Dealing with a mouse problem in your home or garden can be worrisome with many preferring a more natural approach to get rid of these pests.
By opting for the natural method approach, a more eco-friendly solution is found while also lowering the risks which are often associated when using products that may contain chemicals.
Another novel way of being ahead of the game when it comes to rodents in your home is by analysing these pesky critters’ behaviour and then implementing measures which are natural but known to be strong deterrents to them.
Hearing scurrying or scratching noises in your home is one of the biggest indicators of a mice issue but also noticing tail or footprint marks in dusty areas or spotting grease marks along the walls are other lesser known warning signs.
Fortunately, there is a simple and effective method to keep mice out and ensuring they don’t come back.
Mice are known to be intolerable to certain smells which are known to irritate a their nasal passage and thus keeping them away.
One woman shared her novel tip for a rodent-free home that will keep them away and ensure they don’t return.
TikTok user Madame Sweat shared her cheap method claiming it “sends mice running”.
The social media user said: “If you don’t want to set traps, you just want the mice to stay away, you want to use peppermint essential oil.”
Essential oils have been hailed as one of the most natural mouse repellents thanks to their strong scents which mice are known to find repulsive with experts finding peppermint oil, in particular, as being highly effective in deterring mice.
The TikTok user added: “Here’s the trick, don’t put the peppermint oil on cotton balls, people recommend that but it’ll just evaporate.
“Wool holds the smell of the essential oils much longer. Think of your wool coat when it picks up the fragrance that you’re wearing and it stays on your coat.
“Wool is the best fabric to hold essential oils, you can even use them to scent your closets.”
By using essential oils, the mice’s olfactory receptors become overwhelmed which makes it difficult for them to navigate their way around and also affects their communication.
This disorientation caused by the oils further disrupts mice’s ability to locate food sources, also affecting their ability to establish nesting areas or navigate their surroundings and will cause them to run away wherever the scent is present.
Experts find the intense smell of peppermint oil acts as a mask for mice’s pheromone trails further discouraging their presence.
They also found that the strong aroma of eucalyptus oil is strongly disliked by mice with one study finding that by applying eucalyptus oil once a day, it was more effective than once a week.