You have a mouse problem in your home and have opted to take care of it with a glue mouse trap. Controversies aside (some state that this type of trap is cruel to mice), you think it is an effective solution.
The glue from the trap can become an issue. It gets on your hands, or your pet somehow has got the glue on its fur and paws. Maybe there is some of the glue on your floor.
If you find yourself in any of these situations, there is an answer to your dilemma. Read on to discover how you can remove mouse trap glue from you, your beloved pets, your floor, and your clothes.
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Is the glue poisonous?
For those of you who have a glue mouse trap, there can be concerns about the glue. How poisonous is it? This a valid question for anyone who has infants, toddlers, or pets.
The glue is safe unless it is ingested either by a child or a pet. That should make you think twice about where to locate the trap. You want it to take care of your mouse problem but without posing a health risk to your family.
How do I remove mouse trap glue from skin?
When handling the mouse trap, you may have gotten some of the glue onto your skin. The best course of action is to soften the glue. This will make it easier to peel off.
- Get some oil (olive oil or vegetable oil) and blot it over the glue with a cotton ball.
- Wait for around five minutes.
- Take a soft cloth and gently rub it across the affected spot. The glue should start to come off your skin.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
Repeat the first three steps if the glue doesn’t come off after the first attempt.
What can I do to remove the mouse trap glue from my pet?
Pets love to explore, play and roll around. During these activities, your animal may accidentally make contact with the glue from your mouse trap. If your pet has it stuck in its fur or on its paw, follow these steps to remove the glue.
Cleaning mouse trap glue from fur
How you address this problem depends on the size of the animal. If your pet is small and most of the fur is covered with glue, then it’s better to take them to the vet.
Bigger animals can be treated similarly to that for removing glue from the skin.
- Apply oil to the affected areas of your pet. Gently massage the oil into the fur.
- Wait several minutes for the oil to break down the bonds of the glue. (During this time you can talk soothingly to your pet to keep them calm).
- Take a pet brush and comb the fur. This helps to remove the glue.
- Give your pet a good wash and shampoo.
- Provide them with a treat at the end for being such a good patient! (This step is optional).
Removing the glue from your pet’s paw
If your cat or dog has stepped onto the mouse trap, it may be still stuck to its paw. If that’s the case then you need to proceed with caution. Prevent your animal from licking at the area as the glue can be poisonous (as mentioned earlier)
- Around the paw, cut away any fur that is stuck on the trap.
- Follow steps 1 to 2 in the previous section (for removing glue out of fur). The exception here is to allow the oil to seep into the glue between the trap and the paw.
- Slowly separate the trap from the paw.
- Apply oil again to the pads of the paw and wait 5 minutes. Then carefully wipe away any residual glue from the padding.
How do I remove mouse trap glue from my floor?
You have placed your mouse trap on the floor, yet it has flipped over, and now there is glue on your flooring. Here is how to deal with the issue.
Removing the glue from linoleum floors
For this process, you will need oil lubrication and a scraper.
- Carefully try to peel the trap off the floor with your hands. If it’s really stuck, you will need to use your scraper. Take your time as you don’t want to damage the lino.
- Once you have separated the trap from the floor, you need to remove the residual glue.
- Take your oil lubricant and apply it to the glue. Wait for a quarter of an hour.
- Scarp away the glue. Constantly clean the blade of your scraper on a cloth so that it doesn’t get gunked up with glue.
- Finish the task by spraying the lino with a floor or general-purpose cleaner. Wipe over the area.
Getting the glue out of your carpet
You may have an unfortunate situation in which the mouse has managed to free itself from the trap. Then it made its escape across your carpet leaving splotches of glue in its wake.
The glue can be challenging to take out of the carpet, but not impossible. Think of this as a similar way to removing the glue out of fur. Instead, you are dealing with strands of fiber rather than hair.
Here are two ways that can deal with the problem.
Use vegetable oil
- Using a knife, scrape up as much of the glue as possible. Then blot at the area with paper towels.
- Apply a generous amount of oil to the remaining glue. Wait for several minutes.
- Soak up the oil with paper towels. Press into the carpet to help absorb the oil into the towel. Repeat this process until all the oil has been drawn out.
Try vinegar
- Apply some white vinegar to a paper towel and then rub it into the glue. Allow the vinegar to get into the base of the fibers.
- Fill a basin with hot water and dish soap. Dip a cloth into the basin and then rub it firmly over the area you are working on. Let the soapy water penetrate deep into the carpet.
- Wait five minutes.
- Vacuum the area.
Repeat this process until all the glue has been cleaned from the carpet.
How do I remove mouse trap glue from clothes?
If you have gotten some glue onto your clothes, there are two ways to attack the problem. Freeze the clothes or smear some peanut butter over the glue.
Put your clothes into the freezer
It may sound weird, but the trick behind this method is to harden the glue.
Place the affected piece of clothing into your freezer for 60 minutes. When the time is up, take the garment out of the freezer and start to peel away the frozen glue. Begin at one edge of the glue and work towards the opposite edge.
Time is of the essence here as the glue can start to soften as it begins to thaw.
Cover the glue with peanut butter
- Place the item of clothing on a flat surface.
- Smear peanut butter over the glue and then wait for 5 minutes.
- Scrub the clothing gently to remove the peanut butter and glue.
- Once the glue is gone, give your clothing a cycle in the washing machine.
Conclusion
Using a glue-based mouse trap opens up the possibility of glue getting on you, your pets, or some other part of your home. Oil is the main way to remove the glue from skin, fur, and flooring.
There is a risk of poisoning if the glue is consumed by a pet or human. If that is a concern to you then consider using the traditional spring-loaded style of trap.