How to Get Rid of Mice in the Garage

The best way to get rid of mice in the garage is to remove what feeds and shelters them, such as birdseed, pet food, grass seed and cardboard boxes, set snap traps along the walls and behind stored items, and fix the gap under the garage door. Garages attract mice because they are sheltered, rarely disturbed and full of food stored in thin bags.

Why Mice Move Into Garages

A garage is a halfway house between the yard and your home. It stays dry and sheltered, people walk through it only briefly, and it often holds exactly what mice eat: bags of birdseed, dog food, grass seed and garbage bins. Cluttered shelves and stacked boxes give them places to nest close to that food.

The biggest entry point is usually the garage door itself. Worn or torn bottom seals, gaps at the sides and doors left open for hours let mice walk straight in. A University of Georgia guide to getting rats and mice out of your house and yard recommends keeping patio and garage doors closed and sealing the openings under doors.

What Do Mice Eat in a Garage?

Whatever is easiest to reach. The usual targets are dry pet food, birdseed, grass seed, garden bulbs, garbage and recycling with food residue, and any snacks or groceries stored there. Mice also chew cardboard, paper and fabric for nesting material.

• Move food into hard bins: metal or thick plastic containers with tight lids for pet food, birdseed and grass seed.
• Rinse recycling: food residue in cans and containers draws mice to the bins.
• Swap cardboard for plastic: store holiday items, paper and clothing in lidded plastic bins.
• Get stored items off the floor: shelving with open space underneath leaves fewer hidden corners.

If the mice are also reaching the space above the garage, our guide on how to get rid of mice in the attic covers trapping and sealing there.

How to Find a Mouse Nest in the Garage

Garage nests are usually hidden behind or inside stored things, close to food. Look for shredded paper, fabric or insulation, droppings concentrated in one area and gnawed boxes.

• Behind and under shelves, workbenches and storage cabinets.
• Inside cardboard boxes, old furniture, sports bags and folded tarps.
• In garage wall insulation where drywall is missing or damaged.
• Around the water heater, freezer or anything that gives off warmth.
• In cars that sit unused, including the engine bay and air filter housing.

Wear gloves and a mask while you move stored items, and do not sweep droppings; soak them with disinfectant first and wipe them up.

Trapping Mice in the Garage

Once food is put away, traps work quickly in a garage because mice have fewer alternatives. Set snap traps flat against the walls, behind stored items and next to the garage door, with the bait end toward the wall, about every 10 feet where you see droppings.

Check traps every morning and keep them out for a few weeks, since garages see new arrivals whenever the door is open. If children or pets use the garage, use covered tunnel traps. The mice in attics and garages section covers the attic and the yard as well.

Sealing the Garage Door and Walls

Sealing is what keeps a cleared garage clear. Replace a worn or cracked bottom weather seal on the garage door, add side and top seals if light shows around the edges, and close the gap under the entry door with a door sweep.

Inside, seal holes around pipes and wiring with steel wool and caulk, and cover vents or larger gaps with 1/4-inch hardware cloth. Pay special attention to the door between the garage and the house, which needs a tight sweep so mice in the garage cannot walk inside.

Mice in the Garage but Not the House

That is a good sign, but treat it as a warning. Mice settle in garages first because of the food and shelter, then move into the house through the connecting door, shared walls or gaps around pipes. Deal with the garage now, seal the door between the garage and the house, and set a couple of traps on the house side of that wall as an early warning.

Check the house side for signs as well: droppings in the laundry room, mudroom or kitchen cabinets nearest the garage mean mice have already found a way through. If you see them, follow the same steps indoors rather than waiting.

Common Questions About Mice in the Garage

Key Takeaways

Garage mice come for stored food and stay for shelter, so hard bins for pet food and seed, plastic instead of cardboard and fewer floor-level piles do much of the work. Snap traps along the walls and behind stored items remove the mice that are left.

A sealed garage door, a sweep under the house door and caulked pipe gaps keep the garage clear and protect the house beyond it. Check parked cars for nests and keep traps out for a few weeks.

This weekend, move every bag of seed and pet food into a lidded bin and check the bottom seal of the garage door.