Mice are one of the most common pests in the UK and will often seek shelter and food in homes and gardens.
But the rodents are very unhygienic and can spread diseases, as well as causing significant damage to your property, so it’s important to take steps to keep them at bay. Sealing holes around your home and ensuring food is properly stored should help to stop them from entering your property, but keeping them out of gardens can be trickier, so experts recommend introducing strong-smelling plants to deter them.
Mice are very sensitive to strong smells and don’t like pungent or overpowering scents, such as lavender. The rodents “detest” the intense floral scent of lavender as the linalool and linalyl acetate within the floral compound of the plant can disrupt their natural behaviour, including foraging for food.
Experts at Earth Kind explain: “Mice dislike strong, fresh odors. They tend to overwhelm rodents and their sense of smell, which scares them off. They avoid danger by relying on their keen sense of smell, which makes up for their weak eyesight. They rely on this sense to find food, detect danger, and follow scent trails as a way of navigation.
“Some strong scents people often use as a natural mouse repellent include lavender – mice can find the strong floral scent of lavender overwhelming and unpleasant.”
As such, lavender can be used as an effective natural deterrent to keep them out of your garden and home. Simply plant it in your flower beds or place it in pots around your garden and home to keep them away.
You can also make use of it around your home by placing a few drops of lavender scented essential oil onto some cotton balls, or filling sachets with dried lavender and leaving these in wardrobes and drawers.
Experts at Fantastic Pest Control add: “Mice truly detest the lavender scent, so if you apply it properly, this might be a good way to scare them away and avoid infestations.
“What’s more – lavender generally helps lower anxiety and improve sleep, so there are some positive side effects for you. You need only two things – lavender essential oil and cotton balls.
“Carefully pour 8 to 10 drops of lavender oil on each cotton ball. Following that, place the cotton balls near possible entry points of mice. Leave them there until the scent is gone and repeat the process again if required.”