The Essential Oil That'll Keep Your Home Free Of Mice

There is nothing worse for a homeowner than hearing the telltale scurrying of mice. You'll hear their tap-tapping across the ceiling or behind the walls, hinting at a possible infestation in the works. While having them reside in your house might be charming in a Disney movie, it's not advised in real life. Not only are they pests, but they can pose real health risks if you allow them to take up residency in your home. For example, Mice Mob Exterminators say they can help spread salmonella if they walk across your counters or island, or the hantavirus if you come into contact with their droppings, urine, or nesting area and then touch your face or breathe in the air. This can lead to fever, achy muscles, and tiredness. In extreme cases, it can lead to stomach pain, nausea, and chills.

To avoid putting yourself or your family at risk, you must eliminate your pest problem. However, some people aren't comfortable using traps and instead want to find ways to get rid of mice humanely. If that's you, then you'll be happy to hear peppermint oil may be able to help. Here's how.

It might sound too easy to be true, but a little bit of peppermint oil can help you push out the mice lingering in your house. You just have to be strategic about it. What you first need to do is notice where the mice are assembling the most. Are they sniffing around your trash or ending up in your sink? Are they walking across your countertops? Or maybe they prefer to stay out of sight, and you notice droppings in your crawl spaces or underneath your basement stairs. Once you clock these areas, that's where you'll put the peppermint essential oil. 

Simply add a few drops of the minty essential oil onto a cotton ball, and leave the balls in those places. Add one to the bottom of your garbage can if they like to scavenge for scraps, a few in your drain before you go to bed if they sniff around the sink for crumbs, and a couple scattered across your countertops to deter them from any prep areas. Just make sure to swap out the cotton balls every few days so the scent stays strong.

Are you wondering why a simple, minty cotton ball can get rid of your rodent problem? It's all thanks to the essential oil's powerful smell. Mice heavily rely on their sense of smell to forage and get around in the world, so putting something pungent in their path will make them run away. Much like how you wouldn't want to sit in a room with hot garbage, a mouse won't want to linger in a room with an overpowering scent. They'll simply turn around and leave. 

However, there are some caveats to keep in mind. This natural solution is a no-go if you have cats or dogs because it's highly toxic if ingested. Unless the cotton balls are locked behind a crawl space or up high where they can't reach, it's best to use a different method. You also don't want to use this method if you have an infestation. While this can help repel a few rogue mice that wander onto your property from time to time, you will need a professional to remove a generation of mice. The longer you wait, the worse the problem can get, so it's best to call in the pros at that point.