With winter’s arrival, garages often become attractive havens for mice seeking shelter. These uninvited guests are resourceful in finding entry points, exploiting even the smallest gaps or cracks. A minor opening can quickly lead to an infestation, turning your garage, and possibly your home, into their nesting ground. Once inside, mice use belongings, insulation, and various materials to build nests, causing potential damage and health risks.
While it’s common to get rid of mice with traps and chemicals, preventing these rodents from getting inside in the first place is more proactive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mice can squeeze through openings just 1/4-inch wide, which is roughly the diameter of a pencil. Gaps that seem too small to worry about or even notice can merit a closer look. The best way to prevent mice from entering your garage is by using metal and sealants.
To help prevent mice from entering your garage this winter, start your inspection from the outside. Search for entry points in the foundation, the ground up to the siding, and along any human door frames. Garage doors are another common entry point, so look for gaps between the door’s bottom seal and the floor, at its corners, between its vertical sidewall and the door’s metal tracks, and along the top frame.
Check your garage’s window seals, roofline, vents, exhausts, soffits, and spots near pipes and wires. If you have a brick facade, identifying weep holes (intentional vertical openings between bricks) is necessary. Inspecting your garage from the inside with its lights off and all doors closed may reveal gaps if daylight enters. Don’t forget to check walls shared between your garage and home, if applicable.
Fill any small holes you find with steel wool or copper mesh, and secure them with caulk or expanding foam. Larger openings may need metal sheeting, hardware cloth, or cement to create a more substantial barrier. Regarding garage door maintenance to prevent mice entry, install reinforced rodent chew-proof bottom door seals, plug seal corner gaps with stainless steel shields, and consider repairing or replacing your garage door if it’s past its prime.
Finally, focus on making your garage less appealing to mice in winter. Keep pet food, birdseed, and other potential food sources in sealed containers, and clear away cardboard, paper, fabrics, and other soft items that can provide nesting materials. While these steps won’t replace properly sealing the garage, they can make the space less inviting if a mouse does get in.
