know.
b-boy
Well-known member
They are brutal. They get into everything. They need a 1/4" opening to get into your building. It's hard to seal up a building that tight. Even if you do, they'll just sneak in when your doors are open.
Twice I've started up my lawn tractor and had a baby mouse shoot out of the tailpipe along with a bunch of nesting material.
I've tried poison and never had good results. They seemed to avoid it. I used the tip-up traps and they worked well. Problem was, when you let them out, they just ran back into the building. I have a few cats now, and there aren't as many of them, but I know they're still around.
Twice I've started up my lawn tractor and had a baby mouse shoot out of the tailpipe along with a bunch of nesting material.
I've tried poison and never had good results. They seemed to avoid it. I used the tip-up traps and they worked well. Problem was, when you let them out, they just ran back into the building. I have a few cats now, and there aren't as many of them, but I know they're still around.
bwringer
Well-known member
Consider patio furniture instead of am in-house-living-room sort of couch. Far fewer places for the bastards to hide, and the cushions are usually tougher and less attractive to mice.
Use mouse traps, and check them regularly. No poison - that just means they'll crawl into the couch before they die, rot, and stink.
And consider installing a good cat, if practical. May not be the best option if you have a lot of chemicals around and vehicle traffic.
If you're rural, it'll be tougher to keep up with traps. In the city, I've found that trapping works fairly well. I use the snap traps that kill the mice - a little nasty, but if you use the no-kill traps and release them they just come right back in again. DON'T use glue traps; they're incredibly cruel and they're expensive. With snap traps, it's over instantly.
I've had great luck with these plastic traps; much easier and safer to set than the old "wire" style, and they don't seem to miss nearly as much.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Victor-...VDoxpCh3gMAiKEAQYBSABEgJ5dvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Use mouse traps, and check them regularly. No poison - that just means they'll crawl into the couch before they die, rot, and stink.
And consider installing a good cat, if practical. May not be the best option if you have a lot of chemicals around and vehicle traffic.
If you're rural, it'll be tougher to keep up with traps. In the city, I've found that trapping works fairly well. I use the snap traps that kill the mice - a little nasty, but if you use the no-kill traps and release them they just come right back in again. DON'T use glue traps; they're incredibly cruel and they're expensive. With snap traps, it's over instantly.
I've had great luck with these plastic traps; much easier and safer to set than the old "wire" style, and they don't seem to miss nearly as much.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Victor-...VDoxpCh3gMAiKEAQYBSABEgJ5dvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Stuart in MN
Well-known member
I've seen mouse nests made from Bounce dryer sheets, so that method doesn't work. You have keep them out of the garage as best you can. Block any holes, check the gaps around the door weatherstrip, and so forth. However, if you're one of those people who leave the overhead door open, there's not much you can do other than using a wood park bench instead of a couch.
BuffettFan
Well-known member
^^^^^
I would go this route.
My first house had so many mice, edge of town, surrounded by corn fields and a hog farm, that I kept a .22 revolver loaded with bird shot next to my recliner. Played hell on the paneling, but then so did the mice.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
^^^^THIS^^^^
My garage is finished off. It is sealed off, drywalled, and heated. You open the door to drive out and a mouse will run in. I've used sticky traps before, but a mouse CAN get off of one then go off and die. Poison pellets are supposed to dehydrate them where they won't smell, but they will smell. Best bet is cheap snap traps and peanut butter. Set a few along the wall and in the corners. Mice are timid, and hate to run across an open area. Plus a snap trap is a fast way to kill them. And forget live traps. If you turn a mouse loose, it will just come back.
Coloshaver
Well-known member
ratdoggy
Well-known member
I'm dealing with a rat problem at work. I started putting a couple snap traps side to side so the bastards have to walk across one to get the bait on the next one...Got one this morning as a matter of fact....
PS they like marshmallows
b-boy
Well-known member
Ah yes. Nothing better than finding a swollen, bloated mouse corpse floating in a bucket.
My Dog used to drink out of a bucket like that in the garage. Every now and again, you'd see him standing next to it with a disgusted look on his face. When that happened, we'd usually find a mouse that tried to get in there for a quick drink of water and slipped.
Captain Spaulding
Well-known member
Wage war on them
Both work well for me the spring traps or the pellet bait (I use them both)
Just got 7, 6 in the garage with bait and one in the house with a trap and peanut butter
Yep. Don't go halfway. Bait stations outside, bait stations inside, traps, seal every gap you can find and remove all sources of food.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
Get a garage cat. Works wonders. I put a cat door over in the corner of the building.
Bretny
Well-known member
Dont use pellets! They just take them and hide them everywhere. Use the bait blocks so they have to chew the bait.
fsae0607
Well-known member
Set these up in your garage along the walls:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-...istant-Refillable-Station-037091005/300934102
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-...istant-Refillable-Station-037091005/300934102
nadogail
Well-known member
A poorly fed cat will have incentive to find mice.
Jon_E
Well-known member
I have been using bucket traps (picture above) with great success in my garage and storage shed. 14 mice in the past two weeks, and I had no idea there were that many. Especially since I thought the shed was sealed up pretty tight, but still was finding mouse poo occasionally. I am leaving them in use permanently, replenish the peanut butter on the can (I use a soda can, not a plastic bottle, but either works) every couple of weeks, good to go. I think I may have to use some RV antifreeze in the shed over the winter, but the garage is heated. I still haven't found a nest in either building so I am wondering if they were transient or still searching for a winter home.
orangeblood
Well-known member
my $0.02: seal as many points of entry as possible and use rodent repellent. i use tomcat brand once a month and have had great results after having a lot of problems
https://www.tomcatbrand.com/en-us/products/mice/tomcat-repellents-rodent-repellent-continuous-spray
https://www.tomcatbrand.com/en-us/products/mice/tomcat-repellents-rodent-repellent-continuous-spray
homelessdespot
Well-known member
There's a guy on youtube who tests all kinds of mice and mouse traps. I believe he said his favorites are the bucket ones, and the one that is C02 powered and resets after every mouse/rat.
radio63
Member
Not true. Starving a cat so that it will catch mice is false. A well-fed cat will still kill mice because it's the cat's instinct. Please don't ever do this to a cat. It's cruel and inhumane.
GrayFlattop
Well-known member
And (at least in my experience) they typically just bite off the head. That's not enough to eat.
If you do get a garage cat, make sure that you remove all mouse poison.
I'm going to try one of those bucket traps. I use the blocks, pellets, snap traps and glue boards and still every once in awhile I run across their droppings.
If you do get a garage cat, make sure that you remove all mouse poison.
I'm going to try one of those bucket traps. I use the blocks, pellets, snap traps and glue boards and still every once in awhile I run across their droppings.
rburke65
Well-known member
Yes.... it agood idea ....not feeding the cat. I use a raisin on the bait paddle. I stuff it under the paddle so they have to work to get it. Plus take a pair of nee$le nose pliers and squeeze the trigger a little making it more sensitive so that puppy trips with 5he least amount of movement
Jim 68 cuda
Well-known member
I was also concerned about the possibility of mice getting into furniture. I also wanted chairs I could mop under and wipe down when they get a layer of shop dust on them. Always liked mid century modern architecture, so a couple of "barcelona style" vinyl chairs off Amazon fit perfectly with my plans. They typically only get used when I turn on the wall mounted TV, as most of the time visitors seem to prefer to sit on stools that I have in a few places around the garage. They make couches as well in this style.
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GrayFlattop
Well-known member
Much nicer than my upside-down 5-gallon buckets!
four.cycle
Well-known member
Cat.
Lavender.
Lavender.
cdestuck
Well-known member
Buy yourself a couple black snakes and keep them hungry
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
Rats, from what I have heard always follow a piss path. Meaning that they follow the same path in something like a garage. Traps need to be set in that path.
As far as a poorly fed cat....********. The fattest of cats love a challenge with a mouse or rat running around.
frank001
Well-known member
I like the idea of the patio furniture. Glue traps work best for me. I also use the 'One Bite' pellets outside that seem to work pretty well.
frank001
Well-known member
^^^^^
I would go this route.
My first house had so many mice, edge of town, surrounded by corn fields and a hog farm, that I kept a .22 revolver loaded with bird shot next to my recliner. Played hell on the paneling, but then so did the mice.
Now that's funny!
bwringer
Well-known member
If you poison them, they just hide, die and stink up the place. Not suitable for spaces where you live or work.
Been there, done that...
bwringer
Well-known member
A friendly garage snake is a great idea, but winter is coming... they can't move real fast when it's cold.
I knew someone with a sort of vacation home way out in the woods, and they reached a mutually beneficial arrangement with a large black snake. The snake gets warmth and water, they get to enjoy a mouse-free and rat-free second home.
It did take some getting used to... no matter how much you like snakes, running across a large, glossy example unexpectedly is a great way to get a little impromptu exercise.
Nowadays they have a pretty good idea where the snake might be hiding and don't usually get startled.
Wpauley
Member
I use the 5 gallon bucket set up. Have to use washer solvent in the winter. I have a wind up and several snap traps as well. Use the poison blocks, the hole in the middle I use to nail them so they are not carried off. I agree the pellets are just Moved around and I have found them when I was using them. I put the blocks in small squirrel traps so that other animals cannot get to them. Including my dogs. Problem with poison is that mouse eats poision and then is eaten by cat and cat dies too. Impossible to keep mice out of pole barn, just have to keep killing them.
Pluribus
Well-known member
Dang near impossible to keep them out of garages unless you never open the overhead door(s.) I'd never want a fabric piece of furniture with all sorts of nooks and crannies in my garage. The patio furniture idea is a great one!
I'm a big fan of the 5-gallon bucket trap; the one in my crawl space works downright murderously well.
I'm a big fan of the 5-gallon bucket trap; the one in my crawl space works downright murderously well.