How to Get Rid of Mice in the Garage (and Keep Them Out)

Quick answer: To get rid of mice in the garage, seal the gaps at the bottom corners of the garage door and around pipes with copper mesh and a new door seal, move birdseed, pet food and grass seed into metal or heavy plastic bins, then set snap traps every few feet along the walls. Check traps daily and keep going until you’ve had a week with no catches or fresh droppings.

If you’re searching for how to get rid of mice in garage spaces, you’re dealing with the most common rodent hot spot in the house. Garages are sheltered, rarely cleaned, full of food and cardboard, and often have a gap under the door that a mouse can slip through in a second.

The fix is the same three-part plan pest pros use everywhere: close the entry points, remove what attracts them, and trap the mice already inside. Here’s how to apply it to a garage specifically.

Why mice love your garage

A garage gives mice everything they need, usually with no one around at night to disturb them. The most common attractions are:

• Food: bags of birdseed, grass seed, dog or cat food, pantry overflow, recycling with food residue and trash cans.
• Nesting material: cardboard boxes, stored clothing, outdoor cushions, insulation, rags and paper.
• Warmth and shelter: clutter along walls, shelves stacked to the floor, and warm spots near water heaters, freezers and parked cars.
• Easy access: worn door seals, gaps at the bottom corners of the door, open doors left up in the evening, and unsealed pipe and cable openings.

The garage is also often a stepping stone into the rest of your home. Mice move through gaps around the door to the house, pipes in the shared wall and utility chases. Clearing the garage protects your kitchen and your car. If you’re also hearing mice in the house, our complete guide on how to get rid of mice covers indoor trapping and cleanup.

Signs of mice in the garage

Look for small, dark, rice-shaped droppings about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long along walls, on shelves and in corners. You may also see chewed bags of seed or pet food, shredded paper or insulation, and small holes gnawed into boxes.

Check your car too. Nests in the air filter box, droppings on the engine cover or a chewed-looking cabin air filter mean mice are using your vehicle as a shelter. See our guide on how to get rid of mice in a car engine if you find any of that.

If droppings are 1/2 inch long or bigger, you’re likely dealing with rats, not mice. That changes the traps you need; see our guide to the best electric rat trap.

How to get rid of mice in garage spaces: step by step

1. Ventilate before you start. Open the garage door and any windows for at least 30 minutes before you clean or move things. The CDC recommends airing out enclosed spaces with rodent activity before cleanup.
2. Clear the perimeter. Pull boxes and clutter at least 12 to 18 inches away from the walls so you can see droppings, reach entry points and set traps where mice travel.
3. Find the entry points. Close the garage door on a sunny day and look for daylight at the bottom corners, along the sides and under the side door. Check where water lines, gas lines, electrical conduit and AC lines enter the wall, and look for cracks where the slab meets the foundation.
4. Seal the small gaps. Pack gaps around pipes and cables tightly with copper mesh, then seal over it with exterior caulk or sealant. Foam alone won’t stop mice; they chew through it.
5. Fix the garage door seals. Replace a cracked or flattened bottom seal, add weatherstripping to the sides and top, and consider rodent-proof door corner guards for the gap where the bottom seal meets the door jamb. Add a sweep to the side entry door.
6. Lock up food. Move birdseed, grass seed and pet food into metal cans or heavy plastic bins with locking lids. Keep trash and recycling in lidded cans and rinse food containers before they go in.
7. Set traps along every wall. Place snap traps every few feet along walls, behind shelving, near the water heater and in corners where you found droppings. Set them perpendicular to the wall with the trigger end facing it. A two-car garage can easily take 10 to 20 traps.
8. Bait lightly and check daily. Use a pea-size dab of peanut butter or tie a bit of cotton to the trigger in cold months. Check every morning, remove catches with gloves and reset.
9. Clean up droppings the safe way. Once catches stop, spray droppings and nests with disinfectant or a 1:10 bleach solution, let them soak for 5 minutes, wipe them up with paper towels and bag them. Don’t sweep or use a shop vac on droppings.
10. Keep monitoring. Leave a few traps set along the walls for two weeks after the last catch. No new catches and no fresh droppings means you’re done.

Set snap and electronic traps where children and pets can’t reach them, such as behind shelving or inside a covered trap station. Wear disposable gloves to handle traps, mice and droppings. When cleaning with bleach, keep the garage door open for ventilation, mix it fresh (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and never mix bleach with ammonia or acidic cleaners like vinegar.

Where to put mouse traps in a garage

Placement matters more than which trap you choose. Mice run along edges and under cover, and they rarely cross an open slab.

• Along the base of every wall, especially the wall shared with the house.
• Beside the garage door tracks and at the bottom corners of the door.
• Behind and under shelving units, workbenches and storage racks.
• Next to the water heater, furnace, chest freezer and any other warm appliance.
• Near stored seed, pet food and trash cans, even after you’ve sealed them.
• Along the path from the garage to the house door.

In a garage with pets or kids, set traps inside covered trap stations or boxes with a mouse-size opening at each end. Mice like tight spaces, so a covered trap often catches better anyway.

Poison, repellents and other shortcuts

Rodenticide is tempting in a garage because it feels “outside.” But poisoned mice often die in walls or inside your car, and garages are exactly where dogs and cats find bait. Wildlife like owls and hawks can also be poisoned by eating a poisoned mouse.

If you use rodenticide at all, use only a tamper-resistant bait station, place it where children and pets can’t access it, and follow the label exactly. Never scatter loose pellets or blocks in a garage. Store the product in its original container, locked away. If a child or pet may have eaten bait, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet right away.

Ultrasonic repellers are sold heavily for garages, but research shows little to no lasting effect, and the sound is blocked by boxes, shelves and cars. Peppermint oil and mothballs aren’t a real fix either: peppermint fades within days, and mothballs are a pesticide that isn’t labeled for open spaces like garages. Put your effort into sealing and trapping.

The equipment that helps

You only need a few things to clear a garage. For more choices, see our full guide to the best mouse trap.

Electronic traps deliver a high-voltage shock. Switch them off before opening, keep them dry and away from children and pets, and follow the manufacturer’s battery instructions.

How to keep mice out of the garage for good

Once your garage is clear, these habits keep it that way:

• Keep the garage door closed, especially at dusk and overnight, when mice are most active.
• Inspect door seals every fall and replace them as soon as they crack, flatten or show daylight.
• Store everything edible, including birdseed, grass seed and pet food, in metal or heavy plastic bins with locking lids.
• Swap cardboard boxes for lidded plastic storage bins, and keep them on shelves off the floor.
• Leave a clear 12-inch strip along the walls so you can spot droppings early.
• Move firewood outside, at least 20 feet from the house and raised off the ground.
• Keep a few traps set along the walls year-round as an early-warning system.
• If you park a car that sits for weeks, pop the hood now and then and check the air filter box.

When to call a professional

Call a licensed pest control professional if activity continues after three to four weeks of sealing and trapping, if you hear mice in the wall between the garage and the house or in the ceiling above the garage, if droppings or nests are heavy in insulation, if you find signs of rats, or if anyone in your household has health symptoms you think could be connected to rodents (see a doctor, too). A pro can inspect roof lines, soffits and wall voids you can’t reach.

Frequently asked questions

Why do mice keep coming back to my garage?

Usually because the entry points are still open or there’s still food. The most common culprits are a worn garage door seal, gaps at the bottom corners of the door and unsealed pipes. Birdseed, pet food and grass seed stored in bags are a magnet. Seal the gaps, lock up food in bins and keep a few traps set year-round.

Can mice get into the house from the garage?

Yes. Mice often use the garage as a staging area, then slip in through gaps under the house door, around pipes and wiring in the shared wall, or through utility chases. Add a door sweep to the house entry door, seal penetrations in the shared wall with copper mesh and caulk, and set traps along the path to the door.

What smell keeps mice out of a garage?

No smell reliably keeps mice out. Peppermint oil may bother them briefly, but it fades within days and won’t stop a determined mouse. Mothballs aren’t labeled for open garages and can be harmful to breathe. The only lasting fix is physical: seal entry points, store food in sealed bins and trap the mice already inside.

Is it safe to sweep mouse droppings in the garage?

No. The CDC advises against sweeping or vacuuming rodent droppings, including with a shop vac, because it puts contaminated dust into the air. Open the garage door for 30 minutes, wear gloves, spray droppings with disinfectant or a 1:10 bleach solution, wait about 5 minutes, then wipe up with paper towels and bag them.

How many mouse traps do I need for a garage?

More than most people expect. For a one-car garage, start with 8 to 12 traps; for a two-car garage, 12 to 20. Put them every few feet along the walls, beside the door tracks and behind shelving. Using lots of traps for a short time clears mice faster than a couple of traps for months.

The bottom line

Seal the door and pipe gaps, lock up the seed and pet food, and line the walls with traps, and most garage mouse problems are over in a couple of weeks. Next, make sure the right traps are on your shelf with our guide to the best mouse trap.