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Blog · October 2026
Mice in the stove, oven or dishwasher: is it safe to use?
Droppings in the broiler drawer. A smell when the oven heats up. Something rustling under the dishwasher. Here is what to do before you cook again.
- Power off first
- Never cook it out
- Clean the CDC way
- Find the gap behind it
In a hurry? Skip to the before-you-use-it steps.
Start here
Is it safe to use a stove, oven, dishwasher or microwave that mice have been in?
Not until it is shut off, cleaned and checked. Unplug it or turn off its breaker first, and if it is a gas range and you smell gas, leave the house and call from outside, as the Mississippi Public Service Commission advises. Then clean the way the CDC says: air the room out for 30 minutes, wear gloves, soak droppings and nest material with disinfectant or a mix of 1.5 cups of bleach to 1 gallon of water for 5 minutes, and wipe it up instead of sweeping or vacuuming. Do not run the oven hot to burn out a nest. If you see chewed wires, scorched spots or a nest packed around the burner or controls, have an appliance technician look before you use it. Finally, find the gap behind the appliance. A house mouse can squeeze through an opening slightly larger than 1/4 inch.
Why appliances
Why mice and rats move into kitchen appliances
Warm, hidden, and next to the food. That is the whole appeal.
Warmth
Appliances offer protected nesting space and heat, according to Mr. Appliance.
Crumbs and grease
Ovens collect crumbs, and the storage drawer and the floor underneath collect more. A mouse eats only about 1/10 ounce a day, so a little goes a long way.
Soft nesting material
Many ranges and dishwashers are wrapped in insulation that is soft and hidden, which makes good nesting material. Paper, lint and food wrappers get dragged in too.
Gaps where lines enter
The CDC lists the spaces behind appliances and around electrical, water and gas lines among the places mice get in.
Mice seldom travel more than about 50 feet from their nest and food, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. So a mouse nesting in the oven insulation may be living its whole life inside your kitchen.
Signs by appliance
Signs of a mouse in the stove, oven, dishwasher or microwave
Look in the drawer first. It is the easiest place to see.
| Appliance | What people usually notice |
|---|---|
| Stove or range | Droppings in the storage or broiler drawer, under the burner grates or on the cooktop in the morning. Shredded paper or insulation fluff underneath. |
| Oven | A sour or burnt smell when it heats up, droppings on the oven floor, and scratching from inside the side or back panels. |
| Dishwasher | Droppings behind the kick plate at the bottom, chewed food bits on the lower rack, and noises under the unit at night. |
| Microwave | Droppings on the turntable or on top of an over-the-range unit, and grease smudges near the vents. |
| Any of them | Chewed wires, an appliance that trips the breaker or stops working, or a musty urine smell, all signs Mr. Appliance lists. |
Rats do the same thing. Not sure which one you have? Our identification guide shows the difference.
Before you use it
Before you cook again: six steps in order
Shut it off, clean it, check it, then seal it.
Cut the power
Unplug it or turn off its breaker before you pull it out or reach inside, as Mr. Appliance advises.
Smell gas? Get out
Do not touch switches or anything that can spark. Leave and call your gas company or 911 from outside.
Do not cook it out
Heating the oven will not clean it. It bakes droppings and nest material and blows the dust through the kitchen.
Look at the wiring
Chewed wires can short out an appliance or start a fire. If you see bare wire, stop and call a technician.
Clean the CDC way
Air out 30 minutes, wear gloves, soak with disinfectant for 5 minutes, then wipe. Never sweep or vacuum droppings.
Close the way in
Find the gap behind or under the appliance, or mice will be back in the same spot next week.
The steps follow the CDC, the Mississippi Public Service Commission and Mr. Appliance. Do not try to repair wiring yourself.
Cleaning it
Cleaning the appliance and the floor behind it
Clean where they lived, not just where you saw them.
Most of the mess is in the drawer, under the cooktop and on the floor behind the unit, not inside the oven. Pull the appliance out once the power is off.
Wet everything first. Spray droppings and nest material until very wet, wait 5 minutes, then wipe with paper towels and double-bag them, as the droppings cleanup guide explains. Deciding what food, pans and utensils to keep is its own question: our keep, clean or toss guide covers it item by item.
- Power off, gloves on, windows open for 30 minutes
- Storage or broiler drawer emptied and wiped
- Cooktop lifted, if your model allows, and the tray underneath cleaned
- Dishwasher kick plate removed and the floor behind it cleaned
- Floor and wall behind the unit disinfected
- Paper towels and nest material double-bagged and thrown out
- Hands washed with soap and water after
Kitchen mice
Mice back in the stove after you cleaned it?
Call or send the form. We find the gap behind the appliance, seal it with metal and trap what is still inside. The price is in writing before any work starts.
Technician or us
When to call an appliance technician, and when to call us
The appliance is where they showed up. The gap is where they came from.
Call an appliance technician when
- Wires are chewed, bare or scorched
- The unit trips the breaker or will not turn on
- A nest is packed around the burners, igniter or controls
- You smell gas after the mice (call the gas company first)
Call a rodent company when
- Droppings come back after you clean
- You hear scratching in the wall behind the kitchen
- Mice show up in more than one appliance
- You cannot find where they are getting in
Often it is both: the technician fixes the appliance and we close the way in. Mice usually reach a stove or dishwasher through the gap where the gas line, water line or drain passes through the wall or floor, and our exclusion page shows how those gaps get sealed with metal. If the trail leads into the wall itself, see mice in the walls.
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Straight answers
Stove, oven and dishwasher mouse questions
Is it safe to use my oven after a mouse was in it?
Yes, once the power is off, the oven and the space around it have been cleaned the way the CDC describes, and you have checked for chewed wiring. If wires are damaged or a nest is packed around the controls, have an appliance technician check it first.
Can I just turn the oven on high to kill the mouse or burn off the mess?
No. Heat does not clean droppings or urine, and it can fill the kitchen with smoke, odor and dust. A mouse trapped inside may also die where you cannot reach it. Turn the oven off, clean it and trap the mouse.
Why does my oven smell bad when it heats up?
Usually droppings, urine or nest material in the insulation or under the cooktop is warming up. Cleaning the oven cavity alone will not fix it, and soiled insulation is a technician job.
Can mice damage a dishwasher or stove?
Yes. Mice chew wires, which can make an appliance short out, quit, or become a fire hazard, according to Mr. Appliance. Do not try to repair wiring yourself.
How do mice get into a stove?
Usually from behind. The CDC lists spaces behind appliances and around gas, water and electrical lines as entry points. Mice then climb into the drawer or the back of the unit.
Should I put poison behind the stove?
We do not use loose poison inside homes. A poisoned mouse can die behind or inside the appliance, and then you have a smell problem. See our dead rodent smell guide. Snap traps behind the appliance work, and you can see the result.
Keep reading
Related rodent help for Oxford homes
Sources
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Rodent Control Oxford team. Biology and control standards follow Mississippi State University Extension and the CDC. Price ranges are labeled benchmarks; your price comes in writing after we inspect.
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