How to get rid of mice the natural way

To get rid of mice the natural way, start by keeping your home clean. Use a natural repellant like peppermint oil. Consider getting a cat. Create barriers. Seal the holes in the house. Use humane traps to catch and release rats away from home.

Table of Contents

Prevent mice the natural way

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Keep the house clean. Many times rats are attracted to the house in search of food. If there is nothing to eat, they will rarely stay. Store food in sealed containers or places where rats cannot reach. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Penn State Extension Go to Source}

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Use peppermint essential oil. Peppermint essential oil is a natural rat repellent. The minty smell is too strong for rodents, and they won’t try to get close. The minty smell also overpowers the smell of tempting food crumbs that may remain after cleaning. It also gives your home a pleasant aroma and is not toxic like many other synthetic chemicals. You can buy menthol at major health care or grocery stores. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Put a drop or two on a cotton ball.
Peppermint-soaked cotton balls placed under or near trash cans can prevent mice from entering the trash can.
Place these cotton balls in places where rats can enter the house, walkways, thermostatic valves, etc.
New cotton pads need to be replaced after 5-7 days, depending on the amount of essential oil you add.
Try planting mint near the entrances. You can use mint as a spice in cooking and can even repel mice.

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Use dry solid manure. Go to a reptile center, zoo, or pet store to get some dry solids. You may even find a snake-keeper as a pet. Place near entrances to your home and places where rats can hang out. Dried snake droppings can keep rats away. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Make sure to keep solid feces out of the reach of children and pets.

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Extermination of mice by ultrasound. There are electronic devices that emit ultrasonic sounds that are unpleasant to rodents. You can buy these devices at home stores or online.

The mouse repellent only works in one direction, so you need to know exactly where the mouse is.
This device may also only work for a short time because the rats will get used to it. ^{[4] X Trusted Source University of California Integrated Pest Management Program Go to source}

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Use organic products to repel mice. Many companies that specialize in home and garden products produce rat repellents that are better for the environment than traditional poisons. Many products use natural ingredients like peppermint that are said to be irritating to rats. Rats are not killed but they will stay away from areas where this product is used.

You can find it at home and garden supply stores. If you’re looking to buy a specific product, try searching online to see if there’s a store near you that sells it.

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Breeding cats. A domestic cat can handle the problem. Cats that like to roam outside often hunt on their own and can find mice. However, you should note that not all cats have enough interest and energy or are trained to catch mice. Kittens are often taught by their mothers to be good rat hunters. However, kittens raised in a house with enough food only treat mice as toys and will quickly get bored as soon as they scare the mice to death.

Animal shelters often don’t know which cats are good at catching mice and don’t try to test this. Sometimes they have information about this, but usually they don’t.
Although many cats who are good at catching mice are also great pets, not all cats are. The “warehouse cat” may not be very friendly with humans, although they are still used to catching mice to eat.
Even if you don’t have a cat, you can still use cat litter to repel mice. Place used canisters of cat litter around home entrances. The rats will smell the cat urine and will be gone in a flash.
If the house has a lot of rats, one cat may not be enough to get rid of all the rats. However, once you have eliminated all the mice, one cat is probably enough to keep the rats from coming back. ^{[5] X Trusted Source University of California Integrated Pest Management Program Go to source}

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Place trash cans away from home. Rats smell the garbage and are attracted to the house. If you place trash cans away from home, they are less likely to enter your home.

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Encourage birds of prey to nest in your yard. Make a bird shelter in the garden to attract them to nest. This work takes time but is worth it if you can attract a rat hunter into your yard. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Make sure the bird shelter is free of nails or dangerous objects.
Pig owl is the best. A family of owls can eat many mice in one night! However, you can lure other types of owls or birds of prey into their nests.

Create barriers

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Find the location of the mouse intrusion. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Penn State Extension Go to Source} Sometimes you’ll see grease stains, and almost always rat droppings near the entrance. You can also detect a characteristic odor.

Mark the location if you can’t find the mouse so you can easily find it again later.

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Seal holes in the wall. Start with the interior walls of the house, as that’s the best way to leave a way out for rats. They may leave your house or apartment to find an easier place to feed elsewhere. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Penn State Extension Go to Source}

Use mortar or putty to seal relatively small holes. If the hole is too large to be repaired with mortar or putty, you will need to patch the wall with drywall. This is a more laborious but important job, because the mouse can certainly get through the bigger hole!
Make sure the baseboards are sturdy and have no gaps so rats can’t get through.
If stuck in the wall, the rats can punch new holes. That’s why you need to give them a chance to leave before sealing off the entrances to the outside.

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Seal the entrances to the outside. Usually it is recommended to use steel wool to seal the holes. Unfortunately, steel wool will rust, so this is not a long-term solution. Instead, use a green dishcloth cut to the correct size, or a copper scouring pad. The patch must adhere firmly to the hole, or the rats may pull it out. Big holes must be fixed. ^{[9] X Trusted Source University of California Integrated Pest Management Program Go to source}

Once you’re sure the interior walls are secure, seal the openings on the outside of the building. You can use a plastic scouring pad, but in some cases mastic or other repair material may be required.

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Check the entrances again. After a few days, check for any signs that the mouse is still active. If so, recheck the holes that have been sealed, and find other holes, if any, and seal them.

Clear the area around the entrance. Clean up rat droppings and disinfect to remove odors. Use a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water to complete the cleaning. ^{[10] X Trusted Source Penn State Extension Go to Source}

Mouse trap

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Try a commercially available live rat trap. There are many types of traps that can release the mouse after the trap. The most common type of mousetrap is the one that allows mice to get in but not get out. This is a humane way to catch mice. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Once you’ve caught the mouse, you’ll need to release it at least 1.5 kilometers away from home, perhaps in a place with lots of trees to give them room to go.
Just killing or eliminating rodents won’t solve the problem, and they won’t last long either. When this animal is eradicated, other animals will come to use the available food source. In fact, killing or eliminating rats can cause a temporary spike in the food supply, allowing the remaining rats to proliferate. However, reducing the number of rats is still better than giving up.

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Make your own trap at home. Use a glass bowl and a coin. Turn the bowl upside down, letting some of the chocpate stick to the bowl. Use a large coin to channel the bowl up, the side of the coin resting on the edge of the bowl. Place the bowl where you see rats frequented.

Rats will get under the bowl, reach for the chocpate and lose balance. The bowl will snap down and trap the rat inside.
Take out the mouse and take it away from the house.

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Lured the mouse into the trap and couldn’t get out. You can use a 38 liter aquarium and put food inside. Place the fish tank where rats are often seen, ideally blocking the path of rats. Place something close to the fish tank that mice can climb on, like a stack of books.

The mouse will try to get in the food and jump into the aquarium. Once inside, the rat will not be able to climb out because the wall of the tank is too high.
Check traps regularly.
Cover the fish tank if you see a mouse inside. Release the mouse away from home.

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Throw a towel over the mouse. It will only stay under the towel for a short time, so you need to act fast. Place the scrap paper basket over the towel. Tuck a small corner of the towel under the basket so the towel touches the ground. Slide a plastic record or wide piece of cardboard under the towel and paper basket. Carefully turn the basket over so that the cardboard seals over the top of the basket.

Take the whole basket (or run!) as far away from the house as possible.
When you are away from home, release the mouse.

Advice

It is best to use a rat repellent instead of a mouse trap in the house. Perhaps you’d rather the rats stay out of the house in the first place than deal with them inside, right?

Warning

Quickly get rid of mice if you have dogs in your home. The immune system of dogs is different from that of cats, so they may not be able to fight pathogens spread by mice.
Rat droppings can be harmful to health. Spray bleach or other disinfectants (such as rubbing alcohol) on rat droppings before cleaning and avoid contact with skin or clothing.
Rats are often infected with fleas, ticks and/or ticks. If a flea or tick infected rat dies from a trap or poison bait, the parasites will leave the carcass to find a new host. This can be a particular concern for pet owners or people with young children.

Steps

Prevent mice the natural way

Create barriers

Mouse trap

Advice

Warning

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