How to get rid of mice in the office

Mice can be a big problem at the workplace. Not only are they an obvious health and safety violation, they can also be costly for your business. Mice are notorious for chewing through pipes, woodwork, and wires, potentially causing structural damage to your office. Chewing through wires can be especially troublesome for a business that’s heavily reliant on computers (which most are nowadays). A chewed wire can mean a power cut, potentially the loss of data, and maybe even bringing operations to a halt until it’s fixed. For these reasons, offices should take any mice sightings seriously. Here’s our DIY guide on how to get rid of mice in the office.

Why are there mice in my office?

In order to remove mice from your office, it’s important to understand why they are there in the first place. If you take away their reason for being there, you’ll take care of the mice problem, or at least prevent one from occuring again.

Generally speaking, the main reasons why mice may be attracted to your office are: warmth, the lack of predators, and food. Short of making your office freezing cold or buying an office cat, it’s unlikely that you’ll change the first two, but the food in your office is certainly something you can control.

Remove mice from your office

We’ll divide our advice into two categories: things within your control as an employee and actions that are more appropriate for office managers such as putting in place a pest control contract.

Employees

Keep your desk clean. It’s as simple as that; if you snack or eat lunch at your desk, you’re going to leave crumbs behind. It’s these crumbs that attract mice, so make sure you clean your desk each day. Keeping your desk tidy will help with this – if your desk is a mess, you’re likely to not notice some old food packaging or crumbs hidden away under some papers.

Seal your food. Even if it’s kept in your bag, in a cupboard, or in the fridge, keep your food sealed. Leaving food unsealed will smell and attract mice, so use a sealable bag or Tupperware tub to keep your lunch locked away.

Empty the bins regularly. Offices often suffer from overflowing bins – most people assume it’s someone else’s job to empty them, and before long there’s a mound of waste covering the bin. This mound of waste is like the jackpot for mice – it’s sheltered, warm, and probably full of food. Empty the bins regularly to keep your office fresh and mouse-free.

Management

Check for gaps in the walls. Gaps in the walls and at the back of cupboards are the access points for mice. It’s important to be aware of these gaps and try to seal them where possible. Especially if there are gaps in areas where food or rubbish is kept.

Clean the area around your office. If there are dumpsters close to your office building, or if the street outside is messy, this could attract mice. Keep the street as tidy as you can and ensure your bins are collected regularly. It may not seem like your remit, but it’s in your best interest to make your office as unattractive to pests as possible.

Buy mouse traps. If you’ve seen a few too many mice running around your office, you may decide to take matters into your own hands and buy some mouse traps. The only problem with performing pest control yourself is that it requires regular maintenance. All too often, people lay mouse traps and forget about them. What then happens is mice get caught and eventually they start to smell and attract other pests like flies.

The best option for ridding your office of mice is to hire a professional pest control company. A professional will provide the most effective, safe, and humane service to clear your office of pests in the long run.

Here at Inoculand, we offer an all-encompassing service. We safely remove mice from the area, identify their entry points, and proof your office to ensure they don’t return. We’re so confident in our mouse-proofing service that we offer a 365-day guarantee. For more information on our pest control for offices, get in touch with our team today.