A mice problem can end up turning into a big issue. Mice bring in diseases and can lead to an infestation rather quickly. There are several mice deterrents, some natural and others akin to chemical rodent control.
An effective mice deterrent matters. Mice can damage siding, carry in fleas, contaminate surfaces, and chew through electrical wiring, harming themselves and affecting your home’s electricity distribution. As you will find out, few long-term effective mice deterrents exist. If you have a serious mice problem, contacting a pest control company will be your best mice deterrent option.
Here are the best mice deterrents for your home:
Hire a Pest Control Company
If you have a serious mice infestation or serious mice problem, it’s best to hire a pest control company. A quality, professional pest control expert can suggest some very humane, effective, and legal pest control options that you can use in your home and that are guaranteed to work.
You don’t need to worry about chemical exposure or making a mistake that risks your health. A pest control company can provide a full view of what to expect with any mice deterrents.
Essential Oils
Some people go the natural route first in trying to deter mice. Some of the best mice deterrents are natural, after all. Some essential oils and natural ingredients you can try is using peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, and cloves. These are strong scents that mice do not like.
Dab your peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them around your home. In high concentrations, peppermint oil, in particular, is very potent and will overwhelm a mouse’s sensitive sense of smell.
Spicy Cinnamon
Like peppermint, cinnamon has a strong scent. It’s a strong, spicy aroma that mice hate. You can very easily make cinnamon sachets using cinnamon sticks. You can add drops of cinnamon oil onto cotton balls and use those to spread around your home.
You can also take ground cinnamon, or cinnamon of any kind, and spread it around areas where the mice are coming in, going out, or searching for food.
Ammonia
Ammonia mimics the scent of urine of a predator. Rats hate it, and so do mice because they think they’re going into enemy territory. The smell of ammonia might work in some instances but won’t always work.
Mice have an excellent smell, and ammonia is a highly concentrated odour. Some mice will try to battle it, while others will be too fearful. Ammonia, however, can harm humans and pets, so be aware of how much you use.
Large Mothballs
Mothballs can repel some nice, but only in large quantities. Mothballs contain a small amount of naphthalene which is a mice deterrent. They must be used in large quantities, making them unusable in many households. Large quantities of mothballs and naphthalene can also harm children and pets.
The truth about mothballs is that they aren’t worth experimenting with and will release toxic gasses into the air. In a home, that’s not appropriate.
All-Natural Mice Deterrents
‘Natural’ does not equate to safe. Cayenne pepper can cause skin irritation. Ammonia is dangerous to use near children. Amaryllis, another natural mouse repellent, is highly toxic to dogs and cats.
You will want to research whether you have a pet or young child before setting up any natural ingredients around your home. Furthermore, a lot of all-natural mice deterrents have limits on how effective they can be.
Rodent Spray Repellant
There are a lot of rodent spray repellants sold online and in retail. The more digging you do on them, the more you realize that they don’t make for the best mice deterrents because they aren’t effective.
If you have one or two mice, you may get some luck using a spray repellant, but a true infestation is unlikely to go away with just a spray. If you go this route, try to find one that contains as little chemical as possible and that’s pet-safe.
Ultrasonic Pest Repellers
You can find ultrasonic pest repellers online. How they work is they use sound waves to repel all types of pests. Ultrasonic pest repellers send out ultrasonic sound waves, which have a higher frequency than what human ears can hear.
You’ll never hear them. Mice can, though. They don’t like them. They are more likely to avoid your home because they don’t want to set up a habitat somewhere with blaring noise.