I have to admit that I am very frugal, but I have to be with my large family. When heating and air-conditioning bills were just becoming too much to bear, I finally caved in and bought new windows that I was told were more energy-efficient. They weren't as expensive as I thought they would be, which was great news. I had them installed just before winter began, and I received the lowest heating bill for the month of November that I had received in years! I was so happy that I had those windows installed, especially after being so hesitant to spend the cash on them. I created this blog to help other frugal people like me realize that sometimes spending money on home improvements really does pay off in the long run! I am now looking into new home insulation to save even more cash!
Getting rid of mice can be a real hassle. These little rodents reproduce quickly, eat almost anything, and love to destroy soft items to build their nests. If you have mice in your home and are planning to exterminate them, here are a few mistakes to avoid throughout your efforts.
#1: Waiting to see if the mice "come back."
If you see one or two mice, you may be tempted to wait and see if it was just a fluke before starting your extermination efforts. But in the time it takes for you to get ready to act, the mice will be breeding and perhaps also inviting a few of their adult friends to move in. The best time to start exterminating mice is as soon as you see the first one. After all, if you see one, there are probably plenty more you haven't seen.
#2: Using traps, only.
Mousetraps can work okay when you catch an infestation early and there are truly only a few mice. However, when you have a lot of mice, which homeowners often do, traps alone don't always cut it. You can only trap a couple of mice at a time, and they may reproduce faster than you can trap them. It's better to use baits to exterminate the mice. There are plenty of baits that come inside childproof and pet-proof cases for safety.
#3: Not figuring out how they got into your home in the first place.
Once you stop seeing mice, your extermination efforts are not over! You now need to figure out how the mice came into your home so you can make some changes to keep additional mice from moving in later on. Is the vent cap missing on your chimney? Replace it. Are there holes near your basement windows? Patch them. You may need to hire a professional to make some repairs, but that's better than facing another mouse invasion.
#4: Not knowing when to call the pros.
If you've been putting down baits for a few weeks and you're still seeing mice, then you need to call the professionals. Don't keep trying to fight the infestation on your own. You probably need a pro to come in and figure out where the mice are coming from, where the baits are best placed, and so forth.
Exterminating mice is not too difficult as long as you approach the task properly. Avoid the mistakes above, and above all else, make sure you know when to call the pros for mice extermination.
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