Keeping Mice Out of Your Grill – Tips for Blackstones, Webers, & Other Grills

Hamburgers and hotdogs on a grill.

This is real life folks, and sometimes… we get mice in our outdoor grills and BBQs. If you’re living in your own reality show and need some tips on how to keep mice out of your grill, help is here.

If you’re the owner of a Weber charcoal grill, the popular Blackstone Griddle, or any other make of gas grill, pizza oven or smoker, you’re going to have to address the mouse problem.

Rodents can cause health concerns, damage wiring, and cause rust spots from urine on your grill surface. The gross factor can even amount to replacing your grill. You have a BIG incentive to get rid of these pests!

Trying to get cooking grease off of concrete and patios? Check out our guide to getting bbq grease and frying grease out of concrete.

DON’T MISS Pantry Passion’s Complete Article List for Mouse & Rat Prevention!

Table of Contents

How Mice Get Into Grills

Are you puzzled how mice get into your grill? It only takes the smallest gap, my friends! These little buggers can jump, too: from a deck railing, bush, or chair, etc. right onto your grill. Crawling up the grill legs can be another route of entry.

Vents that are necessary for fuel use and grease traps also unfortunately let the mice in. One gentleman reported witnessing a rodent fly out of the pilot light hole after he ignited the grill. Even holes for rotisserie accessories are a path in.

Other than that it comes down to small gaps between the lid and the grill. This guy in the video below shows trapped mice that entered through the rotisserie holes (which he stuffed with steel wool to keep them out the next time it happened).

How to Keep Mice Out of Grill: Stuff Holes, Cracks, & Crevices

You guessed it, grill owners need to block entry holes and cracks to keep mice out of grills. The coarser stainless steel scrubbers also breathe better. The trick is to know which ones NOT to block while cooking. Grills require ventilation for safety reasons.

Place a flashlight inside of the grill to get a better idea where the gaps are. Mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime or smaller.

Experienced grill owners usually opt for stainless steel scrubbers, copper mesh scrubbers, or balled up aluminum foil. Steel wool (although often recommended) can catch on fire and will rust. Make sure you buy steel scrub pads without soap.

Your particular brand of grill/griddle/BBQ may offer additional accessories to close up your grill more tightly to keep mice out.

Using a flashlight to find openings in grill where mice can get in.
Place a flashlight inside of the grill to find potential entry points for mice.

Buyer beware when shopping for a new grill! Avoid grills with all the pretty drawers and cubbies. You won’t want to store your utensils in the same place that mice put up house!

Using High Heat Silicone Sealant & Tape

This is a good example of mouse-proofing a grill with the right supplies. The gentleman used mesh wire and high heat silicone to block the entire back of the grill. Then he went on to block the gas hose entry point (gently so as not to damage the hose) and two other side vents. Using the high heat tape, he covered up the edges of the silicone glue application.

Supplies used:

How to Keep Mice Out of Blackstone Griddles (& Other Brands)

Blackstone griddles seem to have a reputation of having mouse problems. A Blackstone griddle is a type of outdoor cooking appliance featuring a large, flat, rectangular cooking surface, typically made of steel, heated by propane burners underneath. 

Due to the Blackstone design, gaps on the perimeter allow easy access into and on the grill surface. After I wrote this article, I checked out the Coleman griddle my husband recently installed – yep, there are signs of mice (little scratches in the grease residue) on our griddle surface, too!

Before having a Blackstone I never even knew I had mice in my yard.

-Reddit User

Owners are disgusted to open the grill to find tell-tale signs of mice: poop, or worse, a nest. If you’re encountering evidence of mice in a Blackstone grill, pay attention to the gaps unique to the Blackstone griddle. Ultimately, consumers can raise enough frustrated feedback, leading to the creation of a more mouse-proof design.

Gap Issues in Blackstone Griddle

  • grease drain hole that remains open even with the lid down
  • rotisserie holes
  • gaps leading into the griddle on the sides

The Blackstone griddle user in the video below cut a piece of foam insulation to exactly fit into the grill footprint, and then covered with the Blackstone lid. Important: ONLY insert when grill is fully cooled off!

A Blackstone Griddle: A Multi-Approach Mouse Protection Plan

Using a combination strategy is a powerful deterrent to keeping mice away from your Blackstone griddle. I would also suggest taking other preventative measures in your grilling environment, such as cleaning the griddle well, trapping mice, and removing clutter from the patio and where the griddle is stored.

  1. When cooled, place a specially designed Blackstone silicone mat over the surface. It rides up and over the walls of the cooking surface so the mice can’t get through (caveat: the brand must fit perfectly to be effective). Optional: line the flat top with tin foil to do the same and cover with the hard top.
  2. Magnetic grease hole cover. You can leave the cover on 24/7 even while cooking and it’s easy to slide the grate left or right to “unblock” it if you’re cleaning/scraping.
  3. Remove the aluminum grease/drip liner/grease catcher, or use a removeable foil. Some people opt to put the pan under the hood when not using the griddle. 
  4. Stuff the grease hole with steel wool (steel wool is more pliable than a coarse steel scrubbie). Some people suggest covering with a magnet of any kind, or a heavy duty block magnet so mice can’t push it aside.
  5. Spray Tomcat Rodent Repellent with Peppermint, Cinnamon and Garlic Essential Oils on the wheels/legs. Also, heavily spray a cloth/paper towel with the Tom Cat spray and placed inside the empty drip pan/receptacle, underneath for extra deterrent/protection.
  6. Keep the griddle covered and cleaned.

More Tips From Real Blackstone Griddle Owners

Here are extra tips from real users who are fighting the battle to keep mice out of their Blackstone griddles:

  • Flip the iron upside down when not using it, or store in a griddle bag after it has been oiled down or remove and store it away for the winter.
  • Use burger smasher/cast iron press/brick or block of wood to cover the grease hole and/or the grease trap holder when not in use.
  • Buy Blackstone wind guards (bonus, they also improve heat distribution and fuel efficiency).
  • Install hardware cloth over vent with hose clamp and same for grease trap.
  • Use both the Blackstone hard hood and the soft rain cover; use heavy duty clamps to keep the fabric cover on tight.

Here’s a more novel mouse deterrent one Blackstone Griddle user made himself:

“I got that pink insulation foam from Home Depot, cut it to the size of the grill and gorilla taped around the edges of the foam so it doesn’t crumb apart. As long as you pick the right thickness and make sure you don’t put it down on the hot grill you will be good. It’s easy to remove and the mice haven’t eaten through it in four years.” Credit: pudgymennonite, Reddit.

Disinfecting a Blackstone Grill After Mice

Internet research will certainly point to high heat to sanitize your Blackstone after mice have been on the griddle. There are different viewpoints on this. Personally, I would take the extra step of cleaning with bleach.

Dawn Dish Detergent might give you some additional comfort, but it does not disinfect like bleach will (see disinfecting grill steps further below). Some people will even apply several applications of bleach to get over the ick factor (if not completely tossing out the grill).

Weber Charcoal Grills, Do They Attract Mice?

A traditional Weber brand charcoal grill has a big advantage to keeping mice out: a tight lid and a closable vent that seals completely.

A Weber grill is not for everyone. It takes more patience and planning ahead because you have to light the briquettes and wait 15-20 minutes for them to char. However many people prefer the authentic BBQ flavor a charcoal grill offers when compared to the hints of gas from an LP gas grill.

The inconvenience of constantly cleaning a mouse-infested grill outweighs the wait of getting the coals ready on a traditional grill. Weber’s are essentially self cleaning outside of a grill brush and disposing of the ash. The kettle itself needs a cleaning every 5 or 6 cooks… and no grease flare ups or hard to access parts.

Man with thumbs up showing a metal slider on a Weber grill that keeps mice out of vent hole.
Web charcoal grills tightly close up to keep mice out!

A Dose of Prevention: Best User Tip to Keep Mice Out of Grills

Taking these steps can reduce your chances of attracting mice to your grill. Keep in mind that mice like to be under cover, prefer dark, enclosed spaces for their nests, and have access to travel routes along walls.

Discourage mice by creating places that don’t feel safe to them – this means exposing them to light and potential predators. By leaving the lid open you’ll make it less habitable for them. Notice that ultrasonic devices did not make it on the list – too many users report that they don’t work.

  • Leave the grill lid open.
  • Set the grill away from the house (in the middle of the patio).
  • Remove the drip pan after every use (can be put in freezer) or empty the grease trap out after each use – do not let grease sit in there – it is a main reason mice are attracted to the grill.
  • Add a motion activated light to stand watch when the grill is not in use.
  • Clean the grill well after cooking, including drips down the exterior.
  • Use natural mouse repellents (refer to the extensive list below).
  • Use the grill/bbq more often!
  • Beware of any landscaping near the grill that offers too much cover to mice.
  • Wheel the grill into garage after using it, especially if your garage is mouse-proof ready.
  • Keep mouse traps near the grill legs – even in the garage.
  • Welcome any snakes you see – they’re there to get the mice. 
  • Keep a radio playing where the griddle is stored.
  • Get a cat to keep mice away.

Clean That Grill!

Keeping the grill clean and free from food particles is important if you want to keep mice away from your grill. Mice smell grease, let alone those tangy hamburgers you just grilled. Get in the habit of removing the grease pan, an easy lunch for mice (and also a convenient launch pad to get to other parts of the grill).

Grill grease containers/pans/traps are a big reason that mice are attracted to grills.
Grill grease containers/pans/traps are a big reason that mice are attracted to grills.

Another user tip for deep cleaning of grates, use Easy Off Oven Cleaner.

Also, clean out the inside of your grill with something that deodorizes like enzyme cleaners (if you don’t want to use cleaning products because of the chemicals, rubbing alcohol works well). They don’t like the smell of Pine-sol, but are attracted to their own smells they leave behind, so put an end to that!

Line Up of Mouse Deterrents That Keep Mice Out of Grills

Mice have a powerful sense of smell and don’t like the mouse repellents on the list below. Place these deterrents on top of the griddle, grease trap, and around the legs of your griddle to keep mice away. Although peppermint oil is king, all scents can dissipate.

In addition, mice are adaptable and can become accustomed to repellents over time, making it necessary to alternate methods or increase the concentration of repellents for continued effectiveness. The best strategy is to refresh often and change out the scent of choice every so often to throw the mice off.

Check out Pantry Passion’s Guide to Peppermint Oil

Natural mouse repellent packets and peppermint oil keep mice out of grills and BBQs.
Natural mouse repellent packets and peppermint oil keep mice out of grills and BBQs.

Mint & Peppermint Mouse Deterrents

Most mice don’t like the smell of peppermint or mint – use it to your advantage. FYI, mice hate peppermints but squirrels and racoons don’t.

Check out Pantry Passion’s Guide to Peppermint Oil

  • Dab peppermint oil/mint extract on a wool dryer ball or cotton ball, touch it up routinely. Place inside the grill.
  • Crush up mint leaves or mint packets or place in mesh bag and put inside of grill. If using fresh mint, rub the mint leaves a little bit to release the mint aroma/oils.
  • Mist mint oil or peppermint oil spray inside of the grill after it has cooled off and the grill cleaned. The residual oil will burn off after the next use and it’s harmless to human consumption.
  • Mix in a small squirt bottle, water, tablespoon of peppermint extract, couple of drops of dishwasher liquid soap, mix and spray non-food areas of your grill.
  • Spray pure peppermint oil liberally around your grill about once a week.
  • In the winter throw a handful of Altoid peppermints in the grill or spray peppermint oil in the grill.

Mice also dislike basil, cinnamon, rosemary, cedar, and cayenne pepper. Some mouse deterrent products may combine them for use. Learn how these same ingredients keep mice out of cars, RVs, boats, motorcycles and farm equipment. This article goes deep in using hot, spicey products to keep mice out of vehicles.

Household Mouse Deterrents

There are plenty of tried-and-true household products to keep mice out of a grill:

  • Place a moth ball in the grill once a week.
  • Put a bar or two of Irish spring soap at the base of the unit. One person uses a combo of Irish Spring and laundry boosters (or chlorine pucks) in a tinfoil.
  • Stuff fabric softener/dryer sheets at the openings. Swap out the dryer sheets each use. If you have a soft cover, put them between the soft and hard cover. Strategically place them around ground contact points as well.
  • Spray surrounding area with Pine-Sol cleaning product nightly until you feel the mouse problem is under control.
  • Fill an empty tin can half full with ammonia and place on the grill (take out before you start the grill!).

Predator Urine Mouse Deterrent

Yes, you heard me – predator urine. If you’re feeling really desperate, spray grill area with predator urine that mice naturally run away from – fox or coyote work best for mice.

Another spin on this: used cat litter (urine infused). Again, how desperate are you to keep those mice away from your grill?

Trap or Bait Mice on a Grill

The sooner you address your mouse problem, the better. I hate to be Captain Obvious, but if repellents are used in the same areas as bait (like placing peanut butter on a mouse trap), the repelling odors of the natural mouse repellents could deter mice from consuming the bait, reducing the bait’s effectiveness.

Therefore, it isn’t a smart move to use them together in the grill at the same time. But let’s say the natural repellent has worn off, and you’ve lost your patience. It’s time to bring the traps and poison  out.

A grill owner being proactive by placing mouse traps around base and wheels of grill.
A grill owner being proactive by placing mouse traps around base and wheels of grill.

Place snap traps at these locations and bait accordingly:

  • Keep mouse trap on griddle surface when not in use
  • On the ground near the grill
  • Place on side shelves of grill

Sticky/glue traps are controversial. I would only use in extreme conditions.

Expand trapping to other areas if mouse problem gets worse. There are some baits that are self contained to prevent your pets from eating them. For further coverage, place trap lid buckets in multiple perimeter locations.

Note: As mentioned before, it seems that field mice/deer mice are the ones getting on your grill – and are known to evade traps. I find them very difficult trap – I have mouse traps set at all times in my garage, and have never caught one.

Is It Safe to Use Grill After Mice Have Been In It?

Determining if a grill is safe to use after mice have crawled in it, defecated, and built nests in it is up for debate. The first thing to ask yourself is what part of the United States you live in and if there is a high risk of contracting disease, especially if there are known mouse disease cases in your area.

Grills can be sanitized, but it may come down to a personal choice depending on how bad the infestation is, how long the mice have been in there, and how much damage the mice caused before deciding to toss or clean the grill out.

Many grill owners consider a mouse nest/infestation in their grill disgusting. Considering that food is cooked on the surface, some people opt to throw the grill out. As one poster “I’ve seen it so severe that the excrement has eaten through enamel. For that alone I’d seriously consider tossing the grill.”

Mouse Infested Grills & Hantavirus

According to Woodstream Partner Portal, rodents harbor various diseases that are infectious to humans including Hantavirus, Lyme Disease, Salmonella, and Typhus. All good reasons to disinfect your grill properly; I’ll be focusing on Hantavirus for this discussion.

NOTE: All of the videos I‘ve researched have caught on camera live field mice/deer mice in the bbq grills. This mice breed is the one known to carry hantavirus.

-Farmwife Renee, PantryPassion.com

A Reddit thread discussed the risk of a grill owner in the eastern United States cleaning out a mouse nest and the dangers of contracting Hantavirus (mice are carriers). The risk of Hantavirus exposure very much depends on location: The risk in the eastern half of the US is extremely low.

The Reddit poster, Arthree, lays it out like this:

First, there are 3 things that will kill hantavirus reliably: heat, UV light, and chlorine bleach. Note that heat and UV will only kill the viruses at the surface of whatever exposed things are in your BBQ. It will not destroy the virus in the poop, pee, and inside the nests. You need to consider those things infectious regardless of heat or UV treatment.

Second, hantavirus is airborne, so do not disturb any of the nests without wearing PPE.

Third, hantavirus has a mortality rate of 30-40%. You do NOT want to get infected. Understand that you are risking far more than a tummy ache when you decide to keep this BBQ.

Arthree goes on to detail the specific steps in the correct order to clean a grill, which I have incorporated in the steps below. Arthree warns to not follow the advice to just fire up the grill and let it run. Hantavirus infected mouse poop that’s inside of the BBQ can potentially be sent out the exhaust.

Arthree also instructs DO NOT hose the grill off “or you will risk aerosolizing viruses that were not killed by the [bleach] soaking process.”

Washington State Department of Health instructs, “Thoroughly wet any contaminated areas — including trapped or dead rodents, droppings, and nests — with a 10% bleach solution… Avoid stirring up dust; don’t use a leaf blower, vacuum, sweep, or use cleaning methods such as dry dusting.” Get the WSDH PDF cheat sheet here. So yes – you need to spray the bleach mix ON the nests, mouse droppings, and ON any dead rodent bodies.

The cleaning of the grill should end with leaving it sitting out in sunshine for a few hours or days. According to the New York State Health Department, “Exposure to the sun’s UV rays can also kill the virus.” UV rays from direct sunlight can kill hantavirus after about 30 minutes of exposure according to Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.

A thorough and proper cleaning, whether you live in hantavirus territory or not, can lessen the chances of infection from other nasty pathogens the mouse might have been carrying.

Removing Nests & Mice From Grill; Sanitizing

You think you have a mouse nest in grill problem? Have a look at this video that caught the removal of a mega nest, complete with jumping mice!

If you need to chase a mouse out of a grill, try using a flashing strobe light, it wards off mice. Chances are when you remove the nest, the mice will flee the grill.

I’m not going to sugar-coat this: an infestation leaves caked mouse poop everywhere. Blasting a grill with hot water is no guarantee that you are killing viruses that mice carry (and the water spreads pathogens even more). So avoid it. In addition, some grills, like pellet grills are not designed for hosing out with water.

REPEATING: Don’t skip bleach cleaning in favor of firing the grill up. According to Arthree on Reddit: “Turning the BBQ on before you wipe it down will cause poop dust to be caught up in the convective currents. This dust will blow around inside the BBQ and escape onto non-BBQ surfaces nearby before it gets hot enough to die.”

Removing a mouse nest from your grill requires careful handling to protect your health and restore your grill to a safe cooking condition.

Step-by-Step Guide to Safely Remove a Mouse Nest from Your Grill

Disinfecting a grill with bleach after mice have been in it.
Disinfecting a grill with bleach after mice have been in it.
  1. Ventilate
    • Ventilate the space before cleaning by opening doors and windows for at least 30 minutes. 
    • Carefully move the grill to an outdoor area with good ventilation and to get ready for the cleaning process.
  2. Gear Up for Safety
    • Wear thick work gloves (or heavy-duty dish washing ones that come up your arm),  long sleeves, pants, and a respirator/dust mask and goggles  to protect yourself from bacteria, parasites, and allergens (and splashed bleach).
    • Mice can carry diseases like hantavirus, so direct contact of nest and mouse feces should be avoided.
  3. Turn Off the Gas Supply
    • If you’re using a gas grill, shut off the gas completely before starting any cleaning.
  4. Inspect the Grill Thoroughly
    • Look for nests in common hiding spots like the burner box, drip tray, or under the lid.
    • Mice Inside Homeowners Grill shows how mice often hide in hard-to-see areas, so be thorough.
  5. Disinfect Before Handling Anything!
    • Spray a bleach solution on mouse droppings, dead rodents, and nests and let it soak for 5 minutes, according to the CDC. Spray with a 10% solution of bleach before handling any of it (9 parts water to 1 part bleach). Increase the bleach percent if you are really grossed out for your own mental peace of mind. 🙂
  1. Carefully Remove the Nest and Mouse Droppings
    • Use a spatula or bleach-sprayed paper towel to remove dead mice and as much mouse droppings as you can.
    • Use tongs or gloved hands to lift the nest intact or use a piece of cardboard like a spatula (or even an old spatula itself) to slide under the nest and remove it. If the grill inserts are not too heavy, just remove them. Griddle inserts can be very heavy. Avoid shaking it to prevent airborne contaminants. TIP: slide cardboard behind/beside in tandem with scooping from below; the combo action stops any nest remnants from falling off the grill as you move the nest.
  2. Dispose of the Nest and Mouse Droppings Properly
    • Seal the nest in a double-layered plastic bag and discard it in an outdoor trash bin.
    • If you choose to dispose of it outdoors, do so far away from your house so as not to attract other rodents from the nest smells.
  3. Deep Clean and Disinfect
    • After removing the “chunky stuff” wipe down all surfaces TWICE that you think mouse pee/poop/saliva may have come in contact with, including all seams in joints! DO NOT RINSE OFF WITH WATER!
  4. Use Sunshine and Heat to Sanitize.
    • Leave the grill top open and in direct sunlight for a couple days.
    • Lastly, fire the grill up at a high heat (if it’s a propane grill) for a bit to kill anything that might be left with heat. Personal suggestions range from running 20 minutes all the way up to an hour.
  5. Properly Dispose of Clean Up Materials Per CDC Guidelines
    • Throw the paper towels/rags in a covered garbage can that is regularly emptied.
    • Wash gloved hands with soap and water or a disinfectant before removing gloves.
    • Wash hands with soap and warm water after removing gloves. Use a waterless alcohol-based hand rub when soap is not available, and hands are not visibly soiled.
  6. Prevent Future Infestations
    • Store your grill in a secure, dry location.
    • Use repellents, traps, or bait stations nearby.
    • Mouse problems in your bbq? Try this.. shares clever deterrents and maintenance tips to keep mice away.

Final Thoughts

I hope you have gained some confidence on keeping mice out of a grill. Know that not all grills/griddles are created equal, some will have more mouse problems due to the design.

Using duo strategies helps to keep one step ahead of mice who want to invade your grill.

Renee Matt
Renee Matt

Renee is an Iowa farmwife with a background as a former kitchen designer. Supporting the family farm with hearty meals has been key to Renee's pantry readiness. She uses her professional IT background and expertise to bring the Pantry Passion website to life. Read more about this farmwife on her about page.