Mouse are common household pests. They hunt after your food, and if it’s out of reach, they will eat up anything they can find.
Anything!
These pesky rodents can wreak havoc in a short time if you let them share your apartment.
Gordon Ivory (Fire and Explosion Investigator ) says: Rodents cause up to 20% of undetermined fires in the United States each year.
Sadly, they are also responsible for spreading the deadly viral disease, Lassa fever, in Africa. They will contaminate your food with their waste and cause you to fall sick.
Once you notice a mouse running around, locate and seal up any entry points because other mice will try to get in as well. Seal up holes, cracks, or gaps on your walls, windows, or roof. And, you can make use of the sealant, and silicone caulk to keep them out for good.
The longer a mouse stays in your home, the bigger the problem becomes, and the more difficult it will be to trap them. If you look to ward off mice, keep reading because this blog post discusses seven (7) natural ways to repel mice from your home.
7 Natural Mouse Deterrent Options
Keep Your House Clean and Tidy
This will make your house a less attractive target for mice. Practice good sanitation by sweeping the floors to remove any food crumbs. Wash the dishes on time, place idle paperwork on the shelves store food in airtight containers. Move any unused piece of furniture to the storeroom, and decluttering your rooms.
Keeping your house clean and tidy will take away the two things a mouse needs to feel at home—food and a nesting spot.
Mice love to nest in the kitchen, so it will be best to focus more on keeping your kitchen clean. Don’t forget to cover your pots of food properly, wipe the kitchen countertops frequently, and use a trash can with a lid to keep the mice out.
Introduce A Predator
You can use the predator-prey relationship that cats and mice share to your advantage. Cats make wonderful pets as they provide companionship as well as security against mice infestations. They are skilled hunters and would readily chase and capture any mouse lurking around your home and trying to get in.
What’s even better is that mice feel threatened whenever a whiff of cat’s urine reaches their sensitive nostrils. If you can’t adopt a cat, you can put an act by placing a used litter box around entrances to the house. This will repel any mouse and keep them far away from your home.
Also, if you have a cat protecting your home from mice invasion, do not forget to use cat-safe mouse traps!
Use Ammonia
The pungent smell of ammonia imitates the smell of animal urine. The mouse is made to believe that a bigger animal is around and has marked its territory. This is a brilliant way to send them running in the opposite direction. So, how do you use this natural mouse repellent? Simple. You can either place open containers filled with ammonia at the corners and entrances to your house. The problem with this method is that the container can get knocked over or accessed by pets or children.
Or, you can formulate an ammonia cleaning solution by mixing 2-3 cups of ammonia with 200ml of water and 2-3 tablespoons. Use this solution to clean spots where a mouse can gain access. You can also use this mixture to clean up areas where you have noticed mouse urine.
Use Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil and fresh mint leaves are a natural mouse deterrent. They are most effective when used in overwhelmingly high concentrations. You can place up to 6 peppermint-soaked cotton balls in perforated jars at the entrance points and corners of your house. Make sure you replace the minty cotton balls twice a month to keep this all-natural mouse repellent effective.
You can also plant mint leaves in your backyard garden or indoor plant pots. Consider placing some potted mint plants in your kitchen too.
Several friends have had success using peppermint oil to get rid of mice. Personally, I have had mild success. It has to be used in confined areas, or it simply will not work.
Use Cloves
Use Bay Leaves
The smell of bay leaves attracts mice. This might sound counterproductive, but you should know that bay leaf contains chemical compounds that are lethal to mice.
This is an effective way to repel and kill mice naturally. You can place fresh bay leaves or crushed dried leaves at the entry points and corners of your house.
Be sure to use these only in constricted areas. If you lay down the bay leaves in a breezy area, they will be gone in no time!
Use Steel Wool to Patch Holes and Cracks
Mice hate steel wool, and it’s tough for them to chew through that thing. While trying to seal all possible access points, stuff some steel wool into the holes, cracks, or gaps. Sseal it up with something firm they can’t chew through (like silicone caulk).
The thing is, if a mouse manages to gnaw through the sealant used, it will encounter a huge problem with the steel wool because of its sharp fibers. The mouse will leave your home frustrated and hurt, and it will remember that too!
Conclusion
If you are looking for natural mouse deterrent options, then the 7 options on this page will absolutely help you in your quest to get rid of mice!
I’ve written a post on how to get rid of mice with kitty litter, which goes into a little more detail on one of the options on this page, so check that out.
If you have them in your home, are you wondering: will sleeping with lights on keep mice away? Then the answer is yes; having a light on is likely to keep mice away, but it is not guaranteed.
Many people can’t stand the thought of having a mouse in their homes—we bet you feel the same way. This is why it is essential to repel them and cause them to see your dwelling as a firm No-Go Zone.
You can accomplish this goal naturally by following any of the tips we shared in this blog post.
Ultimately, you should look to seal up those mouse entry points ASAP! If a mouse cannot get into your house, then you will not need to get rid of them from your house.
I perform regular checks around my property to ensure no new mouse entry points have formed since the last check. It is much easier to prevent mice from entering your home than it is to get rid of them when they are there!
Good luck!
