Sources for Mice Out

The sources behind Mice Out: The 7-Day Plan to Find, Seal & Stop Mice in Your Home. Each was opened and read in November 2026. The numbers match the source list at the back of the guide.

Source list

1. CDC, “How to Seal Up to Prevent Rodents” (April 2024)
   Used for: The pencil-width rule (¼ inch), inside and outside entry-point checklists, sealing materials, and yard and food-storage steps.
2. CDC, “How to Trap Up to Remove Rodents” (April 2024)
   Used for: Snap traps, bait, trap placement and checking, why not to use glue or live traps, and how to tell when mice are gone.
3. CDC, “How to Clean Up After Rodents” (April 2024)
   Used for: Safe cleanup of droppings, urine, nests, and dead mice; the bleach mix; airing out closed spaces; cars, laundry, and when to hire help.
4. CDC, “Controlling Wild Rodent Infestations” (April 2024)
   Used for: How rodent diseases spread, what droppings look like, and confirming activity.
5. CDC, “About Hantavirus” and “Hantavirus Prevention” (May 2024)
   Used for: Deer mice and hantavirus, how the virus gets into the air, and when to see a healthcare provider. Also: Hantavirus Prevention.
6. CDC, “Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome — United States: Updated Recommendations for Risk Reduction,” MMWR 51(RR-9), 2002
   Used for: Older guidance, used only as a supporting note on caulk and foam.
7. CDC, rodent control after a natural disaster
   Used for: Quoted only to explain where the “size of a dime” phrasing comes from.
8. EPA, “Restrictions on Rodenticide Products”
   Used for: What consumer rodenticides may contain and how they're sold, and how long anticoagulant baits take to work.
9. EPA, “Rodenticides: Safety and Registration Review”
   Used for: Second-generation anticoagulants and their risk to wildlife.
10. EPA, “Identify and Prevent Rodent Infestations”
    Used for: Signs of mice and yard prevention steps.
11. EPA, “Options for Dealing with Rodent Infestations”
    Used for: Tamper-resistant bait stations and why relocated mice may come back.
12. EPA, “How to Safely Use Rodent Bait Products”
    Used for: Reading the label, storing bait, and removing dead rodents promptly.
13. EPA, “Choosing a Bait Station Product for Household Use”
    Used for: The bait-station tier table.
14. EPA, “In Case of Pesticide Emergency”
    Used for: What to do in a poisoning emergency.
15. EPA, “Tips for Hiring a Rodent Control Professional”
    Used for: Checking a pest control company's license.
16. UC IPM, Pest Notes: House Mouse, Publication 7483 (revised July 2025)
    Used for: House mouse biology and identification, exclusion, materials that don't hold up, trapping details, and what doesn't work.
17. Badzik et al., Rodent Exclusion Manual: Mechanical Rodent Proofing Techniques, National Park Service Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/BRMD/NRR—2014/863
    Used for: Inspection methods, the pencil gauge, vents and door sweeps, sealing materials, trap density, and the park-building exclusion study.
18. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, “House Mice”
    Used for: Droppings, gnaw marks, tracks, and other signs.
19. National Pest Management Association, “House Mice” pest guide
    Used for: Droppings size and shape; quoted on the “dime” phrasing.
20. National Pest Management Association, news release on rodent prevention and a 2024 Harris Poll (October 2024)
    Used for: How often people call a professional at the first sign of rodents, and NPMA's view on calling a pro.
21. U.S. Mint, coin specifications
    Used for: Dime diameter (0.705 inch), to show why “dime-sized” overstates the gap a mouse needs.
22. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Poison Help
    Used for: The national Poison Help line.

The pencil, not the dime

The guide uses CDC's wording: a mouse can fit through a hole the width of a pencil, about ¼ inch. You'll also see “the size of a dime” online. A dime is 0.705 inch across (U.S. Mint), nearly three times ¼ inch, so the guide tells you to check gaps with a pencil instead.

Where sources disagree

When sources disagree, the guide gives both views:

• Spray foam. CDC's sealing page lists spray foam as an option with steel wool. UC IPM calls expanding foam ineffective for plugging holes, and the NPS manual says foam breaks down in sunlight. The guide uses foam only over steel wool or copper mesh, never by itself.
• Glue and live traps. CDC says not to use them. UC IPM describes them with caveats. The guide follows CDC.
• Bleach soak time. CDC says 5 minutes. An NPS staff procedure uses about 15. The guide uses CDC's time and says to follow a longer time if your product label gives one.
• Trap spacing. UC IPM says no more than 10 feet apart. The NPS manual suggests about 10 traps in a 12-by-12-foot room. The guide gives both.
• Calling a pro. NPMA, a trade group, recommends calling a professional at the first sign. CDC and EPA present trapping and sealing yourself as the first step. The guide shows NPMA's view as one option.

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