Would you still use your pots and pans after mice get on them?

qualityshopper · ‎12-04-2011

I am in panic mode right now because of the invasion of mice in my home. Have not had any mice downstairs probably in 40 years or more. Last week, started hearing stratching noises in the back of the kitchen cabinet. Nothing was seen in there--no mice or droppings--but would still hear occasional noises on different days. A relative of mine checked all around the inside and the outside of the cabinet, as well as the outside of the house, but couldn't find any entry points.

Never saw any mice until this Monday. I'm sitting on the couch in my living room and just happened to turn my head towards the kitchen when I saw one scurry across the kitchen floor. Now this was in the late afternoon and with the lights on. Then today, I had two sightings, again in the afternoon and with all the lights on. One ran from the back of a chair in the living room towards the couch, and a little later, saw one in the kitchen again. I am ready to go outside and sleep in the car at this point. What gets me is that I have 11 glue traps out and one regular trap, all baited, and they're not catching anything. So, I made an appointment with Orkin to come out tomorrow.

Meanwhile I got to wondering what to do with all my pots and pans that are in the bottom kitchen cabinets once this is hopefully over. I will definitely want to clean everything thoroughly but am wondering if just plain soap and water is enough. I've read about how dirty mice are, and it makes me feel like soap & water won't be enough. After what I've read about all the diseases they carry, I actually feel like I might want to buy new ones. Am I going overboard? Would really appreciate opinions about this. Thanks!

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@qualityshopper. You were smart to call an exterminator before your problem gets even worse. I would wash everything with a soap, water, Clorox solution including countertops, drawers, cabinet bottoms. Clorox is a great disinfectant. Remember, they don'tjust leave droppings; they pee too

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

PocoLoco · ‎06-30-2010

I have the same problem. I live behind a hay field, and when they cut the hay, all the little field mice head to my house. I wash everything carefully with soap and water and I add a capful of bleach to my dishwater. It is just something you get used to living in the country!

HTH

Sandy

LillyBee2 · ‎06-07-2019

@qualityshopperUghh.. sorry that happened to you, it's a mess for sure. I think I would of course wash everything well but also use some bleach in water. The pots and pans can be safely be saved, just use bleach and rinse well. I'd also really clean the cabinets with Lysol or something like that after the exterminator gets rid of them.

qualityshopper · ‎12-04-2011

Thanks everyone for responding so quickly. I thought about using bleach, but am not sure just how much. We have a double sink--so, if I fill one of the sinks up about halfway with water, how much bleach would I need to add? Also, can you use bleach on teflon skillets and cast iron ones?

Emmie1165 · ‎06-28-2017

Qualityshopper

Obviously you have no felines in your home...I have had cats my entire life and never had a mouse problem...that being said...not sure where you live, but the Farmers Almanac has predicted a harsh frigid snowy winter for many parts of the country. One of the old fashioned predictions of a bad winter included “Mice chewing furiously to get into your home” ...that is crazy! Regarding the pot and pans issue...I have, on occasion, had mouse droppings in some cookware in my detached garage that I use for storage. I have always washed it well with hot soapy water a couple times. Glass and stainless steel is impermeable as far as I know. A good wash should suffice. Just my opinion. I never a problem..

tipsy · ‎03-11-2010

I would get rid of those glue traps! I can't stand mice & rodents but don't want to see them suffer...Do they just starve to death while they are stuck or do they get thrown in the trash alive? I don't get the point of them, I think it's more humane to have them killed instantly in the old fashioned traps.

aroc3435 · ‎09-30-2010

@qualityshopper Mice are creepy little creatures when they invade your space, aren't they?

I would wear gloves and then would proceed to fill the pots with water and some Dawn dish soap and boil on the stove top and then scrub and rinse them thoroughly with boiling water, then cold water.

No need to toss them. I would do the same with the drinking glasses and utensils--wash thoroughly in very hot water and then pour boiling water over them in the counter dish rack. And then I would discard the cleaning pads or dishcloths or dish brush I used to wash these items. If the dish brush is silicone you could boil it to get it clean.

Of course, if your pots and pans are dishwasher safe and you have a dish washer that will sanitize them, along with the glasses and utensils.

I would clear off my counters, empty my cupboards and shelves, and wipe them down with watered down ammonia or bleach (NEVER mix the two--that is deadly to you--as you probably know) and I think you will be okay.

When restaurants or other food services places like colleges have these "visitors" they get the exterminator but they don't toss everything after successfully expelling the mice.

Main thing is to check your packaged food carefully--the mice chew through everything to get to food, which is one of the reasons I love my Lock and Lock and other air tight containers.

When the weather gets cooler they try to get in, and because I'm a renter I can't have an indoor cat anymore, only fixed, feral outdoor cats that the whole DC neighborhood cares for, as encouraged by local statute.

When I had my cat for sixteen years until she died, the mice would try to come in but she'd evict them immediately if they were foolish enough to try to take residence.

Get a good night's sleep tonight; give a warm welcome to the Orkin person tomorrow and good luck.

blanche330 · ‎10-06-2018

I agree with Emerald. There is no excuse for torturing an animal. Once the mice are gone wash everything as though you had raw chicken touching the surfaces which BTW is much worse and dangerous then mice.