Plastic vs Wooden Mouse Traps: Which is Best?

There are now more types of mouse and rodent trap than ever before, which is great for the average property owner looking for some options when it comes to rodent control. Unfortunately, it also means that the property owner will need to weigh up the pros and cons for each trap-type to work out which would be the best one for that particular infestation.

Just one of the advances of mouse control over recent years has been the evolution of mouse traps, from traditional wooden snap traps to plastic ones. We are frequently asked which is best — plastic versus wooden mouse traps — so we figured it was about time that we gave our opinions on the matter ...

Plastic Fantastic?

Plastic traps tend to be a little cheaper than the wooden varieties, and they are also easier to clean. This means that the dead mouse can be removed, the entire trap washed and disinfected, and then used again. Wooden traps, on the other hand, tend to be single use. There isn’t an easy way to clean ‘dead mouse’ from the wood of a trap, and it’s not recommended that you try to reuse them.

Because they are cheaper, you’ll find that you can buy more plastic traps than wooden ones, although both options are still a lot cheaper than most alternatives on the market.

Wooden Is Best?

Wooden mouse traps are more eco-friendly and biodegradable than plastic ones, and in a world where we are all trying to reduce plastic waste, the wooden varieties are a clear winner. What you do need to bear in mind, though, is that single-use wooden traps require MORE traps to be bought. The more traps you buy, the more packaging and waste you are likely to have. Wooden might be best in terms of eco-friendliness, but in the long-term, with repeated purchases, the eco-factor might not be as positive as you’d think.

At the same time, wooden traps do have a tendency to be more reliable than plastic ones, which go wrong and misfire/don’t trap correctly, more frequently.

Plastic vs Wooden Traps: The conclusion

In reality, both traps do pretty much the same thing. If you have a very large infestation, reusable, cheap plastic traps are going to be the most cost-effective option, but you must be prepared for more of them to fail than with the wooden varieties. The latter are usually only single-use, therefore costing you more in the long run.