6 Home Remedies That Repel Rodents | PURCOR Pest Solutions (2024)

If you’ve ever dealt with rats or mice in your Pacific Northwest home, you know how unnerving it can be. Rodents may be a common pest all year long, but did you know infestations spike during the fall in Portland, Seattle, and Boise?

While there are home remedies that you can use to help repel rodents naturally, you should strongly consider contact pest control professionals instead of DIY pest control practices. Using DIY solutions can seem convenient, but can occasionally cause more harm and only lead to temporary fixes. Not only can some DIY solutions not solve the root of your pest control issue, they can often include chemicals that are harmful. Here are 6 home remedies to repel rodents that steer clear of chemicals, and unsafe practices:

Plants

Plants like lavender, elderberry, daffodils, and any type of mint plants are known to repel mice. You could plant some around your home or keep them in pots inside your home. Bay leaves and oak leaves have also been known to deter rodents. You can leave some around your home or put some in sachets and leave them in closets and drawers. This method not only makes your home look and smell nice, but it can help deter rodents.

Essential Oils

This method not only helps deter rodents but it also makes your home smell nice in the process. Essential oils that may be helpful in repelling rats and mice include peppermint oil, lemon oil, citronella oil, and eucalyptus oil. You can make an essential oil spray by mixing 2 teaspoons of oil with 1 cup of water or rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Then spray it anywhere you see traces of rodents. Like the ammonia spray, you can also use cotton balls. If you choose the spray method, you’ll want to reapply in about a week and if you use cotton balls, replace them after two weeks.

Fill in Holes and Use Barricades

If you notice cracks or holes that a mouse or rat may use to gain access into your home, fill them in with caulk. You can also fill in larger gaps with a mix of caulk and steel wool. Steel wool is a harder material to chew through for these rodents.

Rat and Mouse Traps

If you aren’t seeing success with your natural rodent repellants, you may need to resort to mouse and rat traps. There are traditional snap traps, glue traps, and the more humane option, catch-and-release traps. You’ll want to first identify which type of rodent you’re dealing as a mousetrap is too small for a rat.

Professional Pest Control Services

If you are dealing with a much bigger rodent infestation, it may be time to call in the experts. PURCOR has been providing pest control services to the Portland, Seattle, and Boise metro areas, and we provide pest control solutions for all types of pests. So contact us or call us today for fast, effective, and affordable pest control services.

6 Home Remedies That Repel Rodents | PURCOR Pest Solutions (2024)

FAQs

What is the best homemade rodent repellent? ›

Bay leaves and oak leaves have also been known to deter rodents. You can leave some around your home or put some in sachets and leave them in closets and drawers. This method not only makes your home look and smell nice, but it can help deter rodents.

What keeps rats away permanently? ›

Filling holes and cracks that provide entry points and installing professional exclusion systems from companies like Cat-Guard provides a safe, natural, permanent barrier to keep rats out.

What rodent repellent actually works? ›

Mothballs - Contain naphthalene and may deter mice when used in strong enough doses. Ammonia - Mimics the odor of predators' urine and can act as a repellent. Peppermint Oil, Cayenne Pepper, or Cloves - Have strong scents that may repel mice.

What do rodents hate most? ›

13 scents that mice hate and can help you to keep them away
  • Teabags. ...
  • Mint toothpaste. ...
  • Ammonia. ...
  • Cayenne pepper. ...
  • Mothballs. ...
  • Chili oil/powder. ...
  • Eucalyptus oil. ...
  • Cedarwood oil. It acts toxic to rodents and has a fragrant, woodsy scent that is very unpleasant to them.

Does Vicks Vapor Rub repel rodents? ›

In fact, we've since discovered that the very occasional re-application of Vicks is enough to keep the squirrels away.

How do I get rid of rats ASAP? ›

So, what is the fastest way to get rid of rats? Pest control is the most efficient method to get rid of rats quickly but the usage of mouse traps, snap traps, chemical baits, and live traps are all effective methods to get rid of rats as quickly and effectively as possible.

What smell makes rats go away? ›

Peppermint oil — Essential plant oils like peppermint, rosemary, citronella, sage and lavender have strong botanical scents that rats dislike. One customer successfully repelled a rat by stuffing a peppermint oil soaked tissue into the rat hole chewed into the wall. The rat appeared to never come back.

What is the best natural rat repellent? ›

Peppermint oil is said to deter rats from entering treated areas. In high concentrations, peppermint oil may exhibit some repellency.

What gets rid of mice the fastest? ›

1. Traps: Trapping is an effective method for places where there are smaller numbers of mice. However, the traps need to be placed in strategic locations, such as on-ground close to the walls, behind objects, in dark corners, and in places where there is evidence of mouse activity.

Do dryer sheets repel mice? ›

Dryer sheets do not repel mice. The belief that dryer sheets can repel mice has gained popularity over time, primarily due to the assumption that scent of dryer sheets might deter rodents. However, this is a misconception, and using dryer sheets as a mouse repellent is not a reliable or proven method.

Does bleach keep rats away? ›

The answer is yes. Rats don't like strong smells and bleach is one of them. If you are wondering what other smells do rats dislike, then you should add vinegar to the list. If you put some vinegar in cotton balls and place them where rats have an entry point, they will never use that point again.

What is the best homemade mouse repellent? ›

Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper and cloves.

Mice are said to hate the smell of these. Lightly soak some cotton balls in oils from one or more of these foods and leave the cotton balls in places where you've had problems with mice.

What noise makes mice go away? ›

Sounds That Repel Mice

Mice prefer to be alone, away from humans and animals, so being around a lot of noise is not ideal. High-pitched noises may affect rodents, but research has shown the effects are often overcome within a day or so, regardless of whether the frequency is variable, intermittent, or random.

What makes rodent go away? ›

Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, and cloves – Soak some cotton balls in any of these essential oils. Then place the cotton balls around your house in common hiding spots for mice and rats. Apple cider vinegar and water – Mix these ingredients up in a spray bottle and spritz it around the outside of your house.

Will spraying vinegar keep mice away? ›

White vinegar is a powerful substance that has a powerful smell. It also works well as a cleaning solution. Spraying vinegar in areas where mice enter your home can keep them from coming inside. Therefore, applying the solution to door frames, counters, floors, crevices, cracks, and other entry points is effective.

How often do you need to spray peppermint oil to keep mice away? ›

Pour into a spray bottle and shake well to blend the mixture, before spraying in problem areas where you have seen mice activity. Repeat this process every two weeks for a while to help keep mice away from your home in the long term.

What smell keeps mice and rats away? ›

The strong scent of peppermint is overwhelming to mice. Similarly, essential oils such as eucalyptus oil, bergamot oil, clove oil, and cinnamon oil are potent in keeping mice at bay. One study noted that eucalyptus oil applied once a day was more effective as a rat repellant than once a week.

Does Pine Sol really keep mice away? ›

While the strong scent of Pine Sol may initially deter mice, its long-term effectiveness is questionable, and the effectiveness of natural mouse repellents can vary. Pine Sol contains pine oil, surfactants, and fragrance, with pine oil being responsible for the strong scent believed to repel mice.

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