If you live in an area that has mice and your home has places where mice can “come inside” you may always have mice.

Maybe you have post purchase remorse. It is what it is. Are you strong enough to deal with it?

Rodents and people have lived together for almost forever.

If you are unable to get over your “ick” factor, you may not enjoy living in a rural area, if so, then lose the drama and move.

Some types of mice can carry diseases which can be spread when their droppings and urine are disturbed, so it is wise to be cautious. I think one question is whether the infestation is active or not. Hantavirus can be in droppings and urine but it doesn’t live in them for long. Viruses need live cells to reproduce. A termite inspector once found rat droppings in our attic, and a worker found a rat skull under the house, but we haven’t had any evidence of live rats in either area. We haven't had a mouse inside since we sealed the cat door that the former owner installed. If your extermination company sets some traps they should be able to figure out how big a problem it is or isn’t. Blocking any possible entrance is also important.

I've lived in 5 country houses, from early 1800s to 1960s vintage. They all had mice at one time or another. They love to burrow in insulation and make nests. They love pet food. I find liberal use of spring traps controls them adequately, no professionals required. Don't leave food sitting out for your pets. Sealing walls is a good idea but it is very difficult to seal all entryways into the house.

Ah, mice! We had an 1840 half-Cape with a root cellar. The foundation was original but in very good condition. Mice, mice and more mice, but were contained in that one area, so were easy to control. The problem was when one passed on to mouse heaven, the remains stunk for days. Usually, it happened during the holidays. Nothing like dead mouse and roasting turkey to whet the appetite.

Our present house is our downsize. When we purchased it we knew renovation was in order, big time. It was winter, house was empty and thermostat set low. After inspection and closing we came back in, turned up the heat, and left. Next day, when we opened the door, both of us almost threw up. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it and hope never to again. The entire insulation in the house was loaded. Yes, there was drama !!!! Well deserved, as mice are filthy little creatures.

End result, we hired a company that “suits up”, removes all insulation and then “power washes” the walls with disinfectant.

Keep in mind this is AFTER my builder removed every wall in the house. Total clean-up cost for 1300 sq feet was $18,000.00.

We had no choice. We couldn’t walk away from the house and if we put it back on the market, we would be legally responsible to disclose the problem.

Upside? While everything was open, we had all the electrical redone, insulation, plumbing, etc. It is like a new home.

4 times a year a pest control company comes and checks the traps. We have never had another problem and it has been 6 years. Long run, it was worth it. The house is great, tight to the weather and we love it.

And yes, the brown stain is mouse urine and the grease and dirt from their fur.

I'm working with a wildlife removal company to try and rid my house (mostly the basement these days) of mice. I've been working with him for about 1.5 years now. I didn't realize I had a mouse problem until my cats were chasing one down the hallway on the first floor. And then they got into my kitchen cupboards and drawers.

My wildlife guy has put numerous traps in the basement, through the process of elimination we now have a general idea of where they are coming in. He also has gone around the outside of the house a couple of times trying to block possible entrances.

Unfortunately, they seem to be coming in under a sunroom that was once a screened in porch that was turned into a 4 season sunroom. There is no crawl space underneath, no way for a person to see under it, but that's where we trap them coming into the basement.

He was just here last week, and was outside trying to block more entrance spots. Next time we need to have a conversation about what to do if we can never completely stop them.