Mouse control: DIY, calling a professional and the costs
Mouse control is in high demand, especially in autumn and winter. As soon as it gets colder outside, the house mouse looks for a warm place with food, and a gap of half a centimetre is enough to get in. A single mouse is often caught quickly, but mice breed at great speed: a female can raise several litters a year. Wait too long and a minor nuisance becomes a real infestation.
In this guide you will read how to recognise mice, when you can get started yourself and when professional mouse control is the wiser choice. You will find a cost indication for 2026, a description of the IPM approach a pest controller uses and tips to keep mice out. If you need help straight away, see the top 3 pest controllers in your city.
Recognising mice: how to know they are in your house
Mice are nocturnal, so the signs stand out before the animals do. The best-known sign is mouse droppings: dark grains of 3 to 6 millimetres, often in kitchen cupboards, behind the cooker, in the meter cupboard or along skirting boards. In the evening you hear scurrying or gnawing in the ceiling, the cavity wall or behind the kitchen units. Nibbled packaging, gnaw marks on wood and cables and a musty smell of urine are other clues. Mice build nests from shredded paper, insulation material or fabric in a hidden, warm spot. Droppings in several places in the house almost certainly mean more than one mouse.
Mouse control: DIY or call a professional?
With a single mouse in the kitchen you can start yourself with snap traps, baited with peanut butter or chocolate and placed along the wall with the trigger facing the wall. Glue boards and poison pellets are best avoided: glue boards cause unnecessary suffering and consumer poison is heavily restricted and can harm other animals. Clear away food and seal the gaps you find. If it has not worked after a week or two, if droppings appear in several rooms or if the mice are in the cavity wall or ceiling, choose professional mouse control. A pest controller with a professional competence certificate (KPMB) may use professional biocides, knows where the entry routes are and tackles the cause instead of just the symptoms. For poison outdoors, an IPM certification is also mandatory.
How a professional deals with mice: the IPM approach
A professional starts with an inspection of the home: kitchen, meter cupboard, crawl space, loft and the outside of the house. They look for runs, nests and the gaps the mice use to get in. Under the IPM approach (Integrated Pest Management), control starts with proofing and removing food, followed by traps in the right places. Poison in sealed bait boxes is only used when it is really necessary. Expect 2 to 3 visits: on the first visit traps are placed and advice is given; on follow-up visits traps are checked and emptied and activity is assessed. You receive an overview of the entry points found and what needs to be sealed.
Mouse control costs: what you pay in 2026
As an indication, professional mouse control in 2026 costs €150 to €350 for a programme of 2 to 3 visits, including VAT. If you only want to know where the mice are coming from and what you can do yourself, an inspection with advice usually costs €50 to €95. Sealing gaps and holes, the proofing, is charged separately and usually starts from €100, depending on the number of spots and the materials. The final price depends on the size of your home, the scale of the infestation and how accessible the nesting sites are. Compare quotes on the number of visits, the guarantee and whether a follow-up check is included. Good proofing costs money once, but prevents you having to call a pest controller again next autumn.
Price indication 2026 per pest
| Pest | Indication | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mouse control programme (2 to 3 visits) | €150 to €350 | Including VAT |
| Inspection and advice only | €50 to €95 | Without treatment |
| Proofing (sealing gaps and holes) | from €100 | Charged separately, depends on the number of spots |
Indications for private customers, including VAT, based on public rates in 2026. The actual price depends on severity, accessibility and the number of visits. Always ask for a fixed price in advance.
Preventing mice: how to keep them out
Keeping mice out starts with the outside of your house. Walk around the house in September and seal every hole larger than 6 millimetres with steel wool, metal mesh or a suitable sealant; pay attention to pipe and cable entry points, ventilation grilles and the space under doors. Store food in sealed containers, including pet food and bird seed, and sweep up crumbs straight away. Do not put the bin against the house wall and keep climbing plants and shrubs short near walls. Check the crawl space and loft regularly for droppings. In sheds and garages it helps to keep items off the floor so mice cannot find shelter. If you hear gnawing for the first time in autumn, act immediately; the sooner you start, the smaller the job.
