This is the time of year we get mice. We live back off the road and there are barns behind us so we get about 3 a year. My husband read in Mother Earth news, that you can make your mouse problem go away for good. Put peppermint oil on cotton balls and stick them in holes, under cabinets and any other area you fear a mouse might enter. People even took off parts of paneling and put them inside the walls.
I have always heard aluminum foil will make them go away because when they step on it, they hear the noise it makes and will not enter.
If I grossed you out, I apologize.
Source: Mother Earth News
By gem from VA
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What else, other than peppermint oil, gets rid of mice?
By wonakee from MO
A friend of mine used to sprinkle cut cat fur or furballs around. Worked pretty good. Or, get a long tailed and earred cat. They do a good job.
What works great for me is ex-lax. Becareful if you have pets or small children. When I see evidence of mice or rats I put down a few squares of ex-lax.
What would be the correct amount of water to add to the peppermint oil to use in a spray bottle?
By Nancy
For best results - mix the solution at 50% each peppermint oil and water.
Is there a way I can use peppermint to keep mice away? What is the best application for using peppermint?
By Marion H
Peppermint plants will keep them away, or you can buy peppermint oil and put it on a cotton ball placed around the house. I don't know if peppermint candy would work tho.
Have you tried No Mouse in the House? It's a new product that houses the peppermint oil in a reservoir that dispenses the aroma through a wicking system and lasts up to six months or longer without any of the drying out issues noted here. The units are about the size of a golf ball. Check out the pic.
Can you use peppermint extract to get rid of mice or does it have to be oil?
By april from Seattle, WA
April, I've been petrified of mice all my life. I put the peppermint oil on cotton balls over 3 months ago in addition to the traps and it appears to work because no trap has been tripped and no signs of any mice.
I put peppermint oil in a spray bottle bought at the dollar store and spray it on counter tops, in cabinets, etc., and the mice stay away. If you don't have much oil you can mix water with the oil and shake it. it won't separate right away and you can make it last longer.
How long do the cotton swabs repel the mice before you have to change them?
By Linda
Will peppermint extract get rid of mice in the walls or will the peppermint oil only work?
Thank you.
By Kathy
Unfortunately, no it has to be peppermint oil, the smell of the peppermint extract just isn't strong enough.
How does peppermint help get rid of mice and can I use peppermint soap in the hole?
By Margaret P
I don't know about the peppermint soap working but I have peppermint oil on cotton balls in my kitchen where my traps used to be and I've not had 1 visit since. I bought that spray insulation in a can and plugged up any places they could fit through like around the plumbing.
You have to find where the mice are entering the house from the outside and close those openings. Otherwise, the mice will just make runs through out the walls of the house and make nests inside the walls.
Will the use of mint oil work on the outside of the house where the mice seem to congregate? I have corners near the outside doors where droppings are all over the place. No problems with them coming in the house; the house is tight. But, what a mess in front of the doorways. If this works, what type of oil will do the job?
Thanks.
I was wondering, will pure peppermint extract with mint work as well to get rid of mice?
By Paula E from British Columbia, Canada
Do you have to dilute the peppermint oil for mice control before putting it down and how often did you have to change it and put fresh peppermint down?
By Annette W.
I trapped 6 mice in as many days (I live on a farm in the NE). Reading on the internet that peppermint OIL will repel mice, I bought some at my local GNC store. I put several drops on a cotton ball and placed them in the places I thought they may be able to come in. It has been a week and no mice!
Will peppermint oil harm dogs?
By jtd from Alsip, IL
I am thinking of using peppermint oil to rid an aviary of mice. Will it harm my birds?
