Can Mice Be in Your Mattress?
Mice are unwelcomed guests that no one wants in their home. They are destructive, and once they establish a home, they can be difficult to keep out. One of the places mice like to live is in your mattress. Let’s see why they are attracted to your mattress and what to do about it.
Signs of Mice in Your Mattress
If you have mice in the mattress, they will often give you many tell-tale signs. For a mouse to be in your mattress or box springs, they must chew their way in. This means that you will find a hole that has been chewed in the cover. Mice can fit through exceptionally small holes, with some able to squeeze through an area as small as 1/2 inch.
Another sign that you have mice in an old mattress is the presence of mouse droppings or urine on the mattress. This will produce a distinctive odor. Mice make their nests in mattresses, and you will often find filling, pieces of foam, and gnawed wood in or around the mattress.
Mice can multiply quickly, and if you have an infestation, you will probably see mice scurrying from area to area. If the mice are inside your home, you can be certain that they are traveling to other areas, such as the kitchen and inside the walls. Mice droppings and damage in any area of your home are signs that you have an infestation and need to take action quickly.
What Attracts Mice To Your Mattress?
Do mice go in box springs? Mice are not as likely to be in a box spring or mattress that you use. They often do not prefer to live next to where humans are present. Mice are more likely to nest in mattresses that are stored. If you have a mattress stored in a spare room of your home where hardly anyone goes, in a garage, or a storage unit, you might find a family of mice living in it.
Mice look for a quiet, secluded place to build a nest and raise a family. They like soft nesting material for their babies and a place where they feel their offspring will be safe from predators. Your mattress has plenty of foam and filling that makes a perfect bed for baby mice. The area inside the mattress is dark and feels protected, making it an attractive haven.
Keeping Mice Out of Mattresses
The first step to keeping mice out of your mattress is housekeeping. Mice are attracted to any place that has what they need to live. They will look for places with water, food, and shelter. Mice are attracted to cluttered areas where you have food waste. They love warm places, and a stored mattress is perfect.
Unfortunately, if you already have mice in a mattress, there is little you can do to save the mattress. Even if you convince the mice to leave, the urine, feces, and damage to the mattress cannot be repaired or cleaned properly. The best thing to do is dispose of the mattress and take measures in the rest of the home to prevent mice from returning.
Mice carry over 27 viruses and microorganisms that can cause significant illness in humans. For that reason, you should never try to sleep on a mattress that has experienced a mouse infestation. The first step is to discard the mattress and clean the area thoroughly with disinfectants.
One of the most effective mouse repellents is peppermint oil. They do not like the smell and will avoid the area. To repel mice, you can place peppermint oil on a cotton ball and place the cotton balls around the home. You will need to replace them when the smell of the peppermint becomes weak, so it will continue to work.
You can also use peppermint oil spray in the area where the mouse-infested mattress was stored and in other parts of the home where mice could be attracted. To make the spray, combine two teaspoons of peppermint oil with one cup of water. Add a few drops of dish detergent to help it mix, and place it in a spray bottle. You can spray this mixture in areas of suspected mouse activity. Once again, you will need to respray the area about every two weeks to keep it fresh.
Mice in your mattress are problematic, and it is something that you need to address as soon as possible. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to save an already-infested mattress or couch, but you can prevent the problem from occurring again.
The best way to prevent mice from entering your home and infesting your mattress is good housekeeping and not providing them with what they need to make a happy home.
