It's even worse than it appears..
I live in nature, and around this time every year a mouse family moves in to ride out the winter. Year after year I try to make noise when I hear them scratching to start their nests in the walls of the house. It doesn't always work, and I get a really sore hand from all the wall-banging. But after cleaning out last year's poop and food-filled nest in the linen closet, I had a neat idea that appears to be working. I have a nice JBL super size speaker for outdoor music listening in the summer. I put it on the top shelf of the closet and Bluetooth connected it to my phone with the volume turned up really high. It seems to work. The clawing stops and every time it comes back I turn the music on again. I get to listen to vintage Aretha, Tina Turner, a little James Taylor and Little Feat for good measure. I'm sure they would like the music if it weren't blasting so loud in their bedroom. They can find another place to nest this winter. I would prefer to keep the mouse poop out of the towels and bedsheets. #

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Last update: Sunday November 15, 2026; 9:43 AM EST.

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