WFMW: "Kill The Mouse Dead" Mouse Trap Tip

Each week, Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer hosts the weekly "Works For Me" carnival, where hundreds of people can share their wonderful, tried and true tips and ideas. Shannon just had a mouse die in her walls. This happened too a while back, so in honor of Shannon, I bring you my "Kill The Mouse Dead" Mouse Trap Tip. I'm sure PETA will swarm all over me, but try living with mice in your house.

Back to the "Kill The Mouse Dead" Mouse Trap Tip. Here's my experience and qualifications in killing mice dead: We used to live in a house that was old and out in the country-ish -- originally built in the late 1890's, it burned down, and part of it was rebuilt in the 1920's. It was remodeled in the late 1990's after the owner passed quietly in her reclining chair (still makes me shiver -- they were cat-loving-pack-rats, too -- a bad combo for reasons you will never imagine) ... and did I mention that it was drafty, un-insulated, and had thousands of places for mice to squeeze in through (like in the kitchen around the piping for the faucet if it is on an exterior wall, powder rooms, laundry rooms, etc.)? It was a lovely little cottagie-style home in an historic area, surrounded by a white picket fence, and lots of land and trees -- I adored it.

I did not, however, adore the mice mommas and all their babies that liked to cohabitate (or whatever) with us in our cold and uninsulated, yet cozy little cottagie-like home.

Ewwwwww -- I still shudder. Especially when I think of the mouse-momma that squeezed her tiny babies under one of our bookshelves and went off to get some food for them, only NOT to come back at all because we SNAPPED her in our mouse trap. We found the dead babies when we moved, and it was so disgusting, and ... well ... never mind.

ANYHOW -- First, you need to go through the inside of your house and look at all your exterior walls (under cabinets, behind radiators, etc.) and SEAL any cracks (no matter how tiny they are) with expanding foam -- because believe me -- you would be SHOCKED at how tiny of an entry these little mice need to welcome themselves into your home.

THEN -- ah, yes... then you put out mouse traps. Not just any ol' mouse trap ... the only one that we found to work, and caught TONS of mice with is... the Snap-E Mouse Trap. Did you hear the heavenly beings sing a chorus of hallelujahs?

Ehem.

Seriously -- this mouse trap ROCKS over any other mouse trap because it has a special platform that holds a little cup of food. The only way the mouse can get the food is to step up on the platform that automatically releases the arm and ... well, it's curtains for the little mouse before it even figures out what hit it - heh heh. Plus, it flips up a bar that you release the mouse with, never coming in contact with dead mice, or contaminated mice-trap parts. I'm ordering them right now for the mice in my garage -- shudder again. (see testimonials and more pictures HERE)

In all the years we lived in this house, we NEVER had a mouse eat the food out of this trap and get away alive. Ever. We have, on the other hand, had a mouse die in our walls (so this is in honor of Shannon) and the coffee grounds did the trick in removing the odor -- after a few weeks. Oh, my -- we discovered this on the day I was having a girl's Christmas party. Nothing says "Merry Christmas y'all!" like the smell of dead mouse lingering in the air. And to put Shannon at ease, the stink does not come back in the hot months, Praise the Lord! One more thing... You do NOT want to burn candles -- especially the ones you really like, because the smell of Cinnamon-orange-fruited-dead-mouse will never leave your head, and the candle will never smell the same to you again. And it will turn your stomach each time someone lights it. I'm just lovingly speaking from experience.

Finally, to close out this whole WFMW segment graciously, I'll tell you what DOESN'T work AT ALL --

1) chasing after the mouse with a slipper in the middle of the night while your wife is screaming in the middle of your bed;

2) the old fashioned wooden mouse traps (Victor);

3) cats (we had several wild cats living in the barn and they were NO GOOD to us, I tell you -- and I'm deathly allergic, too);

4) the electronic rodent repellent/deterrents (for the love of Pete -- don't even waste your money to experiment -- they just do NOT work)

One of these days, I'll have to tell you about the dead cat the neighbors found while cleaning up the house after the previous pack-rat-owner died (way before the house was gutted out, remodeled, and cleaned up, and WAY BEFORE we owned it).

Nah. That'll gross you out too much.

Have a mouse-free day.