Help: how do you get rid of mice?

[SuiGeneris]

We have had mice in the kitchen a few months now. DH has tried traps, sticky paper, ultrasound emitters and sealing all the holes. Thought he had succeeded until 10 minutes ago, when I went to the kitchen, thought I had smelt something odd and then saw one of the little buggers. So, no breakfast and mumsnet instead. What on earth can we do? Is it professionals time?

Find where they're getting in and seal it up tight - we had to stick battoning all round under the kitchen cupboards and expanding foam around the pipework to the kitchen sink.

Seal all your food and get rid of food waste from indoors (give up on food recycling for a few weeks if you do that at the moment - you need to starve the buggers out)

I had traditional mousetraps, but the only mouse I caught was in the bottom of the kitchen bin.

The guys from the council came round with poison which I've left out, but might not be ideal if you have pets or toddlers of course!

I still have 2 ultrasound doodads plugged in near the entry points too.

No mice for 3 years now!

We had mice 4 years ago so got a cat and have never seen them since.

It does need to be sorted though because they do multiply very fast apparently.

Thanks everyone. Worrying that they might be on counters etc- I thought they'd be limited to the floor. Cannot get dogs or cats as we are allergic to both and poison is a no-no as we have a very inquisitive toddler. Have put most food into jars, will now do the rest, hoover daily (even with no carpet? We usually hoover twice a week) and get DH to set the traps. We've done the expanding foam trick, so not sure where they'd be getting in. Is it worth switching to daily rubbish disposal rather than twice weekly maybe?

They only need tge tinest of hours. If you can stomach it do some research online YouTube has plenty too.

posion is placed into containers that are toddler proof. But def put them under kitchen counters behind the kickboards. At our local shopping centre and lido rat posion boxes are out in car parks within children's access, so I am guessing that they must be pretty tamperproof!

Second vote for wire wool for stuffing in the access holes. Our cat caught a mouse in my kitchen cupboards, he went in while I was upstairs and I came down to him crouching over his kill.

I think he was a bit confused that he got told good boy for once.

Ours came in from next door when she had "moles" but no mole hills (?), do you have neighbours who might have them?

OP they can shinny up any wall, so they WILL have been on your counters that's why it is vital to clean down every morning before you start preparing breakfast.

I have a mouse in my kitchen and i have 2 cats i think the mouse likes cats and has no sense of smell as i also have a cat loo.
Set traps and he does not go in them. Looks like the kitchen cupboards will have to be pulled out. When i get him he is dead.

I saw a mouse in my kitchen and then sat on the sofa this evening the little bugger came into the front room i am petrified and feel terrible. What should i do its friday night nowhere is open. I feel physically sick. Will it get upstairs to my child. Sending to mums to stay from tomoro Help!!!

Unless you starve your cat they won't get rid of the mice. Professionals are needed but avoid expensive companies like Rentokil. We used the service with our local council. We're home owners but they come out for less than £100 and keep coming back until the infestation is gone, at no extra cost.

Shut all the doors and stay upstairs - do your doors have gaps under them? I had a rodent problem this summer and am now so paranoid - just woke up now I heard a noise and always think they are back!!! I was petrified as well - honestly in middle of heatwave I walked around my house wearing a jumpsuit with long sleeves, gardening gloves and jumpsuit tucked into wellies whenever I had to go into the kitchen as I was so scared of one of them running towards me - crazy lady! You need to block ALL holes - think air bricks in front of house (need mouse mesh) and any other gaps anywhere. Check roof too. Make sure garden does not have long grass - they love that. Poison and traps everywhere. Sticky boards best traps if you can stomach it and are desperate enough. No food anywhere. Cover toaster because they love getting in there with the crumbs. Keep all toilet lids down as well because where there are mice there are often rats and they can get out that way. I came home one day to find 3 of them just chilling out sitting on my kitchen chairs - like sitting at the table. Needless to say I made a hasty retreat and screamed the place down. If you can get a cat that is even better - but get one that has been a stray or is a rescue cat - a lot of the cats don't know how to hunt unless they have been feral or farm cats. X

And p.s. Sterilise literally everything - because they will almost certainly have run along the kitchen worktops etc and they are major disease carriers - some serious diseases. I even got a small cover for the kitchen tap because if they can't find water they quickly realise that if they are near the tap for long enough it will drip. Friend who works in pest control told me that. And any toothbrushes etc that have been left out upstairs throw them away and keep them in drawer instead just incase