A functional home means functional storage and a place for everything to go. To me functional storage has less to do with appearance and more to do with obviously its “function”.
Several times a year when the weather changes we have unwanted house guests scurry across the floors looking for a snack or to set up residence in a tucked away box of important keepsakes.
Yes I’m talking about cute little field mice that come in from the fields around us and try to set up camp. The house guest that everyone has but nobody wants to talk about. They usually come in when the weather changes drastically (usually when it’s really cold). I don’t like using poison, glue traps, or traps that might snap my fingers. After all they are just looking for food and a warm safe home like the rest of us. I have found through the years that all of the poisonous preventive measures are unnecessary if you store everything properly and give them no reason to stay.
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1. Plastic Totes and Containers
We all have stuff stored in cardboard boxes and I’ve learned the hard way that it just doesn’t work if you want to protect your belongings. It didn’t happen overnight but I have slowly transferred everything in our home to plastic totes and containers.
I love pretty baskets and boxes but they are usually the first place mice seek out to make their nests. They like to chew through them and chew them up to add to their bedding. It’s getting easier to find pretty totes and containers to make storing stuff more pleasing on the eyes but I have found that clear plastic containers make it easier to see and find things. And if you have them in a nice closet or cabinet then why should their appearance matter.
2. Dresser and Chest of Drawers
Every year I would lose some of my favorite clothing items to mice making their beds to have babies in my chest of drawers. I put everything in containers and put them in the drawers which worked but the mice would still come in and leave presents on the containers so I still had a mess to clean up. A few years ago my husband cut a piece of plywood to fit the bottoms of my chest of drawers and underneath some of our other furniture to keep the mice from climbing up. It worked! We have had zero mice activity in any of the drawers just by adding bottoms to the furniture.
3. Closet and Cabinet Storage
The top of my closet was full of different sized cardboard boxes and random things shoved wherever it would fit. Several years ago I cleaned everything out and organized my stuff into clear plastic shoe box totes.
I can see what I have, everything is safe, and it all stacks neatly so nothing is falling out. A simple yet efficient change. I also did this with stuff under my bathroom sink and in my laundry cabinet. These boxes work great for organizing cleaning supplies, makeup, and first aid supplies.
I put shoes in plastic shoe boxes and boots in totes. After making all of these changes our house we managed to keep the mice out of our food but the mice thought our shoes were so nice that they carried cat food from our neighbors house and stored it in our shoes! We don’t have cat.
4. Pantry Storage
We wouldn’t have mice for months at a time and all it would take was one mouse and one night to lose $100 worth of food. They wouldn’t need to make a big mess or eat it all, just chew a hole through a box or bag.
I remember the morning I woke up and found everything in the pantry ransacked! I was so frustrated that I packed away everything I had on display in my China cabinet and moved our vulnerable food to it. Since then our food has been safe and there have been no signs of anything trying to get in. I put our medications in it and it keeps them safe from our dogs. We can also see everything we have so more things get used without me forgetting what we have.
There are so many decorative pantry options now that it’s easy to make your everyday food items look like a piece of decor.
5. Pet Food
Pet food is the first place a mouse seeks out for food. It’s usually out in the open and bags can be easily chewed through. We used to leave dog food in the bowls all the time because our dogs ate when they wanted and didn’t overeat. Until we adopted our pitbull Sasha. She will continue to eat until the food is gone so they get fed twice a day now. It wasn’t a bad change because now the food isn’t setting out for just anyone.
I bought this stainless steel dog food container to keep everything out (including Sasha who might try to sneak a bite). This container is beautiful and functional. Safe food, safe pets, no mess, no waste. What’s not to love!
Side note: after you empty the pet food into a container take a picture of the product number on the bag just in case there are any recalls on that food.
6. Potatoes and Onions
I have lost a lot of potatoes and onions to mice. They chew on the potatoes and usually pee and poop on the onions. This is not healthy or sanitary in any way! I threw out my old baskets and got these metal containers. They are made for storing potatoes, onions, and garlic. They have holes to provide ventilation and make them last longer.
I looked at a lot of different ones on Amazon and I chose these because they didn’t have the holes for handles. Some had handle cutouts that were big enough for a mouse to climb through. That would have defeated their purpose.
7. Stainless Steel Trash Can
Plastic trash cans can be chewed and easily opened by mice and pets. I love the stainless steel trash cans because they can’t be chewed or easily turned over. I love this trash can because it has a built in filter in the lid to keep smells from escaping.
8. Vintage stainless steel bread box
I have one of these bread boxes and it keeps the mice out and the bread fresher for longer. I love how it makes the counter look neat and clean. No more piles of bread and buns stacked on the counter.
9. Metal Canisters
Large metal canisters are great for flour, sugar, cereal, coffee, and other baking powders.
I got these to store my coffee, sugar, and tea in. They work great on the counter top, pantry, or on the refrigerator.
10. Dog/Pet Treat Canister
I love these for storing dog treats. They keep them fresh and make the counter look clean and organized.
Other Mouse Proofing Tips
1. Regularly clean, vacuum, and wipe down storage totes and containers.
2. Block and seal holes and cracks around your home.
3. Don’t go to bed with a dirty kitchen, clean up any and all crumbs!
4. Don’t leave food laying around.
5. Don’t leave trash laying around.
It has taken me over a decade to live and learn and finally get to this point with mouse proofing our home. We still have the occasional mouse that comes in but they never stay long and if they try I have some humane traps that I’ll use and let them go far from us or anyone else’s home (Usually a far away wooded area). No one likes to talk about these things because no one wants anyone to know they have mice. I’m here to tell you it’s normal and everyone deals with it. Where there is food and a warm, safe, dry place they will come. I hope this was helpful to keep unwanted guests out and without the use of poison. Don’t give them a reason to stay and they’ll move on to the place.
Humane Traps I Use
