Maybe you do not feel fearful or angry when you stumble upon a mouse somewhere else except your home as it seems to be a small, inoffensive, and a playful creature. However,  you cannot even fathom one… single… mouse… in or around your home. These squeaky pests simply destroy everything whether it is your pantry, or underneath the furniture, or heaven forbid, your clothes or your books! And on the top of that, this nocturnal animal brings with it many infectious diseases that transfer via their urine and feces. Gross!

One day, we noticed that our dog, Peanut, has dog food that was disappearing. Where in the world was it going, we thought. Until that moment when I dug deep into the utility room closet to drag out the old stereo speakers, we had from the 80s. You know that hole speakers have in the back? I am sure you see where I am going with this. When I moved the speaker, I heard a rattle of movement inside. With further inspection, I found couch cushion foam, insulation, and piles of dog food! Case solved! Except… where did the culprit(s) go? Sigh.

So, based on lots of research and methods tried and true… we have compiled a list of 12 natural remedies to rid your home from mice.

1.  Peppermint essential oil to get rid of mice

These small creatures cannot stand the strong smell of the peppermint oil. So they will run away from the place when they will smell peppermint oil. This method will help you to prevent the mouse entering your house as well as making the mouse run away from your home.

You Need:

• Peppermint Oil  – as required
• Cotton Balls – as required

Process:

1. Soak the cotton balls in peppermint oil.
2. Place the soaked cotton balls at the openings of the house and at the places where the mice usually come.
3. This will prevent the mice entering your house as well as make the mice escape that is inside the house.
4. You can also place peppermint plants near the entry points of your house to prevent the mouse entering your house.

2.  Clove essential oil/whole cloves

Mice also cannot bear the strong smell of cloves. They just turn and run away of the place where there is clove smell. For this method of getting rid of mice, you can use clove essential oil as well as cloves.

You Need:

• Clove Essential Oil  – as required
• Cotton Balls – as required

Process:

1. Soak the required amount of cotton balls in clove essential oil.
2. Place the clove oil soaked cotton balls near the hideouts of the mice in the home, doorways and at the possible places through which the
   mouse can enter your house.
3. If you want to use whole cloves, then wrap them in a cotton cloth and use them as cotton balls near the entrance points.
4. Apart from making the mouse run away from your home, this method will also prevent the mice entering your house.

3. Moth balls

With its strong smell, moth balls work excellent to keep the mouse away from your house.

You Need:

• Small Containers with lid – as required
• Moth balls – as required

Process:

1. Take the small containers and pierce them to make few holes (the holes should be large enough so that the smell of the moth balls comes out easily.)
2. Place 2 to 3 moth balls in each container.
3. Place the containers where mice usually come.
4. This method will make the mice, those are there in your home to run away and at the same time prevent the outside mice from entering into your home.
5. Mothballs work excellent to make your attic free from mice

Note: Take cautions while using mothballs to get rid of mice as mothballs are toxic and it may harm your child or pet if they try to eat them.

4. Use ammonia

The strong smell of ammonia jut makes the mice run away from the place. The mouse smells the ammonia as its predator’s urine, which makes it leave the place quickly.

You Need:

• Small Containers with lids – as required
• Ammonia

Process:

1. Follow the same process as using the mothballs to get rid of mice.
2. You can also use ammonia to clean the areas where mice frequently come.
3. And at the same time, ammonia can be helpful to clean mouse droppings.

Note: Be careful while using ammonia to prevent the entry of mouse in your house. It may harm your child or pet if they come in contact with ammonia.

5. Spray to deter mice

This spray includes spicy, hot chillies, which will help you to move away the mice from your house. When the mice will sniff this pepper spray, they will experience a burning sensation in their eyes and nose. It will also make them extremely uncomfortable and irritated to leave the place immediately.

You Need:

• Chopped habaneros – ½ cup
• Hot Pepper Flakes – tbsp
• Water – 16 cups
• 2-Gallon Buckets – 2
• 1-Gallon Jug – 1
• Spray Bottle – 1
• Cheese Cloth
• Gloves and Goggles
• A Large Pot

Process:

1. Ensure to wear the gloves and goggles before making this mixture as it may harm your eyes as well as your hand.
2. In a large pot take the water and boil it.
3. Blend the peppers and flake roughly.
4. Pour the blend into a 2-gallon bucket and pour the boiling water over the blend.
5. Cover the mixture and leave it for 24 hours.
6. Strain the mixture with the help of the cheesecloth to another 2-gallon bucket.
7. Pour the water into a spray bottle.
8. Spray the liquid around the entrances and on the place where the mice generally come.
9. You can use this spray both in indoor as well as outdoor areas. In indoor areas, you can use this spray in every two days by wiping away the old spray.
10. This method will definitely help you to get rid of mice effectively.
11. Cover and keep this mixture away of sunlight to store it for months.

Note: Do not use this spray on carpets as it may discolour it.

6. Soap detergent and tabasco sauce

This homemade mouse repellent also works well to get rid of mice effectively.

You Need:

• Soap Detergent – ¼ cup
• Tabasco Sauce – 1 tbsp
• A Spray Bottle
• Water – 1 Gallon

Process:

1. Take the water and add the sauce and the detergent to it and mix properly.
2. Pour the mixture into the spray bottle and spray the liquid on the areas where mice come frequently.
3. This mixture will work like a repellent for the mice.

7. Use kitty litter

Mouse and cats are born enemies. So, in this case, kitty litter works wonders to get rid of mice effectively. After sniffing the smell of cat urine, the mice will run away from your home in no time.

You Need:

• Plastic Trays – as required
• Kitty Litter – as required

Process:

1. Fill each of the trays with some kitty litter in them.
2. Keep the trays outside of the entrance points through which mice are entering into your house and at the place where the mice come frequently.
3. The mice cannot withstand the smell of the kitty litter and will leave the place as soon as possible.
4. Follow this method till you find that there is no mouse in the house.
5. You can also follow the same method with snake poo to keep your house free from mouse.

8.  Use aluminum foil

It may seem weird, but believe me it helps! The foil makes the rats run far away from the home and will save your things from being destroyed. Possibly, the mice do not like the noise it makes or may be that the foil creates a sensation in their teeth when their teeth come in contact with the aluminum foil or may be the aluminum foil seem very unnatural for them to penetrate. Whatever may be the reason, but the rodents do not touch the things if you cover them with aluminum foil.

You Need:

• Aluminium Foil Roll

Process:

1. Use the aluminum foil to cover the surface of the things which the rodents usually attack.
2. Follow this process of covering the things with aluminum foil during the night.
3. Fold the foil in the morning and follow the same process of covering the things with aluminum foil at night.
4. Following this process daily will help you to get rid of mice effectively.

9. Use copper wool

Copper wool helps to solve this mouse problem effectively. The rodent cannot cut or pull out the much harder copper wool or copper wire mesh.

You Need:

• Copper Wire Mesh – 1 roll

Process:

1. Take the copper mesh and make thin wads.
2. Stuff the holes or cracks or any small entrances properly that are used by the small rodents to enter your home or go out.
3. Use a stick to stuff the places properly so that the rat cannot remove the wads.
4. You can also use some pepper spray to make this method more effective.

10. Use dryer sheets

The mice cannot handle the smell of the dryer sheet. So, you can use these sheets to eliminate the mice from their hiding places of your home.

You Need:

• Old Dryer Sheets

Process:

1. Place the older dryer sheets around the suspecting places where the mice reside.
2. Once the smell goes off from the sheets, replace the sheets.
3. You can also use the sheets to seal the small entrances through which the mice are entering to your house.

11. Trapping the mice

Trapping the mice is another method to make your home free from mice, but it needs your patience and time. Apart from that if the number of mice is more, then this method may disappoint you. If the number of mice is few, then this method will help you to get rid of the mouse problem. There are various types of mouse traps that you can use for this purpose.

Humane trap

You Need:

• A Humane Trap
• Bait

Process:

1. Place the bait inside the trap and keep the trap in the place where the mouse usually hangs out.
2. The rodents will get attracted to bait and eat it, then it will be trapped inside.
3. The rat can go inside but cannot come out.
4. Catch hold of the mouse and leave it in a very faraway place so that it cannot return to your home. (Personally, I would never do this.)

Glass bowl and coin trap

You Need:

• A Glass Bowl
• Some Pieces of Chocolate
• A Coin

Process:

1. On a tray, place some chocolate and invert the glass bowl on it.
2. Place this tray on the place where the mouse frequents.
3. Balance the glass bowl at an angle with a coin edge to edge and leave.
4. Wait for the mouse to come. It will enter the trap to eat the chocolate and will upset the balance.
5. The bowl will fall and trap the mouse.
6. Relocate the mouse to some faraway place.

TOWEL TRAP

This method also works fine if you do it properly. Again, if your house is seriously infested with mice then this method will not work as expected. You can use this method to trap the couple of mice that are roaming here and there in your home.

You Need:

• A Towel
• A Waste Basket
• An LP

Process

1. Find out the places in your home where the mice usually come.
2. Wait in that place with the towel in your hand.
3. When the mouse comes, just throw the towel over the mouse and tuck the towel.
4. Slip the LP under the rim of the waste basket to seal it.
5. Now hold the wastebasket by placing your hand under the LP and take this far away from your home and leave the mouse.

 12. Bring a cat home

Pets, like a cat, can solve this problem very well. And you know that kitty-kitty plays the role of a predator for these little furry rodents.

You Need:

• A Cat (any breed will do)

Process:

1. If your house is seriously infested with rats, just leave the cat to hunt for its own food.
2. If the cat is really energetic and loves hunting these rodents, then your problem is solved.
3. After a few days, you will find that there is a drastic drop in the number of mice in your home.