What This Blog Covers
- Why holiday decorations and storage boxes attract mice
- How and why mice enter Birmingham homes in the fall and winter
- The sneaky ways mice get into attics, basements, and storage areas
- How mice end up inside holiday décor, from tree skirts to stockings
- The top signs that mice are hiding in your storage boxes
- Steps you can take to prevent mice from accessing your decorations
- How to properly handle infested boxes or damaged holiday items
- Why professional rodent control is the most effective solution for Birmingham homeowners
Why Mice Target Holiday Storage Boxes
Mice can enter your home at any time of year, but fall is when they are most likely to move indoors. As the weather cools, they seek warmth, food, and shelter — all of which your home provides. You might not notice them right away, but the holiday season often brings infestations to light. Areas that sit unused for most of the year, such as storage rooms, attics, and closets, suddenly become more active as holiday decorations and other seasonal items are brought out, making it easier to spot signs of mice.
Mice often seek shelter in storage boxes, many of which contain holiday decor. These boxes provide warmth, darkness, and quiet- three things that mice look for in a nesting site. Those boxes also often contain fabrics and materials that mice use as nesting material. Your tree skirt, stockings, ribbons, and other holiday items can all become part of a mouse’s nest.
How Mice Actually Get Inside
Maybe you’re wondering how mice got into those storage boxes in the first place. They had first to enter your attic, basement, or other storage space, which means they had to gain access to your house beforehand.
Believe it or not, it’s pretty easy for mice to get into your house. They can squeeze through openings as small as a dime, so all they need is a little crack in your foundation, an opening around utility lines, or a gap under a door to find their way inside. Once they find a way indoors, they’ll look for a secluded area, which is why they often find their way into attics, basements, or crawl spaces. Cardboard storage boxes offer easy access, as do plastic storage boxes with loose or ill-fitting lids.
It’s also possible to accidentally bring mice into your house in an already infested box. If you keep your holiday decor stored away from your home, either in a shed, garage, or storage unit, you’re not necessarily safe from a mouse infestation. If a mouse is in a box that you bring into your house, you could end up with an infestation.
Signs That You Have Unwanted Guests Among Your Holiday Decorations
How can you tell if mice have moved into your holiday decorations? The good news is that there will be obvious signs of their presence. These signs include:
- Chewed cardboard, shredded paper or fabric, gnaw marks on your decorations, or damaged lights.
- Droppings, urine or urine stains, and musty odors.
- Mouse nests that contain tinsel, ribbon, insulation, and other materials that mice collect around the house.
- Scratching or rustling noises coming from your storage areas or boxes.
How to Prevent Mice from Sneaking Into Storage and Hiding in Your Decorations
The last thing you want as you get ready for Christmas is to discover that all of your decorations have been ruined and that mice are spreading throughout your house. The best thing you can do, regardless of the time of year, is to take measures to prevent mice from getting into your house. Making your home inaccessible and unattractive to mice is possible if you:
- Seal entry points
Make it difficult for rodents to enter by caulking cracks, filling gaps, installing weatherstripping and door sweeps, and sealing holes. - Maintain your yard
Keep grass trimmed during the growing season, remove lawn debris, cut back foliage, eliminate clutter, and store firewood away from your house to reduce harborage areas. - Eliminate outdoor food and water sources
Remove bird feeders, make sure garbage bins have tightly-fitting lids, and don’t leave pet food outside. Eliminate standing water, clean out gutters, and repair leaks and drips to remove water sources. - Rodent-proof your kitchen
Store all food in hard plastic, sealed containers. Clean up after meals to remove crumbs, spills, and dirty dishes. Take out the trash and vacuum your floor regularly. - Use proper containers in storage areas
Swap out cardboard boxes for durable, airtight plastic bins with secure lids. Make sure the containers are made of a durable material that mice can’t chew through. - Inspect storage areas and containers regularly
Check for chew marks, droppings, moisture, and nests every month or so to identify issues before they can grow and spread.
What to Do If You Discover a Rodent Infestation in Your Holiday Boxes
If you’ve pulled out your decorations only to discover the unwanted gift of mice, do you know what to do? Start by bringing any infested boxes outside immediately. If you choose to unpack it, wear gloves and be ready for surprises. You’ll need to dispose of heavily damaged or contaminated items. Other items may be disinfected, but do so carefully to avoid compromising your health.
The next step is to figure out how to get rid of your mouse problem. The best way to do this is with professional home pest control from Acre Pest Control. Professional treatment is preferable to DIY rodent control because it is more effective and faster. While DIY mouse control may eliminate a few mice in your house, it rarely addresses the entire problem. Our local pest control specialists employ proven methods to address the root of the issue, eliminating all mice from your home and protecting your family and property in the process.
Mice may be an unwanted gift this season, but you can give yourself the gift of peace of mind with pest control from Acre Pest Control this Christmas. Contact us to get started today and let our team protect your home and family from mice and other pests all year long.
