How to Get Rid of Mice and Rats: The Best Repellents
Remedies to eliminate rats and mice
Mice may be cute to some people, especially children, who like to have one or two as pets, but when mice (or worse, rats) invade a house uninvited, they are no longer cute.
There are good reasons to evict them as soon as possible. Mice can be dangerous to your health, as they can transmit various diseases through their urine and feces. Not to mention the extensive damage they can do with their sharp teeth.
By reproducing rapidly, their population can grow exponentially, and you’ll soon find these animals running all over your house, yard, garden, etc.
To control a mouse infestation, some prefer to simply turn the problem over to a pest control professional, but this can be a costly endeavor that isn’t within everyone’s budget. Furthermore, they may use chemicals that could introduce toxins into your home, and if you have small children, this can be dangerous for their health, as they could be poisoned relatively easily.
Here we detail homemade and natural remedies to eliminate rats and mice in an easy, economical, and environmentally friendly way.
Folk remedies
Remedy to Eliminate Rats and Mice #1: Put peppermint oil on several cotton balls. Place the cotton balls strategically around your home. Change them every few days, whenever you notice the smell fading. Make sure the peppermint oil you use is labeled 100% pure. Mice are very sensitive to odors, and they find the smell of peppermint oil overwhelming and offensive. This oil is safe for humans and pets.
Rat and Mice Remedy #2: Sprinkle cayenne pepper or scatter pepper flakes in the areas where you want to repel mice. Do this a few times a week. Note: Do not use this remedy if you have pets. Cayenne pepper works as a great non-poisonous solution to deter pests like mice, squirrels, ants, and other insects. This is because most pests dislike its strong smell.
Remedy for eliminating rats and mice #3: Use ammonia to clean your house, especially around areas where rats and mice are found. The strong smell of ammonia will not only keep these animals away, but it’s also an excellent cleaner for getting rid of their odor. Alternatively, you can place a few bowls of ammonia in areas where you find rodents.
Remedy to eliminate rats and mice #4: Soak several cotton balls in citronella or lemongrass oil and place them in strategic locations.
Remedy to eliminate rats and mice #5: Mix a little lemon essential oil with diatomaceous earth (DE) and place this earth in areas frequented by these animals.
Remedy to eliminate rats and mice #6: Make a spray with 20-30 drops of eucalyptus essential oil mixed with water or even alcohol in a spray bottle. Avoid this remedy if you are pregnant or have cats in the house.
Remedy to eliminate rats and mice #7: Plant mint plants along the walls of your house to repel rats.
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Recommendations
Depriving them of food. Mice enter your home in search of food, and they will stay as long as food is available. Therefore, depriving them of food is a logical way to deal with uninvited guests. To do this, you should:
- Always store food in airtight containers.
- Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink, especially overnight.
- Wash the dishwasher every day.
- Clean the kitchen counters after preparing food.
- Keep your dining table clean and do not allow food scraps to remain.
- Sweep the kitchen floor every day.
- Clean your pet’s food after feeding.
- Empty all trash cans regularly and keep them tightly covered.
- Discard old newspapers, magazines, and other items that mice can use to hide.
- Since mice are fabulous climbers, do not store food on top of cupboards.
Seal all openings. Another effective way to control rodent growth in your home is by sealing all small openings and cracks in your home. This way, they won’t be able to enter.
For this method to work, finding their entry points is crucial. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to seal them.
Since mice can fit through even a small space, you must take great care to seal any holes under doors, under baseboards, in floorboards, and in masonry. Even the gap around the pipe in your under-sink cabinet should be addressed.
If an opening is too large to seal, stuff steel wool into the hole. Mice can’t chew through it. You can also use expanding foam, copper mesh, or powdered caulk.
Using cat litter. Mice fear cats because they are their natural predators. The scent of cat litter is enough to repel mice. You can place it near the entrance to your home or around the perimeter of your house.
