When fall arrives in Des Moines, it’s not just cooler weather that moves in — it’s also the season when mice start looking for warmth, food, and shelter.

Even small gaps or crumbs left out can invite them inside, and before long, that quiet scratching in the walls can turn into a full infestation.

Fortunately, preventing mice in your home doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right fall pest control steps and a few quick inspections, you can keep them out for good.

A white-footed mouse eating crumbs on a kitchen floor during fall sunlight — Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management explains how can I keep mice out of my house in Des Moines, IA

At Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management, our Des Moines team has helped countless homeowners seal entry points, remove attractants, and safeguard their homes before winter hits.

Here’s what really works — and when it’s time to call in a professional.

What You’ll Learn About Keeping Mice Out:

Quick Answer — What Actually Keeps Mice Out This Fall

If you’ve started noticing droppings or scratching sounds, don’t panic — most fall mouse problems begin small and can be stopped fast with a few simple steps.

Here’s exactly how to keep mice out of your house before the problem grows.

A white-footed mouse on a kitchen floor at night, nibbling crumbs near cabinets — Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management explains how can I keep mice out of my house in Des Moines, IA

1. Seal every gap or crack.

Mice can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces — even gaps you might overlook around doors, vents, or plumbing lines. A little caulk or steel wool goes a long way in keeping them out.

2. Store food securely and clean up crumbs.

Keep grains, pet food, and snacks in airtight containers. Wipe counters, sweep floors, and empty trash regularly — even a few crumbs can attract mice.

3. Tidy up inside and out.

Clear out cluttered storage areas, and trim shrubs or piles of leaves around your home’s foundation. The fewer hiding places available, the less appealing your home becomes to rodents.

These small actions add up quickly. But if you’re still hearing noises or finding signs of activity, Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management can inspect your home, seal hidden entry points, and set up a prevention plan that keeps mice out for good.

Early Warning Signs You May Already Have Mice Indoors

Even if you’re careful about sealing and cleaning, mice can still sneak in when the weather cools — and often, they stay hidden until small clues start to appear.

Spotting the early signs helps you act fast before they multiply or cause damage. Here’s what to watch for inside your home:

  • Scratching or rustling noises at night. Mice are most active after dark, often moving behind walls, ceilings, or under floors.

  • Tiny droppings near food or pet areas. Check around your pantry, under sinks, or near stored grains and pet kibble.

  • Gnaw marks or shredded materials. Mice use paper, fabric, and insulation to build nests.

  • A faint musky or stale smell. A strong indicator that mice are nesting nearby.

Seeing one mouse doesn’t mean your home is unclean — it just means they found an opening and took advantage of it. Acting early makes a big difference, since a single pair can produce dozens of offspring in a few months.

If any of these signs sound familiar and you’re wondering how to get mice out of house safely and permanently, the experts at Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management can help.

Our Des Moines team inspects, seals, and removes mice using safe, proven methods before nesting season peaks — so your home stays protected all winter.

Where Mice Usually Hide in Des Moines Homes

Once you start spotting signs of mice, the next step is knowing where to look. Mice don’t roam randomly — they follow warmth, food, and safety.

Finding their favorite hiding spots early can make fall pest control much easier.

In Iowa homes, especially around Des Moines, the white-footed mouse tends to settle in warm, quiet areas that are close to food or insulation. Some of the most common hiding places include:

  • Basements and garages. These areas often have small openings and clutter that make perfect nesting zones.

  • Behind appliances. Check behind your stove, refrigerator, and washer — mice like the heat these spots give off.

  • Under sinks and cabinets. They’re drawn to water sources and dark corners.

  • Attics and crawl spaces. Ideal for nesting, especially as temperatures drop outside.

  • Around the furnace or water heater. These areas stay warm all season, making them top choices during Iowa winters.

Knowing where to look is half the battle in effective fall pest control. A quick visual inspection of these areas once or twice each season can help you spot early activity — before mice spread to other parts of your home.

If you’re unsure where they’re getting in or need a thorough inspection, Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management can locate and seal every hidden entry point using safe, proven methods tailored to Des Moines homes.

5 Expert-Backed Tips to Keep Mice Away From Your Home This Fall

Now that you know where mice tend to hide, it’s time to take simple steps that make your home a lot less inviting.

These methods are effective, quick to do, and designed for Iowa homes during cooler months.

Whether you prefer DIY prevention or professional help, here’s how to keep mice out this fall.

1. Seal Cracks and Gaps to Keep Mice Out

The first step in how to keep mice out is stopping them from getting in at all. Mice can squeeze through gaps you might overlook — around vents, pipes, doors, or foundation lines.

Check both inside and outside your home for small openings and seal them using steel wool, caulk, or metal mesh.

Homes in Des Moines often have small gaps near basement windows or siding that mice use as entry points during fall.

If sealing feels tricky or you’re unsure where they’re getting in, Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management’s exclusion service can locate and close off those hard-to-reach spots safely and effectively.

2. Store Food and Pet Supplies Properly

One of the easiest tricks for how to keep mice away is to eliminate what draws them in — food. Keep cereals, snacks, grains, and especially pet food in airtight containers instead of open bags.

Even small crumbs or an uncovered bowl of pet food overnight can attract mice looking for an easy meal. Regularly wipe counters, sweep floors, and take out trash before bedtime to remove temptations.

3. Keep Your Home and Yard Clean

Keeping your yard less inviting can also help with keeping bats away from your home:

  • Clear out unused cardboard,

  • Trim back shrubs touching your siding,

  • And clean gutters to reduce nesting spots around your home.

  • Inside, organize storage areas so you can easily spot any signs of activity early on.

We get it — Iowa fall cleanup can be a chore, but it’s one of the best defenses against nesting mice and other seasonal pests.

4. Try Natural Ways to Keep Mice Away

If you prefer gentle options, there are several ways on how to keep mice away naturally using items you probably already have at home.

Try placing peppermint oil, cloves, or vinegar-soaked cotton balls near entry points, under sinks, or behind appliances. The strong scent can help discourage mice from settling in those areas.

These methods work best as deterrents — they help prevent activity but won’t remove mice that are already nesting. Still, they’re a good layer of protection to pair with regular cleaning and sealing.

5. Use Traps or Call in a Professional

If you’re already dealing with an active problem, understanding how to get mice out of house safely and quickly is key.

Standard traps work well for catching a few mice, while enclosed capture traps are a good choice if you want a humane approach to removal.

However, if you continue hearing noises, finding droppings, or catching mice repeatedly, it’s time to call a professional.

The Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management team provides humane, targeted mouse removal for Des Moines homes — sealing entry points and keeping your home protected long after the traps are gone.

Why Fall Is the Time to Act

There’s a reason pest professionals call autumn the most important season for prevention. As the weather cools across Iowa, mice begin searching for warm places to build nests — and once they find one, they’re hard to remove.

Most Des Moines infestations begin between late September and November, when outdoor temperatures start to drop and food becomes scarce.

That’s when mice move from garages and sheds into walls, basements, and kitchens, often unnoticed until winter sets in.

Acting early with consistent fall pest control keeps your home protected before they settle in.

Sealing gaps, inspecting storage areas, and keeping things tidy now will save you the stress, noise, and damage that come from dealing with a full infestation later.

When to Call a Des Moines Mice Removal Expert

Sometimes, even after sealing gaps and keeping your home spotless, mice still manage to find their way in. When that happens, it’s time to call for professional help.

Reach out to a mice removal expert if:

  • You’ve sealed, cleaned, and set traps but still hear movement or see droppings.

  • Mice return every fall, despite prevention efforts.

  • You notice signs of nesting, such as shredded insulation or chewed wires.

  • The problem spreads to areas like attics, basements, or crawl spaces.

Our Des Moines specialists understand how local white-footed mice behave — where they enter, what attracts them, and how to stop them at the source.

With professional exclusion techniques and safe removal methods, we can eliminate activity quickly and help prevent it from coming back.

If you’re still trying to figure out how to keep mice out of your house, Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management offers humane, effective Mice Removal Services across Des Moines.

From inspection to long-term prevention, our team ensures your home stays mouse-free all season long.

Quick FAQs Homeowners Ask in Fall

What smell keeps mice away naturally?

Peppermint, cloves, and vinegar are three natural scents that can help keep mice away naturally. Their strong aroma hides the food and nesting scents that attract rodents indoors.

To use them, place cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil or vinegar under sinks, near entry points, and behind appliances.

These natural deterrents work best when combined with regular cleaning and sealing to make your home less appealing to mice during fall.

Not always. Once mice nest inside walls, basements, or attics, they often stay year-round because homes offer warmth, shelter, and steady food sources.

Warmer weather doesn’t usually drive them out on its own. The best way to stop them is through proper sealing, cleanliness, and consistent fall pest control to prevent nesting before winter.

The best time for fall pest control in Des Moines is early autumn, usually between late September and November.

This is when mice and other pests start moving indoors to escape the cold.

Scheduling prevention early helps stop infestations before they begin. Routine inspections, sealing gaps, and keeping storage areas tidy can protect your home throughout the colder months.

Scratching or rustling sounds that happen mostly at night are strong signs of mice activity.

You might also notice droppings, gnaw marks, or shredded nesting materials around food or storage areas.

Random house noises are usually inconsistent, but mouse activity tends to repeat nightly. If you’re unsure, inspecting hidden corners or scheduling a check can confirm what’s causing the sounds.

Yes, mice can climb surprisingly well. They can use walls, wiring, and plumbing lines to reach attics and upper floors.

Once there, they often build nests in insulation or dark corners near warmth.

Inspecting attics each fall for droppings or shredded material can help catch early signs before the population grows over winter.

Mice are attracted to easy food sources like grains, seeds, cereals, and pet food.

Crumbs, open containers, and overflowing trash bins can quickly draw them in.

To keep mice away, store food in airtight containers, wipe counters after meals, and empty garbage regularly. Even small spills can sustain a family of mice for days.

Mice chew wires to grind down their teeth and clear paths through insulation.

To reduce this risk, seal entry points where cables enter your home and organize clutter that provides hiding spots.

Keeping electrical areas tidy is an important part of how to keep mice out safely and prevent costly repairs caused by chewed wiring.

Using poison can remove mice but poses risks for pets, children, and wildlife if not handled properly.

Traps and exclusion methods are often safer and more targeted options.

If you prefer to avoid chemicals, natural deterrents and regular cleaning can help reduce indoor mouse activity while keeping your household safe.

It typically takes one to two weeks to remove mice fully, depending on how many are present and whether entry points are sealed.

Traps may show results within days, but consistent follow-up ensures long-term success.

Regular cleaning and seasonal fall pest control can keep new rodents from returning once they’ve been removed.

Ultrasonic devices can discourage mice temporarily, but they aren’t a full solution.

Their sound waves may make mice uncomfortable at first, yet most rodents adapt quickly.

Ultrasonic repellents are most effective when paired with other preventive steps, such as closing small openings and keeping living areas tidy — a simple way to support long-term fall pest control.

Yes. Mice can spread bacteria through droppings, urine, or contaminated surfaces.

Handling these areas without protection can cause illness, which is why safe cleanup and prevention are essential.

Wearing gloves, disinfecting affected spots, and keeping food sealed are simple ways to reduce health risks in your home.

Mice can squeeze through incredibly narrow spaces — even tiny openings roughly the width of a pencil.

That’s why prevention always starts with sealing even the smallest cracks around doors, pipes, and vents.

A combination of how to keep mice out of your house techniques, like sealing and cleaning, will help stop them from sneaking inside.

Wear gloves and a mask before starting.

Spray droppings and nesting materials with disinfectant and wipe carefully — avoid sweeping to prevent dust exposure.

Dispose of waste in sealed bags and clean affected areas thoroughly. Regular sanitizing afterward helps prevent another infestation and keeps your home healthy.

To mouse-proof your garage, seal gaps under doors and around vents, keep storage boxes raised off the floor, and store bird seed or pet food in airtight bins.

Garages are common nesting areas during cold Iowa months, so maintaining order and reducing clutter helps prevent new mice from moving in.

To learn how to keep mice away naturally, use scents like peppermint or cloves and keep surfaces free of crumbs.

Placing vinegar or essential oils near entry points can also help.

These natural options work best when combined with sealing and good cleaning habits — not as a replacement for physical prevention.

Spotting a mouse in daylight often means a growing infestation since mice are usually nocturnal.

Set traps near walls and check for entry points immediately.

If you continue seeing activity, deeper cleaning and inspection may be needed to stop it before winter nesting begins.

Yes. Mice are nocturnal and most active after dark when your home is quiet.

They usually forage for food between midnight and early morning. Listening for movement at night or finding fresh droppings in the morning are reliable signs of activity.

Continue checking sealed areas each month and keep storage rooms clean.

Even after professional fall pest control, mice may try to find new openings as temperatures drop.

Staying consistent with maintenance ensures your home remains protected all winter long.

Professionals use traps, inspection tools, and exclusion techniques to remove mice safely.

Instead of relying on chemicals, they locate entry points and block access to prevent re-entry.

This approach focuses on long-term prevention and efficient removal while keeping your home safe for pets and family members.

For homeowners in central Iowa, Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management provides humane, effective mouse removal and prevention services.

Their team specializes in identifying entry points, removing existing mice, and helping homeowners maintain protection during the colder months across the Des Moines area.

Gene Spaulding Des Moines, IA Branch Operator
About the Author

Gene Spaulding, Owner and Founder of Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management, has been at the forefront of pest and wildlife control since 2008. With over 17 years of hands-on experience, Gene combines his expertise and passion to deliver effective and humane pest management solutions to homeowners and businesses across the Des Moines Metro area. Guided by the motto “Your Property, Our Priority,” Gene ensures that Bobcat Wildlife & Pest Management remains a trusted partner for comprehensive pest and wildlife services.