Notorious for chewing through cables, ravaging food supplies and spreading diseases, rats are small but mighty pests that do more than seek shelter in your home. While there is a vast array of pesticides on the market to get rid of rats, you may want to try your hand at a natural approach first. According to the pest control experts at Pest Pointers, cinnamon can be used to keep rats and mice at bay in the home.
The strong aroma of cinnamon, primarily due to its compound cinnamaldehyde, can deter rodents by “overwhelming their sensitive sense of smell”. The experts said: “The spicy smell can irritate the sensitive noses of rats and mice, so they’ll avoid areas where the cinnamon powder is present.
“If you’re trying to keep rats at bay while also keeping your home chemical-free, this simple and natural solution could be your new best friend.
“When cinnamon powder is used around the areas where rats and mice frequently visit, they’re likely to scurry away from your home for good to avoid the pungent fragrance.”
To keep rats away, sprinkle a light layer of cinnamon powder in and around your home’s entry points, and it will “create an uninviting environment” for them.
For a more “powerful” solution, the experts recommend using cinnamon in the essential oil form.
To use cinnamon essential oil, soak cotton balls in the solution and place them near entry points, under the sink, or along skirting boards.
Though this hack works effectively, whichever form of cinnamon you use will need to be replaced often to ensure the scent is powerful enough to get rid of the rodents.
While not necessary, combining this cinnamon rodent pest control method with other natural remedies to banish rats and mice, it may increase its efficacy.
Peppermint, mint, and lavender are some of the most popular oils among natural pest repellers. These fragrant oils can “make your home smell delightful while sending rats packing”.
When it comes to spicing things up, cayenne pepper and clove essential oils can do just the trick. Rats are known to be highly sensitive to these strong, spicy scents. A whiff of cayenne pepper or clove oil will likely have them “turning tail and running in the opposite direction”.