Mice in the Kitchen: What to Throw Out, Clean and Seal

Throw out any food in packaging that mice chewed or soiled. Soak droppings with bleach solution, wipe them up, then disinfect counters, cabinets and drawers. Set snap traps along the walls under the sink and behind the stove. Then seal the gaps around pipes and the back of the cabinets.

The kitchen is where most people first notice mice, because that's where the food is. Here's how to clean it without spreading anything and how to stop it from happening again.

Go through the pantry and drawers. Anything in paper, cardboard or thin plastic that has gnaw marks, droppings or urine stains goes in the trash. That includes cereal, crackers, rice, flour, pasta, pet food and birdseed. Food in glass jars or metal cans with sealed lids can be wiped down with disinfectant and kept. When in doubt, toss it.

The CDC's steps apply indoors too. Open windows for 30 minutes before you start. Wear rubber or plastic gloves. Spray droppings with bleach solution (1.5 cups of bleach per gallon of water) or a disinfectant until very wet, wait 5 minutes, then wipe them up with paper towels. Don't sweep or vacuum.

Then disinfect countertops, cabinets and drawers, the CDC says. Wash dishes and utensils that were in contact with droppings. Mop the floor along the walls, behind the stove and under the refrigerator.

• Pull out drawers and clean the cabinet floors behind them
• Check the toe-kick space under the base cabinets
• Clean behind and under the stove and refrigerator
• Wipe the top of the refrigerator and upper cabinets

NMSU Extension recommends snap traps placed along travel routes where droppings show up, set at right angles to the wall with the trigger end against it. Good spots in a kitchen: under the sink, behind the stove, alongside the refrigerator and in the back corners of the pantry. Bait with a little peanut butter or oats. Check traps daily.

Avoid poison in the kitchen. A mouse that eats bait can die inside a wall or under a cabinet, and you won't find it until it smells. Rodent poison, pets and wildlife covers the other risks.

Under the kitchen sink is the usual answer. The holes where water and drain pipes come through the wall are often cut bigger than the pipe. The gap behind the dishwasher, the opening for the gas line behind the stove and the space where the dryer vent passes through a laundry wall nearby are others. Outside, mice follow the foundation to a gap and then travel inside the wall to the kitchen. See mice in walls and ceilings.

NMSU says mice can fit through a quarter-inch hole. Seal those openings with steel mesh or hardware cloth and sealant, not foam alone.

A few habits make your kitchen much less inviting:

• Store dry goods in glass, metal or heavy plastic containers with tight lids
• Keep pet food in a sealed bin and pick up bowls at night
• Wipe counters and sweep crumbs before bed
• Take the trash out nightly and keep the outside cart lid closed
• Don't leave fruit out on the counter overnight

If you're catching mice for more than a week or two, or finding droppings in several rooms, the problem is bigger than the kitchen. A provider will find the entry points and seal them. Start with house mouse control. Restaurant kitchens have a different set of rules: see restaurant kitchen rodent control.

Mice nest in the warm, quiet spaces around appliances. The insulation behind a stove, the space under a dishwasher and the area behind the refrigerator's kick plate are all common spots. Check those with a flashlight when you clean. Unplug appliances before pulling them out, and wear gloves if you find a nest. Wiring damage behind an appliance is a job for a repair technician.

After a week or two of trapping and sealing, the signs should taper off. No new droppings in the drawers you cleaned, traps staying empty, no fresh chewing on food. If you're still finding droppings after two weeks, there's a gap you missed or mice coming from somewhere else in the house. That's when a provider earns their fee. See rodent inspection.

If you rent, tell the landlord in writing as soon as you find droppings, with photos and dates. Keep cleaning up safely while you wait. In Albuquerque multi-unit buildings, the city takes 311 complaints when management hasn't acted within 10 days. New Mexico law also gives tenants remedies after written notice. The rental guide explains both.

• Saw One Mouse? Here's How to Tell If It's Alone
• Cleaning Up After Mice Without Breathing In Hantavirus
• Rodent Poison Around Pets and Wildlife: What to Know
• Mice in a Rental: What New Mexico Law Expects of Landlords and Tenants

Services: House Mouse Control / Mice in Walls and Ceilings / Droppings and Nest Cleanup

1. CDC: How to Clean Up After Rodents
2. NMSU Extension Guide L-209: Rodent Control and Protection from Hantavirus
3. New Mexico Department of Health: Domestic Rats and Mice