Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,
I owe you all a huge apology for not writing to you in such a long time and not even publishing your most recent comments until today. I have been at war with an invader.
About two weeks ago, I realized my closet had been raided. I thought it was limited to a single aggressor who frolicked around my shoes and left his nasty calling card in a pair of yellow pumps. Then I noticed he had danced on top of a jewelry box with his mousy girlfriend.
As I vanquished closet detritus, I discovered he had brought his entire family along. At least I didn't have to see their ugly faces.
I'm not pleased that mice have been in my closet, and I find it odd that Franklin and Penelope didn't notice them; but it was a good opportunity for me to throw out old bank statements and other papers, and gifts of tchotchkes I never wanted. I took everything out of the closet, cleaned each shelf thoroughly, and added cotton balls soaked in vinegar. I'll replace the cotton balls regularly and if they don't keep the marauders at bay, then we'll have to hire an exterminator to figure out where they get in because I have no clue.
My closet is now gorgeous and spacious. I didn't take BEFORE pictures, but here's AFTER in its shining vinegarized glory:
Because I have accepted my fate as a woman of a certain age who no longer wears a heel higher than a quarter of an inch, many of my shoes can go, so now each shoe and slipper has its own cubby:
Bad bad mice but nice fluffed up closet.
ReplyDeleteIt is somewhat cooler here so the rattlesnakes will be hibernating soon along with the scorpions who slip in also. Pack Rats are what likes to find places to live. I have a service that hunts them down and removes them. They are very cute but so destructive.
Have fun with the next closet.
I looked at Arizona pack rat nests on You Tube. They're huge!
DeleteI had a 5 story condo in my Barbeque so gross
DeleteBetter a small mouse and family than those ginormous rats they're dealing with in NYC. Yuck! It's a losing battle there it seems. Good that your closet is clean, de-cluttered and sanitized. That'll help.
ReplyDeleteA rat got in once. I'd had some work done by a plumber, who must have moved something under the house. The rat came up in a wall and chewed his way into the linen closet, where he pooped spectacularly, but finding nothing of interest, he left. I plugged his opening with steel wool and foam from a can.
DeleteI am super impressed at your cleanup job - and hope they unwelcome visitors stay far, far away.
ReplyDeleteIt will be much easier to spot the evidence now that I no longer have loads of papers and junk on the shelves.
DeleteI hope the little invaders stay away! What a horrible discovery, but your closet looks great. 👌
ReplyDeleteNow I'll know quickly if they return.
DeleteWhat a cool closet. And it is looking good. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is a very nice closet. It's not the biggest I've ever had but I love the organizing features. I love sorting clothes by type and color.
DeleteI love clean and organized. My closet could use some help. I have enough stuff for two closets and only one to put it in. At least there are no mice. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI would love to clean out your closet for you, Scooter.
DeleteHere is my footwear inventory: one pair of hiking boots, one pair of sandals, one pair of sneakers and one pair of dress shoes for the odd event where I need them. That's it, so it doesn't require a whole lot of organizing. As for mice, we see one occasionally and trap it, but it has not become a problem.
ReplyDeleteI have six pairs of slippers. I'm ridiculous.
DeleteYou know what they say, Janie. There's never just ONE mouse. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI am watching closely. Franklin and Penelope have never shown any concern and that closet is their hangout when noises overwhelm them.
DeletePerhaps the ice just came inside to give you the organization nudge??
ReplyDeletexoxo
Yes, ice are like that.
DeleteAnd by "ice," I clearly meant "mice." Oy!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about it putting me into cleaning/organizing mode.
DeleteLucky, lucky you - heels a quarter of an inch high....I can but be envious.
ReplyDeleteAs for meeces; my remaining cat brings them in regularly, mostly dead but the live ones Wolfgang leaves to run around the house - such joy.
What a wonderful name for a cat.
DeleteSo sorry to hear about your invaders. Glad to hear that they have been taken care of and your closet looks as beautiful as it does.
ReplyDeleteI hope they do not bother to return.
DeleteWell, at least the mousies gave you good incentive to do a thorough clean-out! We had the same problem in the closet below our stairs and I threw out a ton of old stuff from there. (A lot of it belonged to previous tenants!)
ReplyDeleteHow odd that tenants would go off and leave things behind.
DeleteBloody mice..............
ReplyDeleteI detest the little monsters.
DeleteIf it helps, the nasty little rascals are cute...
ReplyDeleteMickey and Minnie are cute, but mouse invaders are not cute to me. We had a terrible problem with mice when we lived in Illinois. They fell out of the kitchen cabinets and ran around right in front of us. It took a lot of work to get rid of them.
DeleteAs humans owned by three cats, we have not had to deal with this sort of matter since the came to honor us with their presence.
ReplyDeleteWe did have the rodent issue years ago, when out then only cat couldn't bother.
Some cats love to go after critters. Other cats prefer to nap in the sunshine.
DeleteI hope your visitors are gone for good, Janie. It's not nice having them move in. We had an issue at our cottage years ago. While I felt sorry for them (they ate candles because there was nothing else left behind for them to eat), I was pretty grossed out by the mess they made. Your closet looks wonderful, by the way. I bet you enjoy just looking at it; I know I would. I'll keep the vinegar trick in mind, too. I hadn't heard that one before.
ReplyDeleteI found the vinegar idea online. The mice haven't returned--yet. I'll refresh the vinegar regularly. It will be much easier for me to see the droppings if they come back because the clutter is gone. I don't know why they want to be in the closet. They can't find food or drinks there.
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