Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Mice
When you’re experiencing the pitter-patter of little feet and it’s not a walking, talking bundle of joy standing on two legs, you may have a furry intruder in your home that needs attention. Hiding in a kitchen cabinet or tucked away in the corner of a shed, mice find ways to enter the cleanliest of homes, apartments, and other human dwellings. When the thought of using poisonous bait or inhumane traps is too much to bear, consider the following home remedies before resorting to other tactics.
Signs of a Mice Problem [1]
A mouse is a nocturnal creature, meaning they do their dirty work when the sun has set and the lights are out. Mice are rarely spotted during the day unless a heavy infestation exists. Usually, a mouse problem is detected with one or more of the following signs:
- Droppings: Mouse feces are moist, soft, shiny and dark, becoming dry and hard within a few days. Old droppings will look dull and grayish in color.
- Little Holes: When small holes with chewed edges appear on items, such as cereal boxes, this is a dead giveaway that a critter is gnawing away at your packages. Scan your pantry and look for tooth marks and shredded paper.
- Sound: At night, you may hear unexplainable movement, as well as gnawing or scratching in the walls or an attic.
- Odor: Mice can cause a musty odor to infiltrate your home.
- Nests: Hidden in boxes, mice will use chewed paper and cloth to create a nest for themselves in basements, attics, sheds, and drawers
Mice Home Remedies
When it comes time to get rid of mice, many people wish to repel and drive out critters before clearing away traps, locating dead carcasses hidden in walls, and shelling out the money to hire an exterminator. If you are looking for home remedies to get rid of mice, consider the following suggestions:
a) Peppermint and Peppermint Oil:
In just about every home remedy circle, you will hear that mice cannot stand the scent of peppermint or peppermint oil. Soak a cotton ball in the oil of peppermint and place it at a suspected entryway.
b) Remove Food Supply:
While mice enjoy a nice meal of cereal grains and crumbs, they will also adapt to anything else they can sink their teeth into. If you remove their food supply, most mice are forced to look for other places to eat. Remove edible temptations from low kitchen cabinets. Place cereal and other boxed items in glass containers and plastic Tupperware.
c) Mint:
Keep new mice from entering your residence by adding mint plants to the foundation of your house. If you are already battling a mouse problem, sprinkle mint leaves in the parts of your home that the mice like to frequent. Mint is known to repel mice in most cases, but you must remember to replace old leaves with fresh ones on a regular basis.
d) Bay Leaves:
Some people have been successful in keeping mice away by sprinkling bay leaves in their kitchen and about the pantry.
e) Mothballs:
Mice have a reputation for setting up shop in a shed or garage for the winter season. If you place mothballs around your garage, mice will look for other places to live. In the house, mothballs are used to deter mice from kitchen cupboards, drawers, and other storage spots.
f) Steel Wool:
Mice enter your home in the most creative manner, but once you have pinpointed an access point, use steel wool to block their way. The material is much harder for mice to gnaw through than other options, like wood and newspaper.
g) Onions:
The smell of onions has helped some individuals solve their mouse problem, as they say the odor is offensive to the pests.
h) Baby Powder:
When you are having a problem locating the point of entry of your uninvited guest, use baby powder (or flour) to check for tracks. Scatter a small patch on the floor along a wall or other frequented places. Some people like to bait a mouse by placing a cracker with a bit of peanut butter in the middle of the patch. Hopefully, you can locate their access point or at least, determine the direction in which they originate.
i) Ammonia:
Some people have driven away their mouse by leaving small bowls filled with ammonia in the places they like to frequent. It is said that the scent repels mice.
j) Peanut Butter:
Are you looking for an effective bait to lure your unwanted visitor? The next time you lay traps, use peanut butter as bait – a treat that a mouse cannot resist. Since the peanut butter is sticky, he or she is unable to swipe it before setting off a trap [2].
Resources
[1] http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L384.htm
[2] Reader’s Digest Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things; pg 251
I read somewhere that you can add ½ cup of soap detergent and one tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to one gallon of water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz this home repellent around the home, as well as nooks and crannies. This is a much desirable alternative to laying down toxic poisons in your home.
if you find a mouse in your house and you have a cat or cat’s.Just turn them lose in your house and show them the mouse and let them do the dirty work.I have seen it done before.Trust me it works.
I use the peppermint oil and it works GREAT! Mice hate it and as long as you re-apply the oil at least once a month, you’ll never have to worry about the little buggers.
If you use a gassy drink like coke and put it into a small container where the mice frequent, the mice will drink it.
Whats with that you might be thinking.
The mice cannot burp or fart, they get bloated on the gas and die.
I might try the Peppermint oil now though.
ok..perppemint oil… that s a new one. I will try that one.. moth balls not to well for me. Thtas funni though….they will get bloated and die brian? lol
I don’t have a tip, I have three cats and a mouse problem under my sink, cannot figure out how they are getting there, I have plugged all the holes that they can get in, and I checked my dryer vent that is on the outside of my house, but that vent goes directly into my dryer……help?
Linda-
Try sprinkling baby powder down and see where they are coming from underneath your sink!
i havent slept in a weeek… will definetly try the pepper mint an let you know!!… have got traps out not working! their too clever.
Well I will try the Peppermint Oil because my home is infested and is driving me crazy….I also live the idea of the gassy soda thats so funny
October 27th…I stayed up all night listening to a mouse conference…Aside from being petrified I was disgusted knowing that these little critters are having a ball in my apartment while I’m in bed paralyzed with fear. My landlord had the exterminator put poison and traps with peanut butter…which only helped for about a week.
I’m going to try peppermint and sonic plug-ins this week.
About two weeks ago I found a mouse just sitting on the hallway floor. I looked at her and she looked at me…we did not move. I immediately called my neighbor and she came over with a shoe box and removed the mouse. It was weird because when my neighbor picked up the mouse there was a bllod spot. My neighbor believed that she was in labor considering her size…I was surprised at how fat the little critter was thinking shit …must be having a fiesta all night with the froot loops. Anyway…wish me luck people.
I think I am goin to try the ammonia one I tried 2 find the peppermint oil but can’t find it. And I read fox urine works but that’s just nasty but if it works 4 ppl so b it.
I found out the little shits were coming from next door. We are in a new house and bloody builders were useless, holes everywhere. My husband took all plinths off bottom of kitchen cupboards and filled with expanding foam also sprayed peppermint oil under there. I am so scared of them i have everything to keep them out!! outside filling all holes with wire wool and peppermint spray again ha ha.Read you have to spray quite often though. I have had them 2 years running!! Wish i could buy an owl to sit in my garden that would do the trick as they can eat up to 15 a day .
I have had them for about 2 years when the kitchens were replaced in my block of flats. I have tried the plug in thing and have not heard them for about 3 weeks. I used to always have moth balls around the flat but my children did not like the smell. I think I will go back to the moth balls and try the peppermint oils also
I have a mouse problem. I live in an apartment and would like to think there is only one but the droppings are making me believe they are multiplying. I have tried traps and the sticky glue pad with no luck.
I searched the net and found something called critter out. Has anyone heard of this stuff? The advertisement says it repels rodents and it has a money back guarantee but people will say anything to get you to buy their product.
I have read some of the other tips and I will give them a try as well.
We too had a mice infestation problem and I was considering the peppermint oil but on some sites, it said it didn’t work. I don’t know if that’s because the peppermint smell dried up and wasn’t replaced? Well anyway. I was on a site last night that said to place small bowls of pine sol (original) in the house (keep away from kids and pets). They hide out in our kitchen and come out seeking food after dark. I placed a bowl on top of the stove and a lid with Pine sol under the stove, and so far, so good. By now, I would have seen a mouse at least 2 or 3 times. Pine sol sure does stink!
pepermint oil confined a mouse to a closet then we used a gluboard and he’s gone but somehow more are coming in ??? the apartment managers weren’t helpful really I’m spending money I can’t afford that, now I’m seeing the peppermint won’t work and the oil loses its power after one day, Now I’m starting over, it cost $7 an oz I bought $30 worth thinking it worked I am so bummed out now I have to deal with traps because I won’t use gluboards anymore and the 2 i have aren’t catching a thing it’s dreadful to find mice poo o the back of your couch they are patying on my couch while I sleep YUK!!! and are so nasty they poo all over just YUK no one has any answers I’ve looked on-line for hours it’s time to trap them and start a fire with my landlord….
I am going to try the peppermint oil and coke! And if I find where they are getting in, the steel wool too. I have the sticky pads now but the mice get on them and then dive to the floor where the pad gets stuck to the carpet more to them and they are able to peel themselves off. I must have some bald mice running around. I also have the round traps w/ PB in them that are supposed to enclose the mouse when he gets in there but its been a week and they have not gone in one of them yet!
no tips but the oil is in little bottles it is for like making hard candy it is flavor oils
I have used the electronic traps. I loved them because they kill the mouse, then I flip the lid dump it out and reset…no bloody mess b/c it electrocutes them
Anyway, the 2 I have got wet 
so I’m out of luck at the moment. I had paid $20 or less for them a few years back but now they’re about $33. Here’s the site for them so you can check them out
But if we trap a mouse the kids will go get one and that takes care of it. Better to have them IN the house. We have 6 outside and it just doesn’t cut it. When they’re in?…much better!
http://www.victorpest.com/store/rodent-control/electronic-mouse-trap
I had bought mine at Wal-mart but haven’t looked recently. I’d like to buy more soon, but in the meantine I was looking for something cheaper to tide me over.
Yes, cats help. Unfortunately my hubby is bothered by allergies to them
Did the peppermint oil work b/c moth balls didn’t!?!
I’ve been checking around the web for over an hour.
Peppermint oil has been a consistent suggestion. Placed on a cottonball near their entry and will keep them from coming in.
A better tip with the peppermint oil was to put it in salt and pepper shakers. Seems the cottonballs dry out quickly. The S&P is the full liquid. It does have a tendency to dry quickly as if it were open alcohol. So they need to be checked weekly.
Peppermint oil is used for baking and can be found in the baking aisle at the grocer. You’ll find it where you find vanilla extract-most of the stockers will remember where the VE is quicker than the peppermint oil.Same shelf.
I saw a suggestion to plant mint outside around the house. Good idea.
Steel wool mixed with caulking, in holes near the water pipes, under kitchen sink and pipes to the washer.Make sure it is smooth and flat to keep them from having something to pull on with their teeth and destroy the barrier.Fill all holes 1/4″ or larger.
The pop in a pie tin has been mentioned often. Bloat, die.
A jar lid with a dry mix of plaster of paris and cornmeal 50/50 along walls. When they drink water after eating this, the compound becomes solid in their stomach. I dont have time to be nice to mice. They cause disease and illness. Similar to salmonella-food poisoning.
To clean and disinfect areas, LysolR has been recommended-along with any product that contains chemical PHENOL.
The Victory brand traps were said to have an “s” for the sensitivity of trap to snap. Put the food end next to the wall. Buy several- they will get the logic quickly- place in a row no more than 10″ apart. The first time you bait, leave trap unset. They’re smart. Let them enjoy the yummy on the trap the first time. Next time you bait it, then set it. One person put bacon on the trap with a string so he wouldnt have to keep baiting it.Put the bait close so that mouse will have to stick his head far into the trap.
If you reuse the trap (UUUUGGGGHHHHHHH), disinfect with 3tablespoon bleach per gallon of water.
I used a product that I plugged into an outlet and it put out a high frequency sound. It worked amazingly. They were inexpensive and I got them at a large inventory, full-service type hardware store. I plugged one into an extension cord, and lowered the cord behind the stove. It worked well. I put a 2nd one in another outlet in the furnace room. I unplugged them around spring and got them back this winter. They probably came from two houses near me that are rentals and empty. Another house was destroyed so they came from there as well I’m sure.
I left the computer to assemble another trap I read about.
Get a bucket and fill it half full with water. Tie a ruler to the handle. Put peanut butter on the end of the ruler. Position ruler over the bucket, level. (Put something on the other end of ruler so mouse can run up it to the ruler). Mouse will go for the peanut butter on the end that suspends over the water, the ruler will drop, the mouse will fall into the water and the ruler will pop back up in place. I got mice under the sink for sure. I assembled this and came back to the computer to write this and I can hear sound. Can’t wait til morning. My dog acts like he cant wait for me to go to bed so he can check out the noise.I just hope they cant swim. If they can I’ve provided them with a pretty good meal. They’ll need that water to wash down the PB.
But I’ll get back to you if this doesnt work, all kidding aside.
I forgot to add that I overlooked my unattached garage. Someone else mentioned it so I have to treat that as well.
To the people who have used mothballs – camphor works the same way but is less toxic. Also both are toxic to children and pets. Not many people know that. In addition, apparently mothballs and camphor will have a chemical reactions with each other. So do not use them together. I’m not sure what happens. I think they cancel out each other effects.
Also, I really think it depends on your mouse colonies as to what works to repels them! Camphor or mathballs didn’t work for me. peppermint made them freak out but sisn’t keep them out of my apartment. But my mother uses camphor on the farm and it works great!
That was some time ago. I’m in a different place now and have discovered mice again. The blasted things are in my couch! I’m about to move and of course I don’t want to bring the little buggers with me. I can’t afford to get a new couch either. I’m hoping one of the rememdies will work on these ones
Good luck all. I’m a wildlife enthusiast and I still can’t stand the lil’ f@&%ers!
my name is Becky…and i have a mouse problem lol, anyways i live in an apartment and it was all good and peachy until one day i was cleaning out the closet and found a Lil hole in the wall the size of a quarter, i didn’t really think nothing of it until when i started to clean and a Lil mouse ran over my foot. so i covered up the hole and went on with my business, everything was alright until just a few days ago when i started hearing sounds in the kitchen, i went to go look and i noticed a Lil critter running back and forth through a TINY crack in the wall from the sink to under the fridge. I got a flash light went and sat in the floor and stared at the mouse under the fridge for about 5 mins, it didn’t seem to mind me too much as to say that it just continued sitting there eating an onion peel. i went to the store that night got one of them D-con things and placed it where i had been seeing the critter. i didn’t think that the D-con would kill it right away so i got all creative and tried somin, i had some of them fly catcher sticky things a hangin that i hadn’t taken down from summer yet, so i took em down cut em into strips and placed them on the floor right where i would see Ralph (thats what i named him) run. i waited for a while then heard somin a russlin around, when i went to check by god i caught the fucker! pardon the French but thats what i said! i was amazed so i calmly peeled the paper off the floor and wrapped Ralph up real good so there would be no way in hell he could get out and i threw him in the big garbage bin, thought it was a smart idea until…yesterday i saw another mouse and laid the fly sticky thing down and i guess it came un-sticky through the night and the little shit took it, yall heard me right he took it! i could barely see it through the Lil crack that i had seen the first’n through…now i aint got no more fly trap things and im hoping that the d-con works but im still gonna try the peppermint thing but what kind of peppermint, i know theres oil but could there be any other kind or peppermint smelling thing i could use? peppermint oil is only sold at specialty shops around here and is expensive and an hour and a half away, so if anybody has any comments please leave em for me.
I think the best thing to do is not to leave any type of food in kitchen that is not in plastic containers. I had droppings all in my base kitchen cabinets. I only kept dog treats, etc. in them but they were chewing up the packages to get to the treats. I totally removed everything and put it elsewhere. Have not had any more problems since.
Unfortunately ,I have no tip, as I have tried just about every mouse deterent ,traps, etc. on the market. Today, I did the pepperment oil thing in my kitchen drawers where I see the most sign of activity (mouse shit).Hopefully this will be the 5th and last time I have had to clean out all drawers,and their contents.If this doesn’t work, I will use the “electric” device – my last resort. These critters are freeking me out!
For the drawers I soaked a cotton square with the pepermint oil for each corner of the drawers. Beneath the drawers , in the cabinets underneath , I put out poison and traps, hoping they will get to that first. I also read that dogs are better than cats for catching mice.Interestingly, soon after I finished with the drawers, I heard some activity ,but couldn’t determine where it was where it was.
I see that a lot of people have tried glue traps and said that they had no success. I also once wondered why I couldn’t catch a mouse either. Next time you use one, try putting on rubber gloves when unwrapping the packaging and installing the trap. Using gloves helps avoid transmission of your scent to the trap. Mice are clever and can pick up your smell on a trap and aviod them. Mice love peanut butter and you can try putting some as bait, in the center of the trap. Hope this helps!
My neighbor did some renovations and all of a sudden we have these mice. Try glue traps with a dog treat on it…works great. Also we used the decon blue pelets at night,in the morning their gone and so are the mice…good luck!!!
Im sorry 2 tell yall but NOTHING works their like furry roaches they will NEVER go away…..I have spent hundreds on so called home remedies….thousands on exterminators….and still have em..the dogs catch their occasional ones,they are so brave now a days they actualyy crawled on my daughters legs when she was on her floor in her room doin her hair(now tell me how gross is that)So anywho these $ spending or should i say waisting tips are just that…A WAIST theire here 4ever……
i think it is just one mouse i found where he came in under my patio and cemented it up, i also put one of those sound waves and placed it where he was coming in, now my problem is i cant catch him, i put down glue traps, didnt work, i put down peanut butter with posion, didnt work(ate around the posion, i put down the traps that enclose them , will not go in, i dont hear him as much as i use to, i use to hear him every night scratching in the wall, now i make hear it once a week, i have OCD when it comes to cleanliness so my house is always clean, i hadnt heard him for at least two weeks but my daughter dropped M&M’s and apparently one went under my desk where we couldnt see it, and last night i heard it eating the candy, i’m going to try the snap traps and see if i cant catch him
If a mouse ran up my daughter’s leg…I think I would be moving!!! I can’t imagine that…I am dealing with one (at least 1) in my home right now…but have about 8 traps set. I will catch him/her. It is on like Donkey Kong!!!!!!
I use the sonic devices already. I have some small plug in ones and some stronger ones. I have 6 in my house and still have a problem. I have glue traps all over as well with peanut butter and there to smart to get on them. I guess i will try the peppermint idea and see if that works because my daughter and I are scared to death of them little things. I think if i had a sonic thing in every plug-in in the house i might not have a problem. Wish me LUCK
I have tried the one you plug into a wall outlet and the mice were gone. i have not seen any for the last 6 months. It works great.I believe it works on sound waves.
i have triedthe glue traps and even spent over $80.00 on the Ridex electronic device, what a waste of money. I am going craxy they are all over. eating everything they can get their hands on. i can not have a cat because of allergys. I will try the peppermint oil next but at my wits end for now.
I am going to try the peppermint oil. We have a terrible mouse problem. We just moved into our house a little over a month ago. I find mouse poop everywhere, including our bedrooms & on our beds! We do not eat in our rooms at all! I clean it up every day and its a daily task. Its even in our silverware drawers. I thought we plugged all of the mouse holes but they still manage to get in our house. They were housing in our stove for a while. We pulled off the back of it and we found where they made a nest in our insulation. It was so gross, no wonder why everytime we would cooked in our stove it would stink so bad. It must of been mouse urine and mouse poop cooking. My fiance’s mom keeps buying us those electronic mouse repellants but they don’t work! She’s bought three for our kitchen. And we’ve bought those mouse traps that don’t kill the mice, they just lock them in there. We haven’t caught one single mouse! They are either too smart or can escape. Good luck everyone with your mouse problem also! I just called GNC and they carry the peppermint oil. So I will be purchasing it tomorrow.
Walmart also carries the peppermint oil. Its next to the vanilla extract down the baking aisle.
3 years ago, we moved from an apt. into a house. We thought we had “a mouse” when winter came. Tried EVERYTHING with no luck and when what we thought was “a” mouse changed, I got the glue strips as bad as I hated to…but one can only stand so much poo AND pee (that was something I didn’t know/think of that they also leave behind) and germs etc. …but if you don’t get a good brand, the glue strips won’t work..that’s the trick with those. Within one week we caught 8-10 mice!!! I was sickened!! Then the fun part starts..washing and cleaning everything! Hope this helps someone! Until a week ago, never had seen any signs of anymore…going tomorrow and nipping this in the bud!!
Forgot…what I think made the difference in the glue strips/traps working was putting one piece of my dog’s dry food right in the middle of the glue trap-that’s when we were able to get them. They had chewed a little hole in her bag of food so I know they liked it and this time it worked to my advantage!! I completely forgot about that! Good Luck to all!!
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