{"id":15322,"date":"2018-11-26T15:29:55","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T14:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/?p=15322"},"modified":"2026-07-15T13:09:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:09:29","slug":"how-mice-enter-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"How Mice Enter Homes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Have you noticed an unusual, ammonia like smell, seen small dark droppings, greasy marks on walls or skirting boards or noticed shredded materials or gnaw marks?&nbsp;Then you may have mice in your property. Mice are usually nocturnal and can remain hidden for a long time before you even begin to suspect a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Mice Enter Homes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before they can settle down in your hidden corners, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/mice\/\">mice<\/a> first need to gain access. This is not usually much of a problem for them. They are very resourceful and flexible! In fact, they can squeeze their bodies through tiny holes in walls, windows, floorboards, tiles and slates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have an old house, you may find it impossible to completely seal yourself away from mice. After all, you don\u2019t want to live in a prison either. However, inspect your property to see where the weaknesses are, and be vigilant!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/mice\/\">Mice<\/a>&nbsp;are nocturnal creatures, preferring to keep hidden during the day and search for food from dusk till dawn. Check out some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/mice\/signs-of-mice\/\">common signs of mouse activity<\/a> you can look for in your property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/can-you-tell-your-rats-from-your-mice\/\">How to identify rats vs mice<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/what-attracts-mice-to-your-home\/\">What attracts mice to your home<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Prevent Mice from Entering Your Home<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most effective solution to mouse infestations is to prevent them from gaining access to your property in the first place. Remember that mice can contort their bodies through very small cracks in the walls and timber. Check your property for holes and cavities, and fill them in. Steel wool provides a good barrier, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/mice\/\">Mice<\/a> come inside in search of shelter, warmth and food. Don\u2019t make it easy for them! Store all foods in sealed fridges or airtight containers. Clean up all scraps. Watch out for tiny crumbs on the floor around ovens or under tables. Remember to clear away and store all foods at the end of the day. And ensure all bins are properly lidded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By taking these simple precautions, you can reduce your chances of being invaded by these pests. If they do get a foothold on your property and you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the infestation, contact your local pest control service to help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/mice\/how-to-get-rid-of-mice\/\">get rid of mice quickly<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have a<strong> mouse problem? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/contact-us\/\">Contact us<\/a> today for expert advice on how to get rid of mice quickly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you noticed an unusual, ammonia like smell, seen small dark droppings, greasy marks on walls or skirting boards or noticed shredded materials or gnaw marks?&nbsp;Then you may have mice in your property. Mice are usually nocturnal and can remain hidden for a long time before you even begin to suspect a problem. How Mice [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":15326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[2411,2407],"tags":[400],"class_list":["post-15322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mice","category-rodents","tag-mice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Signs of Mice in Your House | Rentokil Ireland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Noticed an ammonia smell, dark droppings, or greasy marks? You may have mice. Learn to prevent mice from entering your house effectively.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Signs of Mice in Your House | Rentokil Ireland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Noticed an ammonia smell, dark droppings, or greasy marks? You may have mice. Learn to prevent mice from entering your house effectively.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"deBugged\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-26T14:29:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T12:09:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/how-to-get-rid-of-mice-in-the-house-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"403\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jackie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@debugged\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@debugged\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jackie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/\",\"name\":\"The Signs of Mice in Your House | Rentokil Ireland\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-mice-enter-homes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/how-to-get-rid-of-mice-in-the-house-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-26T14:29:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-15T12:09:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fcfb4ad99bbf6d89c3208d6ac395e686\"},\"description\":\"Noticed an ammonia smell, dark droppings, or greasy marks? 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