How to Keep Mice Off Patio Furniture

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Mice can chew through your outdoor cushions and thinner types of metal, including your patio furniture. And just the thought of a rodent scurrying around where you sit could disgust you. So how can you keep them away from your outdoor seating area?

Why Are Mice Attracted to Patio Furniture?

Some studies suggest that humans generally enjoy the sun, and it makes them happy, and mice most definitely enjoy the sunlight. It makes them feel warm and safe. Therefore, your patio furniture is a prime location for them to relax.

If you’re eating regular meals on your patio, you and your family may be hosting a rodent buffet. Mice enjoy sweet items, like candy and cookies.

They’ll also eat hot dogs, buns, and bread crumbs, which are both grilling staples. This means that you may have created an environment full of food sources attracting them to your outdoor furniture.

If your furniture has cushions, you also provide them with a resting area where they can feel warm and snug.

How to Keep Mice Away From Patio Furniture

Although your patio furniture might be like a luxury resort for mice, complete with breakfast in bed, you can take steps to make it a less hospitable area for mice.

Clean Up After Every Meal

clean up to prevent rats

For instance, ensure you and your family clean up after every meal outdoors. Throw all plates and wrappers in the trash indoors or a garbage can with a lid outdoors. That way, you eliminate one possibility of them having access to food.

Next, sweep up after every meal you have outside. It’s easy to drop a few morsels of food that turn into an entire meal for a mouse.

Keep Leaves Away From the Area

Make sure you keep your gutters and the sides of your home and patio free of leaves and debris. This becomes a prime location for a mouse to hide. By eliminating these bedding sources, you can keep the mice from getting too close to your home and patio area.

Keep Your Patio Area Free of Clutter

Stacked outdoor storage containers, kids’ toys, and lawn equipment can create hiding spots for mice. It can give them shade when the sun’s too bright and hot. Plus, it provides them with protection from predators.

Declutter your patio area regularly. You shouldn’t have small storage containers stacked outside where rodents can easily use them for shelter. Try to put most of the items in a shed or large outdoor storage container to remove one source of shelter for these critters.

Cover Your Furniture When Not in Use

Mice can chew through wood, fabric, and certain types of metal, among other items. Protect your furniture and cushions by covering them at the end of each outdoor gathering. This can keep it safe from rodents’ teeth.

Empty Trash Regularly

Trash can provide rodents with a four-course meal. So if you have a trash can near your patio furniture, always empty it frequently. The can should have a lid, so you’re not welcoming the critters to it.

Repelling Mice Outdoors

While you can prevent mice from coming to the area, there are ways you repel them from wanting to come and join in the festivities.

Use Peppermint Oil

peppermint to repel mice

Many pests, including mice, can’t stand the strong odor of peppermint. Therefore, you can fend them off by applying some peppermint oil on a rag and wiping down your furniture with it. If you don’t want oil all over the furniture, try applying only a few drops underneath it, or cut a few strips of cloth and dip them in the oil. Then, hang those said strips around your outdoor seating area.

Fortunately, peppermint oil is a natural remedy. Typically, peppermint oil is safe to be around humans.

Add Patio Lighting

Mice tend to be nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are more likely to forage at night. That’s why you’re more likely to run across one when relaxing on the patio in the evening or later.

Keep your patio lit up to keep the mice away. The light causes them to feel less safe because they worry that their predators are lurking and will spot them.

Create an Herb Garden Nearby

If you don’t already have an herb garden, plant one. You could even grow a few in pots near your patio furniture. Mice are repulsed by rosemary, sage, and basil and will stay away if you have any planted nearby.

Mice can be a nuisance in your home, considering how destructive they can be and the diseases they carry. Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent them.