As a barbecue-crazy soul, one thing I hate the most is mice droppings on my grill. No wonder it’s the same with you as well. It’s gross, to say the least. However, this is not a problem for me anymore as I have found how to keep mice out of grill. Would you like to hear the tactics I used? I think you would; let’s start.
Before I elaborate on how to keep mice out of grill, first see the mice magnets in your backyard.
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What Attracts Rats to Your Yard?
The simple answer would be smells and bad odor. Yes, if your surroundings are full of garbage or garbage containers, pet waste, bird feeders, pet food, un-harvested fruits, or untidy BBQ grills, mice would frequently come and say hi to you.
What do Pack Rats Like to Eat?
As a fact, I know that vegetation is the favorite of pack rats. Fruits, grain, cheese, seeds, and veggies are some of the foods they really like. Out of all the foods they mostly like papaya taste, mango, banana, celery, peanut and potato etc. However, packrats don’t eat meat like roof rats or Norway rats.
What does a Pack Rat Nest Look Like?
As per my experience, pack rats build their nests whatever plant material they come across. The nests can get as wide as four feet, and they would usually build the nests rocky ledges and branches of trees. In fact, they will settle wherever they feel safe and comfortable.
What does Pack Rat Poop Look Like?
Pack rat poop is slightly bigger in size compared to ordinary mice. The droppings are a little bit shiny and usually an inch long.
How to Clean Mouse Poop from My Grill?
I start the task by wearing gloves. Then spray a disinfectant over the poop and wait for around one minute. Use a paper towel to wipe the poop from the surface and throw it into the garbage container as soon as possible. Spray the disinfectant again on the surface and mop the area.
What to Do With Grill If I Found Rats in It?
You should clean your gas grill properly if you notice mice in the BBQ grill. Scrape all the food leftovers along with possible droppings using a metal grill brush. Then clean all the surfaces of your BBQ grill with dish detergent and use an abrasive sponge with water to get rid of detergent.
How to Get Rid Of Mice in Grill?
If you want to keep mice out of the grill, the best possible advice I can give is to keep it as clean as possible at all times. The smell of food leftovers that would easily attract mice and rats around the grill does suggest that you are taking upkeep for granted. Here are the steps that I take to keep mice out of my grill.
- Properly cleaning my grill after every use
- Using BBQ cover to prevent mice attacks
- Burning food residue
- Removing paper items near my grills
- Blocking the vents and holes whenever possible
If you are using flat top grill, I recommend following these steps to clean your flat top grill for better quality cleaning.
How to Keep Mice Out of Grill?
I felt it would be helpful if I explain a wee bit about how to keep out mice. First of all, I thought, why mice are getting in my grill? Then I have concentrated on the solutions, and I want you to follow the same steps.
Actions that You Can Take to Keep Mice Out Of the Grill
Clean the Grill
Whether mice surround your area or not, it’s your duty to clean the grill after every use properly. Food residue is the number one reason mice have to creep inside your grill. So when I first noticed mice in my gas grill, I was kind of disappointed in myself because I knew it was something that I could have prevented.
First, you can use a grill scraper to remove stuck food from the grills. Then, turn on the grill and let it be at high heat for about 20 minutes to burn every bit of food. Once it gets cool, scrape the grills again, and you have to remove all the dirt that is fallen to the grill box. As the final step, take out the drip pan and clean it as well.
Cover the Grill
Yes, seeing mice nest in grill is the last thing you want. So along with cleaning the grill, it would be much efficient to make it harder for the mice to access the grill. I use a grill cover to stay away from mice in my Weber grill. If your machine doesn’t come with a cover, you can buy or make one without much effort.
Whatever you buy or design, make sure you keep no room on it for mice to get inside. Also, ensure the material of the cover is sturdy enough to handle bites of mice.
Other Factors
Moreover, if you keep your oven, refrigerator, air fryer or any device in a place that has newspapers or paper items and your home is already under mice attacks, you are bound to face a hard time with these monsters. So, it is vital to keep the entire household clean and tidy to prevent mice.
Another thing that I want to urge is that keep your BBQ grill inside of your house as once I had experienced mice nest in grill when I kept it in the backyard shed. You can only clean your own premises, and your neighbor’s backyards are not under control. You know what I mean?
Repellents that You Can Use to Keep Mice Out of Grill
This was kind of a game versus mice and me! I used scents mice hate and some other repellents to make my grill and the home a worse possible destination for the mice. The best part of repellents is that there are natural kitchen remedies as well as commercial repellents. Both are highly efficient in dealing with these annoying little creatures, and I did use several methods when I was testing for the best possible solution.
Here are some of them.
- Scents mice hate
- Camphor
- Peppermint
- Cloves
- Ammonia
If you find the mice are more powerful and need better ways to counterattack, use the following methods.
Ultrasonic Rat Repellents
These machines emit sounds and waves that are out of human reach but create irritating and annoying hearing to mice. This will definitely keep you away from clean grill with mouse droppings, and most importantly, there will be no dead mice.
Poison
Using poison might be an easy method to fight against mice, but it is not in my books. I have kids and pets in my house, and it doesn’t feel me the safest option to keep poison on open surfaces. On the other hand, be prepared to dispose of dead bodies of mice as well.
Traps
The good old method of playing with rats, isn’t it? However, you can’t expect a 100% success rate with a mouse trap. Nowadays, there are several types of mouse traps available in the market, and you can buy one to fit your intentions.
Is it Safe to Use Grill after Mice?
There won’t be an issue as far as you clean the grill properly after you notice mice droppings. However, mice poop and urine contain harmful substances, and if you don’t clean them well before the next use, you could end up with serious health issues. Therefore, please follow the methods that I explained earlier to get rid of mice droppings to use the grill safely after such a situation.
How to Disinfect Grill after Mice?
One of the easiest yet powerful methods to disinfect a grill after mice is to use a mixture of 1 table spoon of dish detergent with 1 quart of water. Before you use this solution, it is imperative to clean the grills using a grill scraper and to remove the stuck food pieces. Then use a sponge to apply the mixture to the grills. Finally, rinse the grill using water and keep it under the sun to dry.
How to Sanitize a Grill after Mice?
First of all, separate the components of the grill according to the instructions of the manufacturer. Then scrape the food, mice droppings, and other particles on the grills using a spatula or grill scraper. Now, mix one gallon of soapy water with ½ cup of vinegar and clean the grill using a scrub brush. Finally, rinse the machine with water, wipe and keep the grill in the sun before you fix the parts back again.
Best Grill to Keep Mice Out
I have used to a couple of brands over the years. But, I must mention that Weber is the brand I prefer over others for various valid reasons, including the ease of dealing with mice issues. It’s my personal preference, and the features and covering make my life easy in this regard.
How to Clean Mouse Nest Out of Grill?
Cleaning the mouse nest is very important if you want more healthy food grilled food. More importantly, you must know mice are carriers of Hantavirus. This virus is very harmful to people and has a mortality rate of 30% – 40% per year. Therefore take these steps more severely than anything. First of all, you must know viruses can be destroyed; heat, UV, and chlorine bleach will help you with this. Before cleaning, you must cover your hands and face with gloves and face protection. Because Hantavirus is airborne, there might have a chance of getting infected.
As the first step of cleaning the mouse nest out of the grill, wash all the areas using chlorine bleach liquid. After it is soaked enough, you can use a clean cloth to wipe all the parts of the grill. Usually, I recommend doing this process twice to make sure get everything is perfect. Once the cleaning process is done, leave it out in the sun for a few hours to destroy all the remaining harmful bacteria. After all these, you can start heating the grill to destroy all the remaining viruses and contaminants.
FAQ
How to Keep Mice Out of Grill in Winter?
If you are using an outdoor shed to keep the grill, I would say it is better to bring it indoors, especially during the winter season. Also, use a proper cover to protect the grill and preferably with one that is built with high-quality materials.
How to Keep Mice Out of Outdoor Grill?
It’s all about where you keep the grill after use. Naturally, the place must be an enclosed one, and on top of all, the grill should be cleaned before you store it. Moreover, keep the surroundings as clean as possible and block all entrances that you suspect mice can creep in.
What to Use to Disinfect Wood after Mice?
One part of bleach, along with ten parts of water, is the recommended solution. However, there are tons of commercial disinfectants available in the market as well. In that case, you can use it according to the instructions of the manufacturer.
How to Keep Mice Out of Weber Grill?
Irrespective of the brand you use, it is crucial to clean the grills properly after every use to keep mice away. If your machine has a cover, make sure you use it at all times, especially if your household is a playground of mice.
How to Keep Mice Out of Traeger Grill?
Traeger grills have the issue of mice getting to the machine from the bottom side and then destroy the motor and wiring. Most units do have a metal grate to mitigate this issue. However, if you don’t have one, I feel you should fix one manually.
What Size Trap Should We Use to Catch a Pack Rat?
It really depends on the size of the rat you are dealing with. However, the small or extra-small trap would be more than enough in most situations. When choosing the trap, make sure it has at least two doors to get the mice out of the trap easily.
Wrapping Up
I think you are satisfied with my answers to how to keep mice out of grill. If you don’t like burning mouse poop and remove those gross stuff, stick to the guidelines that I told you; they would definitely help your course. If you need further clarification, I’m here to reply to you. Have a great day!
