|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

How to Kill a Mouse in an Office

A mouse in the office is nothing new. However, a handheld computer aid is one thing -- a four-legged rodent that leaves droppings on your desk -- is another thing entirely. Mice can wreak havoc in offices by gnawing through wires, shredding books and spreading germs. There are a host of techniques one can use to rid the office of mice: These range from a classic wooden snap trap to a simple can of soda.

Things You'll Need

  • Wooden snap trap
  • Bowl or bucket
  • Cooking oil
  • Mouse poison
  • Toilet paper tube
  • Soda
  • Small plate
  • Peanut butter, a hotdog or soft cheese
Show More

Instructions

  1. Snap Trap

    • 1

      Pull the snap bar all the way back and hold it down.

    • 2

      Attach the rod to the catch with your free hand.

    • 3

      Release the snap bar slowly.

    • 4

      Hold the trap on the outside edges and put it down carefully.

    • 5

      Place the traps in sheltered or secluded parts of the office, next to walls. Also set them up anywhere the rodent has been seen.

    • 6

      Attach the bait to the metal teeth. Peanut butter, soft cheese or a slice of hot dog make for effective bait.

    Poison

    • 7

      Purchase some mouse poison. This usually comes in the form of seeds or pellets that have been treated with warfarin.

    • 8

      Leave the pellets next to walls, or in areas a mouse has been spotted. If other animals or children use the building, place the poison up high, where it's out of reach. Make sure to warn workers not to touch the pellets.

    • 9

      Locate the dead mice. The poison will take some time to work, so the rodents could be anywhere by that point: It's one of the drawbacks to this technique.

    Soda

    • 10

      Fill a small plate with soda.

    • 11

      Set the plate near a wall or somewhere the mouse has been seen.

    • 12

      Look for the dead mice. This method works because mice cannot burp or vomit. Just like the poison, by the time it starts to work, the mouse could be anywhere.

    • 13

      Refill the plate every night. The soda needs to be fizzy.

    Ramp and Bucket

    • 14

      Put some peanut butter, a slice of hot dog, or soft cheese into a large bucket.

    • 15

      Place a ramp up to the top of the bucket, so the mouse can get inside.

    • 16

      Fill the bucket half full with water, if you wish to kill the rodent.

    • 17

      Cover the inside walls of the bucket with a slippery substance, like cooking oil, if you wish to keep it alive. This will stop the mouse from escaping.

    Table Drop

    • 18

      Bend a toilet paper tube so that there is one flat side: This does not have to be perfect. The tube should now resemble a tunnel shape.

    • 19

      Add some soft cheese, peanut butter, or a slice of hotdog to the end of the tunnel.

    • 20

      Position the tunnel on the edge of a table -- with the bait on the end, hanging over the edge. Balance the tunnel, so that any weight added to the hanging end will cause the trap to fall.

    • 21

      Place a bucket the directly below the hanging tunnel.

    • 22

      Fill the bucket with water to kill the mouse, or coat the sides with cooking oil, if you want to catch it.

Environmental Health - Related Articles