The Common Mouse-Repellent Home Remedy That Isn't Worth Trying

Mice usually seek out your home for free food and a warm roof over their heads. But nobody likes freeloaders, especially when they're prone to chewing through electric wiring, leaving droppings behind, carrying disease-causing germs like salmonella, and contaminating the surfaces and items they come in contact with. So, while evicting them might be your top priority, a quick Internet search on how to do so opens up a host of possibilities. For instance, you could go with a household cleaning solution like Pine-Sol to repel mice or choose mouse traps to get the job done. Alternatively, you could employ strong scents, such as ammonia – however, this seemingly effective mouse-repellent isn't worth trying.

Given ammonia's unpleasant and strong smell, it's commonly believed to work wonders at deterring mice, but that isn't always the case. Further, this common home remedy is toxic in nature and can damage your skin and harm your lungs in case you accidentally spill or inhale it.

You'll find several strong cases for ammonia as an effective mouse-repellent due to its powerful urine-like smell, which is believed to scare mice away. Moreover, it's supposedly a more humane method than traps to evict rodents since all you need to do is soak cotton balls and place them strategically around your home. However, research conducted by Iowa State University shows that mice are not really affected by this inorganic compound. They're neither attracted to nor run away from the scent, even if it's used in concentrated quantities.

Additionally, it's more hassle than it's worth, as you need to handle ammonia with utmost care and ideally should don gloves, mask, and protective goggles to prevent it from irritating your skin, eyes, or lungs during administration. Further, if used as compressed gas, it could harm your eyes, inflame your air passage, and lead to skin burns. Moreover, this alkaline product will endanger your pet's well-being, too, and burn their throat, respiratory tract, stomach, and nose. With this in mind, it's best to steer clear of ammonia and choose alternative methods to repel mice from your home.