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CTyankee

(65,462 posts)
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:29 PM 11 hrs ago

After dead mouse removed from kitchen drawer, what steps do I take to clean the drawer so my utensils can go back in?

Just wash in hot water and detergent?

38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
After dead mouse removed from kitchen drawer, what steps do I take to clean the drawer so my utensils can go back in? (Original Post) CTyankee 11 hrs ago OP
. rsdsharp 11 hrs ago #1
ROFL!!!!!!!!! 50 Shades Of Blue 11 hrs ago #5
that would absolutely be mrs. unblock's response unblock 11 hrs ago #10
While that is tempting ... mahatmakanejeeves 5 hrs ago #25
That's what I was thinking too 😂 Luciferous 3 hrs ago #37
That would probably be sufficient. PoindexterOglethorpe 11 hrs ago #2
I would use Chlorox wipes on it first. I feel your pain! 50 Shades Of Blue 11 hrs ago #3
Ask AI bucolic_frolic 11 hrs ago #4
Was it cataleptic, had it been encapsulated in epoxy and turned into key chain in another dimension ... marble falls 11 hrs ago #9
it was dry and stuck to the adhesive in the wooden utensil drawer (non-eating) CTyankee 10 hrs ago #15
So you had your built-in mousetrap! Clever!! SWBTATTReg 5 hrs ago #26
First you burn the drawer and everything in it. ......... marble falls 11 hrs ago #6
Ha ha heh!! SWBTATTReg 5 hrs ago #27
Not just the one draw; all that "connect" unc70 11 hrs ago #7
!!This!! WestMichRad 11 hrs ago #13
Right, look for mouse droppings elsewhere in the kitchen. Irish_Dem 10 hrs ago #17
I would use VGNonly 11 hrs ago #8
Especially if one lives up in Four Corners. marble falls 11 hrs ago #11
I remember on Survivor Man. VGNonly 11 hrs ago #14
And sometime Valley Fever'll kill you! marble falls 8 hrs ago #19
... EYESORE 9001 11 hrs ago #12
This is the only correct answer JoseBalow 8 hrs ago #18
I would move to another home asap. Irish_Dem 10 hrs ago #16
Mice urinate as they walk. Add bleach to your soap solution. Karadeniz 6 hrs ago #20
Interesting. How do we know this? CTyankee 6 hrs ago #21
No telling! I read it somewhere. The author of Animals and the Afterlife had Karadeniz 6 hrs ago #22
Mice pee. I wonder how much each mouse pees. Anybody know? CTyankee 6 hrs ago #23
Its not a full pee. As it walks,, it leaves a film. When i was a baby, my dsd had a Karadeniz 6 hrs ago #24
And they crap too, seemingly while walking too. Not just pee everywhere. SWBTATTReg 5 hrs ago #28
Im guessing we all need a terrier! Karadeniz 5 hrs ago #29
Yes, they are good for getting mice too. A cat of course is good too. I use glue traps but they seem to SWBTATTReg 5 hrs ago #32
This is a subject, near and dear to my heart. OAITW r.2.0 5 hrs ago #30
I love this discussion. The laughs were welcome. yellow dahlia 5 hrs ago #31
When you live in the country......., womanofthehills 5 hrs ago #33
Wash the drawer and everything in it Jilly_in_VA 5 hrs ago #34
Bag the mouse The Madcap 5 hrs ago #35
I'd spray the drawer with bleach. forgotmylogin 4 hrs ago #36
Forever unclean! Iggo 1 hr ago #38

unblock

(54,323 posts)
10. that would absolutely be mrs. unblock's response
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:36 PM
11 hrs ago

we'd be looking at a full kitchen renovation!

mahatmakanejeeves

(62,102 posts)
25. While that is tempting ...
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:06 PM
5 hrs ago

really, Spic 'n' Span or dishwashing liquid and hot water ought to do the trick.

bucolic_frolic

(47,963 posts)
4. Ask AI
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:33 PM
11 hrs ago

Was the mouse dry, decomposed, wet? What's the drawer made of? Plastic liner? So many factors to consider a response.

marble falls

(62,717 posts)
9. Was it cataleptic, had it been encapsulated in epoxy and turned into key chain in another dimension ...
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:36 PM
11 hrs ago

... so MANY questions ............

SWBTATTReg

(24,529 posts)
26. So you had your built-in mousetrap! Clever!!
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:12 PM
5 hrs ago

As some of our fellow DUers said, hot soap/water, disinfectant, bleach, perhaps all of the choices. Makes you wonder also where the little guy was at before too, in the other drawers too? in the Pots and Pans drawers? Yikes. I'd just start rewashing the dishes/kit. utensils/etc. again, perhaps through a couple of cycles in the dishwasher too.

Good luck too, on that it was perhaps the only mouse too? What I'm saying is that there is usually more than just one mouse.

unc70

(6,333 posts)
7. Not just the one draw; all that "connect"
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:35 PM
11 hrs ago

Most kitchen drawer units are open to each other. Into one drawer, into all the others.

Also need to locate and eliminate the access route.

VGNonly

(7,856 posts)
8. I would use
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:36 PM
11 hrs ago

a mild bleach spray, let soak a minute or so, then with warm to hot water and soap. Hantavirus is nothing to mess with.

VGNonly

(7,856 posts)
14. I remember on Survivor Man.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 12:55 PM
11 hrs ago

He was in Canyonlands NP Utah. He caught some small rodents and basically burned them a crisp to eliminate viruses.

A somewhat related note, I have a relative that caught Coccidiodomcosis (Valley Fever) another southwestern ailment. I can't really be cured, only treated.

Karadeniz

(23,650 posts)
22. No telling! I read it somewhere. The author of Animals and the Afterlife had
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 05:24 PM
6 hrs ago

mice as pets, so she probably talked about it when discussing the mice areas she created.

Karadeniz

(23,650 posts)
24. Its not a full pee. As it walks,, it leaves a film. When i was a baby, my dsd had a
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 05:43 PM
6 hrs ago

cocker spaniel whom he adored. Handy got sick and the vet discovered Handy had licked up some mouse pee in a lower kitchen cabinet. Probably in New Orleans at the time, he'd seen a lot of it. That particular disease was fatal. Remember the native Americans in some SW state who died from something connected to mice?

SWBTATTReg

(24,529 posts)
32. Yes, they are good for getting mice too. A cat of course is good too. I use glue traps but they seem to
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:32 PM
5 hrs ago

recognize the traps and avoid them. Pisses me off!

OAITW r.2.0

(28,973 posts)
30. This is a subject, near and dear to my heart.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:17 PM
5 hrs ago


Serious....had a mice infestation problem. Final count" 15. (3 drowned -1 in the washing machine and 2 in Skippa's water dish). The rest live trapped and freed for what would have most likely been a brief life.

Spray some bleach on the problem areas. Doing over my kitchen cubby area. Expecct to find a couple more desiccated mice remains.

yellow dahlia

(459 posts)
31. I love this discussion. The laughs were welcome.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:21 PM
5 hrs ago

But seriously. I live in the quasi country and have had my fair share of battles w/ mice. All the advice about cleaning and removing all trails, as well as cleaning all surfaces is valuable. Bleach is good. I often use vinegar.

Next you want to prevent further visits from mice. Finding the place of entry and plugging it is good. Peppermint and cinnamon are two things that discourage their presence. I spray peppermint essential oils in kitchen areas and closets and other locations. Love the smell of peppermint!

Good luck

womanofthehills

(9,406 posts)
33. When you live in the country.......,
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:32 PM
5 hrs ago

Just spray with Clorox foam or pour Clorox -let it sit a few minutes and wipe. You might spray essential oils like peppermint around cabinets -

Man - I have so many electronic mouse traps - in my car, sheds, house, drawers - - Did you catch the mouse ? —
or was it just dead - which would be weird.

How to Tell a Field Mouse and a House Mouse Apart

“Field mice are dark brown or gray with a white belly, while house mice are a solid brown or gray.
Field mice are about 6 inches (15 cm) long with a furry tail. House mice are smaller, about 3 inches (7 cm) long with a scaly, hairless tail.
Field mouse droppings have pointed ends, while house mouse droppings are oblong and rounded.
Field mice are typically found in rural areas, while house mice are more commonly found in residential areas.“

https://www.wikihow.com/Field-Mouse-vs-House-Mouse

Jilly_in_VA

(11,293 posts)
34. Wash the drawer and everything in it
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 06:45 PM
5 hrs ago

in a solution of hot water, Dawn detergent, and bleach. Kills just about everything. Place some cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil in the back of the drawer before you put everything back in. Mice hate the smell of mint. Replace those every couple of months.

forgotmylogin

(7,705 posts)
36. I'd spray the drawer with bleach.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 07:15 PM
4 hrs ago

Let it sit a while then wipe out. Hydrogen peroxide might also work.

If it’s an option, I would also re-line the drawer with new contact paper.

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