The risks of natural mice repellents

What are the risks of using natural mice repellents?

Natural mice repellents can sometimes work, but you shouldn’t depend on them. There are risks to consider with DIY solutions.

Risk #1: Mice breed quickly.

The more time wasted on attempting to get rid of mice with natural deterrents, the more time your mice have to breed and multiply. The risk of food and water contamination also increases over time through increased exposure. (A pair of mice can produce up to 2,000 offspring in a year!)

Risk #2: Know where to apply your mice repellents. 

You need to know where to place your natural repellents for them to be the most effective. This is where having a basic knowledge of mouse behavior comes in handy. If you know where mice tend to commonly hide inside homes and what attracts them at night, you can better decide where to sprinkle your cayenne pepper or other natural ‘weapon’ of choice. Even if you achieve success and the mice leave, how do you know they will not return again?

Risk #3: Mice control requires long-term solutions.

Even after you repel mice, you need to prevent them from getting into your home again. Part of a permanent solution – natural, professional, or otherwise – must include the task of proofing your property against any further infestations.

There are many myths surrounding which DIY mouse control techniques work the best to help evict your unwanted house guest. But which ones can do the job? If you have questions about mice or have a mice infestation, contact your local Ehrlich mice control specialist and and we’ll help you get rid of them today!

Natural mouse repellent

Mothballs, peppermint, and ultrasonic sound waves are the most common DIY mouse repellent techniques that people use, and unfortunately, they do not actually work at all. It’s possible that you might see a temporary effect and perhaps not see quite as many mice around, but these methods will not permanently remove mice from your home or business.

Mice are pretty smart creatures. They know that it’s a dangerous world out there for an animal of their size, so once they have found a home safe from predators and the elements as well as a constant supply of food, they will not move out. They would rather put up with ultrasonic sound waves and peppermint than risk leaving their new home.

Do mothballs keep mice away?

To put it simply…No.

Mothballs are regarded as an efficient DIY mouse control method because they contain naphthalene. Naphthalene is a strong-smelling white, solid substance. When it is inhaled or ingested it can cause blood cells to lose their ability to carry oxygen, which is why homeowners think mothballs are a great deterrent for mice. However, the amount of naphthalene found in mothballs is small. It’s enough to deter moths and other insects, but for mice, it’s no problem.  There have been many cases where mice have walked over the mothballs paying no attention to them whatsoever. The amount of naphthalene needed to deter mice would also be strong enough to cause damage to humans.

Peppermint oil and mice

Does peppermint oil repel mice? It makes your home smell nice and gets rid of mice, so that makes it the perfect mouse repellent, right? Nope!

It will make your home smell good, but it certainly won’t get rid of your unwanted lodgers. Peppermint oil is assumed to be a great mouse repellent because, in high concentrations, it can be quite potent and mice have a very sensitive sense of smell. However, if you think about it logically, mice live in all areas including sewers. If they can put up with the smell coming out from a stinky sewage system, then peppermint oil should be no problem.

Ultrasonic rodent repeller

There are a handful of ultrasonic rodent repeller devices on the market. However, the truth of the matter is, none of these are effective. One of the main issues when using an ultrasonic rodent repeller is the placement of the device. These repellers rely on electrical sockets to work. If there is no socket near where the rodent activity is in your home, the device will be completely ineffective. 

Mice are pretty resilient, adaptable creatures. Much like naphthalene, the frequency of ultrasonic sound waves needed to successfully repel mice would be strong enough to cause damage and harm to humans and domestic animals as well.

Using an ultrasonic mouse repeller may work for a short period of time. That is until the mouse learns to avoid the area affected by the ultrasonic sound waves, or simply adapts to the background noise.

DIY mouse prevention

There are some techniques you can use to secure your home and prevent any unwanted guest from making your property their home.

• Repairs - Repair any damages, both exterior and interior. This will help prevent any mice from finding easy access to your home. 
• Steel wool - Mice are known to be able to chew through almost anything, especially if they think food is on the other side. However, one thing they can’t chew through is steel wool. Fill any holes in your home with this material - air vents, kitchen cupboards, etc.
• Keep clean - Giving your house a good clean will help keep mice away. They have an amazing sense of smell so keeping food in airtight containers will make sure that these home-invading pests won’t follow the food scent to your home.

Professional mouse control

Due to the skills and knowledge needed to control mice, as well as the time-sensitive nature of a mouse infestation, we advise that you leave managing a mouse problem to the professionals. Our specialists know exactly how to efficiently control a mouse problem. They use specific techniques and products that have been tried and tested in order to make sure your home is completely rodent-free.

Need help getting rid of a mouse problem in your home? Contact the Ehrlich professionals using our online form or call 800-837-5520.