How Do Repellents Affect Mice?

Mice are incredibly persistent pests: with the onset of cold weather, they attack your home, gnaw food, cloth, furniture, and books. The main danger is that they carry dozens of serious diseases, from parasites to viruses. If you’ve dealt with a mouse infestation in your home, you probably don’t want to let it happen again. Even if that rodent hasn’t been visiting you, it’s always better to prevent a problem than to fix it. 

Repellents help you deal with rodents humanely. These products don’t kill mice, but they make it painful for them to live in your home and make them leave.

The Main Types of Mouse Repellents

There are two ways to scare away mice: using ultrasonic waves and aromatic mixtures. Before selecting the best mouse repellent, you need to know exactly how it works and how suitable it is for your home.

Ultrasonic repellent 

• Ultrasonic repellents work by producing high-frequency noise. A human does not hear this noise or feel the waves in any way, since the frequency of vibrations above 20 kHz is inaccessible to his hearing. 
• At the same time, rodents can perceive such high frequencies, and if you do not feel the work of an ultrasonic repellent at all, the mouse hears a terrible loud hum. Such noise gives it discomfort and scares, and the mouse decides not to build a nest in such an unsafe place. 
• This method of repelling rodents is non-toxic and safe for children as well as your cats and dogs. But if you have hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, or other tamed rodents at home, such a device can scare them.

Aromatic repellent

• It is unlikely that you would live in a room that smells like garbage or rotten fish. There are many odors that have the same effect on mice. They hate the scent of mint, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, pepper, and fir oil. 
• Ammonia also has a deterrent effect, as it is similar to the smell of cat urine. The rodent will run away from your house, as it will think that there is a predator in the same territory as it is. 
• Scented repellents are safe for humans (unless you’re allergic to one of these natural remedies).
• There are wide varieties of such repellents on the market. It can be different combinations of essential oils. They have various forms: spray, granules, liquids, sachets, and so on.

You can make your own scented repellents, although commercial options tend to last longer. Combine these methods. You can arrange sachets with mint, cloves, or cayenne pepper in cabinets and drawers. It will also be a simple task to make the next repellent.

Homemade mouse repellent

1. Prepare 3 tablespoons of liquid soap or shampoo and 1 cup of Tabasco sauce. You will also need a spray bottle and 3 liters of water;
2. Pour water into a bucket or large bowl, then add liquid soap and Tabasco sauce; 
3. Mix well so that all ingredients are completely dissolved in water;
4. Pour the “potion” into a spray bottle. Leftovers can be stored, covered, and poured into a spray bottle as needed; 
5. Spray with this repellent in places where rodents come, or may come; 
6. This method works well in basements, garages, and tight, hard-to-reach places. Do not spray on furniture as repellent may damage it.

How to Scare Mice Correctly

Although these methods are safe for people and animals and easy to use, you should know the basic rules for using mouse repellents.

• Combine methods. Scented sachets and sprays are best used for small spaces and in the corners of the room. Also, this method is best suited for damp rooms, as the ultrasonic repellent will soon stop working due to moisture. If a couple of deaf mice wander into your house, they will not react to ultrasonic waves in any way and will soon become happy parents of huge offspring. Ultrasonic repellent waves are best used in large rooms: in the bedroom, home office, hallway, and kitchen.

• Watch your pets. For cats and dogs, ultrasonic waves are not harmful, but they perceive it and usually do not react in any way. Still, your animal may be nervous if it has a sensitive nature. In this case, do not use the ultrasonic repellent or install it in rooms that the pet rarely visits.

• Install the ultrasonic device as close to the floor as possible. It must not be obstructed by other objects. Ultrasonic waves do not penetrate walls and furniture. If the mice have settled inside the walls and under the floor, this method will not drive them away. You will need to use liquids with a repellent smell, and in complicated cases, call professionals.

• Choose ultrasonic devices with frequency change mode. This model gets rodents out of your home faster and more efficiently because they can’t get used to these frequency fluctuations.

• Change scent sachets as needed and use sprays more often. Scent-repellent products do not last as long or as effectively if they are in a well-ventilated and large room. Replace smelly repellents as often as the manufacturer recommends. Or earlier if you feel that the sachet does not smell.

Every animal has its own fears. Mice do not like to build nests in noisy and smelly places. These methods help their instincts work for you. The use of different types of repellents makes the rodent think that this place is dangerous to live in and go look for another. Thus, you do not kill a living being and rid your house of this small but harmful guest. 

Regular use of repellents will save you from having to set traps and take out the corpses of mice. In parallel with the installation of these devices and aromatic sachets, close-up cracks in the house and walls. This complex of actions will make your house an impregnable fortress for small rodents.

How long did it take you to get rid of mice? Share your experience; what measures are you taking to avoid re-invasion?