Gone Two Weeks—Came Back to Horror
July 16, 2025
Source: Reddit
We had just come back from a two-week trip. While helping my daughter clean her closet, I pulled…. back the curtain and noticed a thick wad of brown-stuffed debris crammed in the area between the window and the blinds.
At first, we thought it was mold or a bird’s nest. After all, we had just returned home after two weeks. But when we looked closer, the reality unfolded differently.
We had mice nesting in the walls.
The Signs We Found
The material behind the window frame was fibrous and dusty, and we saw small black pellets that looked like wood splinters. It was the clutter that looked like insulation. The black dots were mouse droppings. The splinters were probably chewed wall studs or trim.
Mice nested somewhere in your wall. They tore apart insulation and pushed the debris out through a gap near the window frame.
How Fast It Went Down
Mice can fit through tiny spaces; even as small as a dime. Once they get in, mice build nests pretty quickly from materials like insulation, paper and other chewed debris. They leave droppings, urine and chew marks. So, with no one home for a few weeks, it was a good situation for them.
What We Did
We vacuumed the debris and then immediately started to mouse-proof our daughter’s room.
- Inspect the outside: We found a small opening where the siding micro-sized gaps mice could squeeze in through.
- Set traps: We used snap traps, baited with peanut butter, on the interior walls. Within 48 hours we caught two mice.
- Capped entry points: We sealed the exterior hole with steel wool and caulk. Inside we filled in wall gaps with expandable foam, backed with mesh.
- Full disinfection: We wore gloves and masks while disinfecting where we saw the droppings and urine.
What We Learned
It doesn’t take much for mice to occupy a quiet, undisturbed home fast. They can do damage quickly – they chew through insulation, wires, and drywall. Even a sealed window can turn into a mice-unenjoyed nest and be an issue if there are small gaps in the frame or structure.
How to Stop Mice in Your Walls
- Seal cracks and holes with caulk, steel wool, and/or mesh.
- Look carefully at the window frames and where weather stripping is applied to check for gaps.
- Store food properly, remove crumbs quickly.
- Use traps in places where you see evidence.
- Listen for scratching or rustling in the walls at night.
Final Reflection
That wadded up mess of insulation grew into more than just debris – the incident was more of a problem within the walls of the house. Mice can move in, cause issues fast – we want to act ideally before they are fully moved in. Moving quickly helped us get it under control but ideally we hope this doesn’t repeat.
If you notice something that looks like this near your windows or walls, be alarmed. It’s no joke. With mice, you need to jump on this quick.