Mice are adorable; however, they are known disease carriers. If you so adore one for a pet, don’t forget to invite the vet. Having mice visitors may not primarily result in fatal domestic cases. But then, housing them for more extended periods could become health-threatening, especially when they come in contact with your food.
So, how do you get rid of mice naturally? Will mice come back? These are the concerns being addressed in this rare guide. Nevertheless, a few more ideas on how to get rid of mice naturally have been bundled all for you in this article. Just before we get started, you should be aware of the possible places rats are currently hiding in your apartment
8 Ways to Getting Rid of Mice Naturally and Efficiently
Here are the steps to get rid of mice naturally
Block Passages and Seal Cracks
As small as a crack or passage may seem, it is a large doorway for a mouse. This brings in the question, “how do mice squeeze through cracks?” Mice are sport some sort of distortable rib cages that can alter its shape to fit into any sizeable space. This makes it reasonably easy for mice to penetrate cracks and even barricades with sizeable holes. To keep the squeaky mice away, you have to seal these cracks and passages. Cracks in homes may be painful to detect, which is why you ought to be careful while inspecting a resident.
A more reliable way of spotting cracks and mousy passages is by tracing mice droppings. The droppings may not wholly inform that the leaks and cracks and close-by but practically serve as determining aids for locating identifying where mice use as an entry point.
Do the following to find mousy passages/breaks quickly.
Fix eyes on the walls, especially the corners, because a mouse dashes through by the sides of the wall.
Declutter furniture placed close to the wall.
Torch dark spots.
Remove the door and window blinds.
Inspect the roof if you use asbestos.
You should find the crack(s) after doing the above. If it is a concrete crack, you need cement to patch the area. If it is wooden, consider replacing the wood or dismiss the piece of furniture.
Mice equally follow through damaged pipes. Disengage and seal broken and unused ducts to prevent mice from invading naturally. This is a commendable practice on how to get rid of mice naturally and permanently.
Use Cage Traps
Cage traps are natural traps most preferred and recommended in the 21st century. Why? You wouldn’t have to deal with a dead mouse that attracts fleas into the house. Moreover, it will cause the entire environment to stink, and everybody hates this. The sharp stink of a dead mouse may cause one to throw up.
Cage traps are easy to set. You can even make a DIY bucket trap that holds back live mice without hurting the environment with stinks and diseases. Follow the process below to set up a mouse cage trap.
How to Set Up Mouse Cage Trap
Identify the Right Spot
If you set a cage trap in the wrong position, it can’t trap the mice. So, you must figure out the right point. Traditionally, the effective measure is to trace mice dropping. They are rice-shaped black droppings around the house. Cover your nose while locating the droppings because of the stink and concentrate on the sides of the walls.
Bait the Cage
Cheese is one of the many foods mice love. How about peanut butter? Mice adore it too. You can well bait with any calorie-based food, and be certain mice will come around.
Note: While baiting, you should have your gloves on, but it isn’t a must to have gloves on. So, if you don’t have one around, improvise with whatever can prevent your hand from directly handling the cage. Mice have a slightly advanced sense of smell and can detect human scent.
Place the Cage by the Wall
You’d likely find the droppings by the walls, especially in dark corners. Droppings suggest that mice lurk around at that point after every rampaging. Place the cage about one step away from the spot and by the wall. Remember not to directly handle the pen to boost the chances of trapping the rat.
Don’t Abandon the Trap.
After setting up the humane cage trap, do not dismiss your mind from the act. Occasionally, check up on the snare but not at night because these nocturnal gnawers begin rampages by night. Although they have poor visions, they prefer to surf in the night, and they depend on the walls for movements.
This is how to get rid of mice naturally without hurting a fly, attracting fleas, or making the ventilation stink.
Cease Food Littering all over the House
One of the first things that attract mice to your home is chunks of food. As you know, first impression matters, and this applies to a mouse. For instance, when a mouse scrambles its way into your apartment, if a few chunks welcome it, it gets the impression that your home is perfect for nesting and that more pieces must be hanging around.
Can mice survive without food? Mice can only survive for a maximum of 4 days without food. When they are starved, they either immigrate or die in their nest. You can take advantage of this fortune to get rid of mice naturally and permanently with continuous practice.
To succeed in expelling mice from the apartment, regularly practice the following:
Leave no dirty dish overnight.
Sweep under the cupboards regularly. Mice love to store some chunks under the kitchen cabinet.
Clean the cooker and keep surfaces dry, especially in the kitchen.
Be mindful of junk foods dropping on the floor. As little as junk food may be, mice can be attracted to it.
When mice find it challenging to eat, they’ll evacuate the resident or die in their hideout. Do not discontinue the practice of keeping the house litter-free or risk recalling mice.
Place Trashcans a Few Walks Away
Placing trashcans along the pathway attracts mice in numbers, especially when it is closer to the entrance. This provides mice with an advantage to better survey the building and pick a spot for breaking in. A preferred rule concerning how to get rid of mice naturally is to place trashcans far away from the doorway. It is also a reasonable practice to regularly treat the cans. Leaving the trashcan untreated would become a nesting spot for mice who would access your apartment from the place.
Furthermore, be mindful of the sorts of waste you dump in the trashcan. Do not dump organic waste, unused food, chunks without packing them in well-treated sacs. Better still, you could get a mice resistant trashcan, which makes it difficult for mice to break in and nest.
Using treated trashcans is an excellent way to naturally get rid of mice in the house. It discourages their nesting and encourages good ventilation of the environment. Rodent-proof garbage can cost between $40 and $70 depending on the size and quality. A rodent resisting trashcan is a decent natural option for getting rid of mice permanently with persistence.
Use Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil produces a sort of sharp smell that mice detest. Making use of peppermint oil is a proper way to get rid of mice naturally. Mice hate the intense scent of peppermint oil and will find it extremely difficult to nest. Get peppermint oil with a strong smell. Apply peppermint oil to cotton pads and place them in the nooks and crannies of the house. Place quite a number of the cotton pads in the kitchen, dining room, and any other worthy areas of the house. Sprinkling peppermint oil works but may cause the house to be disorderly. Moreover, you will not have enough peppermint oil to spare for more parts of the house.
Alternatively, grow a peppermint plant around the house. Mice would be chased away at the sense of the plant. It is an excellent method on how to get rid of mice naturally. Use a moderate dosage of peppermint because it can become toxic and harmful for pets and children.
Onions and Garlic Are Good Choices
Onions do not produce a more potent scent, but mice hate it. Onions combo with garlic keeps the mice away and aids your nostrils from taking in the disgusting smell of their droppings. Notwithstanding, only onions can do the trick. If you can grind the onions to shreds, you are done. However, onions scent does not last, especially when the water dried. Garlic stays longer since it is naturally louder than onions in scent.
Since this is a DIY affair, you can simply grate the spicy and disperse them around the house. If you can obtain the water from them, wet the cotton pads and leave them around the house. Otherwise, just chop and keep it around the house. Just like peppermint, the scent produced from the wool or cotton pads will keep mice away. You can be rest assured that mice will abandon your home for a new environment as soon as possible; they love their happiness just like humans.
Hire a Hunting Cat
Cats and mice are known to be enemies, but how true is this? To an extent, this is true because occasions where cats do not attack mice. Cats are natural hunters, and their presence will scare mice away from the house. If there are lots of mice in the apartment, getting a cat is not the right option. Nevertheless, mice naturally dislike homes housing cats as cats would pounce on them on sight.
It isn’t the best practice on how to get rid of mice usually but can be made an additional measure. Go for cats with hunting instincts and prepare for a couple of troubles in the house. Yes, cats can be messy and adorable at the time. If there are kids in the house, introduce the cat to them and ensure they are good friends or they’d be frequently attacked.
Place Kitty Litter Along the Mice Way
This is an alternative method for keeping mice off. You can still employ this even with a cat in the house. When mice perceive the smell of the cat litter mixed with mud, they’ll stay off. It is preferable to place the little along the entrance or at the sides of the wall where mice can use to enter the house. If you already have an infestation within the home, do not take in the kitty litter. Employ other measures to send them outside and be assured that the mice can’t regain entry with the kitty litter placed around the surroundings of the building.
Declutter the Resident
Dispose of all damaged and unused items. You could fix a date for this since it may not be a few minutes’ tasks. Put off furniture and other household equipment that are not useful. By this practice, you have successfully foiled the plans of mice to remain in your home.
What is a Good Home Remedy for Mouse
An excellent home remedy for a mouse is precisely what has been covered in this article. If you prefer the use of spicy and mints, those are effective and natural measures to expel mice from the resident. As earlier stated, onions, garlic, and peppermint make right repellent plants. Alternatively, you may use pepper flake, mothballs, ammonia, and vinegar; these are equally effective home remedies for getting rid of mice. Conclusively, this answers the question, “What scent will keep mice away?” So, pick any of these scents, and the presence of mice is done for.
Let’s answer a couple of questions regarding the use of scents to get rid of rats naturally.
Watch this video to get more Natural Ideas to eliminate Rats from home
How Does Vinegar Get Rid of Mice?
The scent of vinegar, especially white vinegar, is quite strong. Thus, mice detest it. Having vinegar around means no mouse intrusion.
Does Bleach Repel Mice?
Yes, bleach repels mice. The strong scent from bleach irritates them. There is a full article here that shows how bleach helps to repel mice
Should I Use Mouse Poison?
You can use poison but understand that it is inhumane to do so. Moreover, the use of poison or poisonous substances as mice control measures is not recommended in homes with young children and pets.
Will Mice Come Back?
Mice will only return if you do not keep up with the necessary measures, like keeping the environment tidy and well-treated. Otherwise, mice will never return for a long time.
