No Mice Here Mouse-proof my house
Entry point 7 of 8

Garage door corners and bottom seal

The bottom corners of a garage door are where the seal wears, bends or stops short. If you can see daylight there, a mouse can get in.

Where to look

  • The two bottom corners, where the door seal meets the side jambs.
  • Along the bottom seal, especially worn, torn or flattened sections.
  • The side weatherstripping on the door frame.
  • The door between the garage and the house, which needs its own sweep.

The rule of thumb: if a gap is about the width of your finger, a mouse can use it.

House illustration with the garage door corners and bottom seal highlighted
Spot 7, marked in highlighter: garage door corners and bottom seal.

Why mice use it

Garage doors move every day, so seals wear out fastest at the corners. A garage is also full of shelter and stored food, and it connects to the house.

Common DIY mistake

Just swapping in a new rubber seal. Mice chew soft rubber, and they go for the corners first.

The lasting fix

Close it with stainless steel or galvanized hardware cloth, or exterior-grade metal, sealed in with exterior-grade adhesives and sealants.

The lasting fix, step by step

  1. Check for daylight

    Close the door, turn off the garage lights during the day, and look along the bottom and corners for light.

  2. Replace a worn bottom seal

    Fit a rodent-resistant bottom seal designed for your door's track.

  3. Add corner seals

    Install a garage door corner seal on each side, so the corners close tight where the seal meets the jamb.

  4. Seal the side gaps

    Close gaps between the door frame and the wall with exterior-grade metal, sealed in with exterior-grade adhesives and sealants.

  5. Do the house door too

    Fit a rodent-resistant sweep on the door from the garage into the house.

For a shared or attached garage, the garage door may belong to the association. The door from the garage into your unit is usually yours to fix.

Materials

  • Rodent-resistant garage door bottom seal
  • Garage door corner seals
  • Exterior-grade metal and fasteners
  • Exterior-grade adhesives and sealants
  • Rodent-resistant door sweep

Safety notes

  • Never adjust garage door springs or cables yourself. They're under high tension. Call a garage door technician.
  • Unplug the opener while you work on the door.
  • After a new seal goes on, test the door's auto-reverse so it still stops for an obstruction.

Before you seal the last gap

  • Make sure nothing is still living inside. If mice are already in, set indoor snap traps along the walls as you seal, never as a substitute for sealing.
  • Keep food, pet food and birdseed in sealed containers.

On a real house

Before photos from homes we’ve inspected, with the gap marked in highlighter.

  • The bottom corner of a gray garage door, where the door seal stops short of the jamb and leaves a gap at the ground. Before
    Garage door corner: the bottom seal stops short of the jamb. If you can see daylight there, a mouse can get in.
  • The bottom corner of a garage door, where the seal stops short and droppings have collected in the open gap. Before
    Garage door corner: droppings collected right where the bottom seal stops short. That gap is the way in.

Want us to look at your house?Send photos from your walk-around and we'll send back a custom plan: each gap marked, what to seal it with, and in what order.

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