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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Cleaning Out - By Force

Gross. A few months ago we realized we had a mouse in our pantry. Once I got in there and started cleaning it up it became more clear that it seemed like a mouse family! YUCK.




I've spared you complete exposure of the damage, but here are a few less offensive shots.

If there was food in a bag or box it was devoured - bagel chips, bird seed, cheap cat food for the stray cats that come over.

It was pretty unorganized anyway, but come on.




I had to pull out & sanitize everything - our flower vases, all of our small appliances, even the box that I keep quick access candles and our house flags in! I pulled up the liner and got some contact paper at Target to replace it. It was far too disgusting to just wipe down. While I had it empty, I put out rat poison to make sure they weren't coming back. After a few days of having everything pulled out and ensuring that the mouse/mice had their fill of poison (1 box of that green stuff and one block of it later)....






.... I santized the wood shelves and put down the new contact paper. I wasn't very good at that. Check out the huge 'bubble'. Oh well.



Once I had the contact paper down, I did another few days of emptiness and did the mouse poop check. All Clear. Then I put it all back nice and organized. Now it's defunked and clean but now I'm weary of putting anything in bags (or boxes in there). I also pulled out the "pest deterent" from Sharper Image and plugged that in. It is supposed to make the noises that deter mice and other pests from coming in. Not sure it works, but I'm okay hearing that squeeky little noise. And it's a converation piece when friends come over and ask about the werid little noise.






Much better. And I also had a little time for spray painting the ugly to make it nicer.




8 comments:

  1. I have a closet that looks just like that. I just decided to paint it with semi gloss instead of the contact paper. I hate applying that stuff! haha

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  2. I've been forced into many a project. I'm right there with you.

    Can I interest you in a Feline Overlord?

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  3. OMG, Sunny, did I even leave that out? We have TWO Feline Overlords. Can we say useless?? I guess I should cut them some slack as the attack happened behind a closed door that they had no access to. At least that's their story!!

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  4. What a huge and not very appealing job...those evil little mice! We used to get them in the drawers in our classrooms and they made such a smelly, awful mess! You did a remarable job in getting it all back together again and it really looks nice. I hope that your next project will be more fun.

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  5. Poor Vonda... Only because I really like you will I make this all-too-true story public in bloggy-land. It will make you feel all better!

    Back in January 2007, I moved in with two roommates in a cute rental house at the end of a dead-end gravel street(in town - gotta love Texas). Hard to explain, but behind and beside us was a field that separated a couple of different neighborhoods. The field mouse wars were daily and ridiculous.

    The very first night that we stayed there, we were unpacking and putting things away when a mouse ran up the sleeve of my new roomie who just-so-happened to be a 6ft5in redneck guy who just-so-happened to be TERRIFIED of mice. The next morning, I made myself some biscuits in the oven and set off the smoke alarm, so I informed roommate #2(who already lived there before the rest of us moved in) that he had better have that oven cleaned out by the next morning. The next day, as I'm in the truck with scared-of-mice roomie and another buddy(who just-so-happens to be eating my leftover biscuits), I ask about the oven being cleaned. Come to find out, a DEAD MOUSE was in the bottom of the oven, which would be why the smoke alarm went off. SSOOOO GROSS. (Said freeloader buddy puked up his biscuits, which was hysterical.) I also came home from work one night to find a mouse sleeping on the edge of then-baby-Gracie's dog bed while Gracie was sleeping in it(poor pup had no idea she was sharing) in the bathroom floor.

    Now that you've probably lost your breakfast and spewed your coffee, go murder some mice. Hit it hard and defeat those suckers quickly... or else I will have to tell you more roommate v mouse stories - and I have a few.

    Carol

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  6. OMG. You win! I was rolling in the floor! How long did you stay there?

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  7. The mouse stories from when we moved in after the house had been neglected and abused by a family of !?!?!?! I think I smell a post coming on...

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