Use stainless steel wool grade MEDIUM so that mice, rats and other rodents do not make them larger. Make sure that, in addition to looking for holes in your walls, you also check electrical and plumbing entrances, doors, gutters, vents and chimneys for rodent access.
Medium grade, stainless steel wool works best. It can be used around heating pipes without the risk of burning or catching fire. Steel wool also continues to ventilate, which can be important where a seam or crack is necessary but needs to be sealed against rodents.
Medium-grade steel wool is the best to keep them away. This is because it's thick enough to make it nearly impossible for mice to chew through but flexible enough that you can bend it to fit into holes. Steel wool comes in coarse, medium, and fine.
Steel wool is a great way to block the small holes pests use to enter your home. First off, steel wool is tough but flexible; it can be pushed into all shapes and sizes of cracks and crevices. Pests like rats and mice hate chewing through steel wool, since the sharp edges hurt them the more they try to chew.
There is nothing in steel wool that repels mice. However, it will keep them from getting into cracks and crevices in your home.
Seal up gaps and holes inside and outside your home
Seal any holes you find to stop rodents from entering. Fill small holes with steel wool. Put caulk around the steel wool to keep it in place or use spray foam. Use lath screen or lath metal, cement, hardware cloth, or metal sheeting to fix larger holes.
Can mice chew through steel wool? Yes, but they choose not to in most instances because a steel wool bundle has sharp edges that are abrasive to their nose. The problem is, oftentimes, they will grab the bundle with their feet and pull it out of a sealed opening. Cause for concern.
Recommended Rodent Proofing Materials: Steel Wool. Hardware Cloth - 19 gauge or heavier. Perforated Metal - 24 gauge thickness.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, galvanized metal screens are the best material for excluding mice and rats.
"Rats can certainly gnaw through concrete and metal, most normally soft metals such as tin, aluminium, copper and lead, but I have seen gnaw marks on steel, various hard plastics such as waste pipes and terracotta pipes — as well as concrete walls." Alice Sinia, an entomologist and technical advisor with pest control ...
STUF-FIT Copper mesh works better than steel wool because of the way that it is woven, making it difficult for rodents to chew through. A small amount of STUF-FIT Copper mesh placed in weepholes, vents, A/C pipe entrances, etc. that are smaller than 2" will help to keep rodents and birds out.
Steel Wool Grade 00 is a flexible, abrasive fine to medium steel wool used for light cleaning and surface preparation....
Spray foam insulation is completely rodent proof due to the air tight barrier it creates, but also because it does not act as a breeding ground or source of food. This makes spray foam insulation the number one choice for mice or rat proofing your home.
For the most comprehensive rodent-control, use a 16-gauge to 19-gauge galvanized wire screen material that's welded at each joint.
Stainless Woven Steel 10 mesh (For Rat and Mouse Protection)
These products are used by pest control specialists, and are the industry standard for rodent protection.
Don't use steel wool on plastic surfaces or food storage containers—these will easily scratch up and make for breeding grounds for food stains and bacteria. For cleaning these bins, stick with warm soap and water.
The steel wool will block the entrance, causing mice to try and chew their way through. What is this? They will NOT like the feeling of the steel wool on their mouths, teeth, or tongues, causing them to say hey, no way. The steel wool will work as a deterrent, blocking the entrance to the house.
Mice and other rodents are unable to chew through it like many other products that could be used for this situation due to the sharp fibers in our stainless-steel wire mesh. Our stainless-steel wire mesh can also be used as a great barrier against gophers and moles.
Rats can easily chew through softer materials like cardboard and plastic. They can even chew through harder things like wood and PVC pipes. But rats cannot chew through steel. They can't chew through anything stronger than iron.
Stainless steel mesh with holes of 2mm or less will keep mice and rats from chewing through it.
So if you keep your steel wool pads in the freezer, they'll last basically forever — and certainly stay rust-free until your next big mess.
Don't use steel wool in weep holes
Just like many weep hole mesh products, steel wool is far too dense and thick to allow for proper drainage and ventilation meaning you hinder the very function that these holes serve.
Don't give rats nesting materials that separate into thin strands, such as cotton wool or similar 'fluffy' bedding products, as they can get tangled in them or and they aren't safe for them to eat.