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How Lavender Can Keep Your Home And Garden Rat-Free
By SANDY BAKER
Rats are noted for their ability to thrive outdoors. However, if you’re looking for a way to keep them from invading your home, lavender could be exactly what you need.
Lavender has a strong, floral scent that comes from linalool and terpenoids. The latter works to attract the plant’s pollinators and repel rodents and other animals that may eat it.
Since rats have a strong sense of smell, the scent of lavender is not only unappealing to them, but it also masks the other scents rats need to pick up on, including food sources.
To protect your garden, simply plant lavender or purchase sprigs of the plant to place in various locations. Put the sprigs inside mesh bags and use a stake to keep them in place.
You can also create a lavender spray using a few drops of lavender essential oil in a clean spray bottle filled with water to spritz around high-risk areas in your home.
Placing pieces of cloth with a few drops of lavender oil on them around the house is another great way to deter rats. However, make sure you resoak them occasionally.