Warning: Using steel wool vs. copper mesh for mouse holes - one is way worse

I stuffed steel wool into a gap under my sink last month to block mice, and it rusted into a gross mess after one humid week - the copper mesh costs like $8 a roll at Ace Hardware but stays solid and doesn't disintegrate. Has anyone else had steel wool fail on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela_kelly6d ago

Wait, you had steel wool rust into a mess after just one week? I stuffed some under my garage door last fall and it turned into a crumbly orange powder in like a month. I thought I just got a bad batch or something. The copper mesh is definitely the way to go, I switched over to it after that disaster.

anna_green486d ago

Oh yeah, that's a rough one. But actually, steel wool doesn't just rust from being in a damp spot. It's the air moisture that really gets it going, especially if you live somewhere humid. Copper mesh is definitely the way to go, no argument there. But I wanted to point out something about your timeline, it's totally normal for steel wool to turn to rust in just a month if it's wet and gets air flowing over it. The garage door is a perfect storm for that because it lets in damp air from outside but not enough to dry the wool out fast. So you didn't get a bad batch, that's just how steel wool works in places like that. Copper mesh won't rust at all though, so you made the right switch.