Where Do Mice Hide in Stoves? (+ How to Rid)

No one wants to find mice in their home, especially not in the kitchen or worse the stove. In this article, I’m looking at where exactly do mice hide in stoves, how are they getting there, and how to get rid of them.

Where Do Mice Hide in Stoves?

It’s hard to say exactly without seeing your stove, but I can tell you that mice are able to hide in the smallest places around your oven that you didn’t even know existed.

They won’t be inside the oven. Or at least, they shouldn’t be able to get inside. It certainly isn’t safe if they are!

The most common place they find is underneath or behind the stove. There is often a hole in the wall where the wiring was put through, and this provides the perfect opportunity for mice to get in the wall cavity.

This often gives the impression that mice are in the oven in some capacity. Because when you look everywhere else, you can’t find them.

But they’ve usually found a way into the wall behind the oven. It’s certainly a lot safer than part of the oven, and a lot cooler!

Why Do Mice Like Hiding in Ovens?

The number one reason mice are coming into your home is to find food. It’s not to eat you, despite what you might have been told!

This is why the most common room in the house to find evidence of mice is the kitchen – because that’s typically where we keep our food.

The next obvious place is the oven, as that’s where we prepare food, and often leave crumbs behind.

I’m not suggesting you’re messy, or there are loads of crumbs around your oven, or your oven needs a clean…

I’m just stating facts. Mice love feeding off crumbs and scraps, and the most accessible place for that is often around the oven.

Combine this with the fact that it’s almost always safe to hide behind the oven (who pulls theirs out to clean behind it?) and it’s a perfect place for mice to hide.

Related – What do mice eat? Read this to find out.

How to Remove and Keep Mice out of Your Oven

Now you’ve discovered you have a mouse, or two, or more behind your stove, you need to get rid of them.

There are a few simple steps if you’re going to do this yourself:

1 – Clean the stove and the floor around it thoroughly. Get rid of every last little crumb and scent of food. Using a strong-smelling disinfectant like a citrus or peppermint one will help deter them too.

2 – Pull your stove away from the wall (if possible and while being very careful) and clean behind it too. Also, look for any holes – no matter how small – where mice can possibly hide.

3 – Plug any holes you found. Steel wool is often used as mice can’t chew through it. Fill the holes with steel wool, then put something else over the entry point like builders filler.

It’s also a good idea to put some cotton wool balls soaked in peppermint oil to deter them when they first return if you want a home remedy solution.

Or, you can use bleach to give the space a deep-clean as mice hate the smell of bleach. So, when they find no crumbs, no places to hide, and a smell they hate – they should turn and go the other way.

4 – As a final measure, you might want to put down some humane traps. It always helps to catch the mice and get rid of them, otherwise, they might just find somewhere else nearby to set up a nest.

How Are Mice Getting Into Your Kitchen?

If mice are getting behind or into your stove, it means they’ve found a way into your home. Looking at the larger picture, you need to stop mice coming into your home, and your kitchen.

Unless you spot an obvious entry point or see where they’re coming in, there’s no easy way around it – you’ll need to start doing some investigating.

This means walking the parameter of your home and looking for any holes, cracks, or possible entry points.

It can be really hard to spot because mice can fit through tiny holes. They don’t have collarbones, so they can literally squeeze through a gap they can get their heads through.

Start by looking around windows and doors. Anything that is built into a structure has the potential to cause cracks and holes big enough for mice to get through.

If you look hard enough, you’ll find those entry points I’m sure. Good luck with that!

In Summary

If you’ve spotted droppings, heard rusting, seen mice, or have any other reason to suspect you have mice hiding out in, behind, or around your stove you now know what to do.

Mice are led by their need to eat. Cut off their food supply, make sure they have nowhere to hide, and they will go elsewhere.

Resources

Image credits – Header image by Khanh Dang on Unsplash, in-body image by Sapto Cahyono on Pixabay.com