Selling Your Appliances For More

Every winter, millions of homeowners suffer unwanted guests—mice. It's not as thought these rodents are wanted anywhere, but the fact they seem to take up residence in the heart of the home, the kitchen, seems to add insult to injury.

Scientists have suggested humans are hard-wired to fear mice. They urinate and defecate everywhere they go, bringing parasites such as Bubonic plague-carrying fleas. They contaminate your food supply, chewing into whatever they can in your pantry, leaving their droppings as they go. They rip apart clothing, insulation, upholstered goods, and other household belongings to make a nest for themselves. They can also get into your expensive electronics and kitchen appliances. One of their favorite places to go is your dishwasher. Here is what to look for if you suspect mice have invaded your dishwasher.

Check The Dishwasher Floor

If you see tiny black specks that resemble chocolate cupcake sprinkles on the bottom of your dishwasher, mice have found their way in. As gross as this may be, you may wonder why they would choose to visit your dishwasher. The simple answer is because it is a good food source as well as a water source. A mouse can only live a few days without food. If you don't rinse your dishes well before loading them into the dishwasher, the filter will catch the larger food particles, trapping them inside the dishwasher. These make tasty little morsels for mice.

How Does A Mouse Get Into The Dishwasher?

On older dishwasher, the seal around the door is usually dried and cracked. A mouse can squeeze its body through the smallest of holes, with a diameter of less than a dime. A dishwasher that is no longer tightly sealed doesn't pose much of a challenge.

Another way they frequently gain entry is through the hoses in the back of the dishwasher unit. There are pipes and hoses back there that connect a built-in dishwasher to your home's water supply. Chewing through rubber hoses poses no challenge to a hungry family of mice.

How Do You Fix A Dishwasher With Mice? 

A small dishwasher leak will eventually turn into a big one, and a water leak will damage your home. Once you get the mice problem is under control, call an appliance repair service like Jensen Appliance & Refrigeration Service. They can replace the dishwasher hoses and put a new seal on the front of the dishwasher to make it tighter-fitting.