3 Ways To Keep Mice Out of Your Grill

Did you have a nice barbeque with your friends and family only to find the grill infested with mice the next day? It would be best if you went through the hassle of properly sanitizing and cleaning the grill.

So how to prevent this from happening in the first place?

It’s simple. It would be best if you keep mice out of your grill. These pesky rodents don’t only make a mess with their droppings, but they also carry viruses and diseases.

So preventing them from entering where you prepare your food is critical.

Nobody wants mice in their grill, so the best thing you can do is not to give them a reason to be there in the first place. So, let’s get into the details of how you can effectively keep the mice out of your barbeque grill.

Why Mice Love the Grill

If there’s one thing that mice love more than food, it’s to be in a safe place. That’s one reason these critters make their nests in the world’s dark corners.

As for your grill, if you’re not using it regularly, it is the perfect spot for a poor mouse. Especially during the cold weather, it will turn into its winter hidey-hole.

If you think about it, it makes sense why mice love the grill:

• It’s full of leftover greasy food bits
• It provides shelter from the harsh weather
• Most predators can’t enter or wiggle through the tiny spaces

This may sound nice, warm, and cozy for the mouse, but having mice in your cooking space is gross.

The 2 Kinds of Mouse Invasions

There are two kinds of rat invasions:

1. Invade, Eat, and Retreat

In this case, you’re using your grill regularly, but one day, you find rat droppings inside the contraption.

You immediately get into action and start searching your grill for mice top to bottom. Thankfully, no nest!

When faced with such a scenario, you must immaculately clean your grill, every inch of it!

2. Invade, Nest, and Reproduce

You open your grill after a few days (or weeks!) and are greeted with a big smile from mommy mouse and baby mice. Now you’re dealing with a full-blown infestation!

With an entire family living in your grill, you’ll see loads of poop and urine stains.

Regardless of which type of invasion you’re dealing with, one thing is clear: you must perform a thorough cleaning.

3 Ways To Keep Mice Out of Your Grill

Here are 3 simple DIY ways you can prevent mice invasions and infestations:

1. Clean Out All Food Bits

Mice are always on the hunt for food. So the first and most crucial step you need to take is to NOT leave any food bits lying around inside your grill.

It feels tiring to clean after a hearty and delicious barbeque session.

Well, big whoop! If you have a rat problem, here’s what you need to do:

• Fire up your grill and heat it loosens any grease and residue bits
• Get a barbeque scrapper and clear out any remaining food bits
• Make sure to scrape out any pieces that have fallen on the drip pan or in the grill box
• If you’re using a disposable drip pan, all the better. Just throw it away

With regular cleaning, you’re giving the mice all the fewer reasons to enter your grill.

2. Lockdown Your Grill After Use

After squeaky cleaning your grill, rats may still enter your grill. Even if you didn’t leave any food bits for them, they might think of the appliance as a good hiding or a safe nesting spot.

You need to make sure to do a complete lockdown of the grill!

Rats are sneaky creatures. Their bodies can wiggle through even the smallest spaces. So ensure that you block any entries into the barbecue by doing the following :

• Use meshes and wires made of hard steel to block all the holes
• Place wooden barriers to shut off the large holes that don’t heat up
• Take your grill (after cleaning!) inside your garage or house once done cooking
• Make sure your garage and house are properly locked and blocked
• Go for a heavy-duty and high-quality BBQ cover

3. Use Repellants and Traps

Mice feel at home inside a barbeque grill. So how about you make it, so they don’t feel so cozy and comfortable in there?

This is where traps, scent repellents, and poison come into play.

Traps are your safest best as they are designed specifically for rodents. You can use different types of traps, such as:

• Glue traps catch and keep the rats in place
• Snap traps can kill the mouse instantly
• Catch-and-release traps, the most humane trap

You can also use scents to keep the rodents at bay. Mice have a keen sense of smell so the following items can help:

• Peppermint oil
• Store-bought mouse repellents 
• Camphor
• Clove oil or whole cloves
• Mothballs

Takeaway

Whether you had a one-time mouse invasion or are facing an all-out war with the rodents, you can use any three ways to keep mice out of your grill.

Just make sure to remember the following:

• Clean your grill after each use
• Close off all access to the grill’s interior and its storage area
• Use traps and repellents to keep the rats at bay

Happy grilling!