23 October 2014
 Categories: , Articles

Having mice in your house is not a pleasant situation. Mice are dirty and can spread germs around, and they love lurking inside drawers and cabinets where food is stored. If you want to avoid using harsh chemicals and methods to eliminate your rodent problem, you can try the following methods. Each of these methods may effectively cause the mice to leave your home and prevent them from returning

Mothballs

Mothballs are harmful to children, so you should use caution if you decide to use this method. Mothballs are designed to eliminate moths and other types of bugs, but mice tend to leave when they smell the strong, distinct odor left by these small white balls.

You can place mothballs on the floors around your house and anywhere else you think the mice might be. Place the mothballs inside containers or bags so that they are not exposed completely, and do not place them near food or kitchen utensils.

While this may help with the problem, mothballs are better for mice prevention than mice elimination. If you decide to use mothballs, you will need to combine this with at least one other rodent-elimination method.

Peppermint Oil

Using peppermint oil is another option for getting rid of mice, but this option has several benefits when compared to mothballs, including:

• Peppermint oil smells great – this will leave your house with a fresh, clean scent.
• The scent is non-toxic – smelling peppermint oil is actually soothing and there is nothing harmful in the smell.
• It can be used to treat numerous health problems – studies show that peppermint oil helps relieve nausea and other types of common medical problems.

To use this in your home, purchase pure peppermint oil and saturate cotton balls with it. Place these cotton balls anywhere in your home where you suspect mice, and the mice will leave these areas because of the smell.

Other Methods That Might Help

Dealing with mice in a house can be frustrating, but there are many steps you can take to stop this problem. Using mothballs or peppermint might help, but here are some other methods that can also have good effects:

Mouse-Proof Your Home

If you live in an older home, you may have cracks, holes, and openings in it and mice are great at finding these areas. You may want to go around the exterior of your home and fill in any cracks or holes you can find, and you can do this with caulk or steel wool. You can also walk through the interior of your home looking for any problems like this, and you can fix them with the same materials.

Get an Electronic Beeper

You can purchase small electronic devices that send out ultrasonic beeping sounds. While you will not be able to hear these sounds, mice will and they will run. This is a great method to use as you're trying to get rid of the mice, but it may only work for a few weeks or months. Mice can get used to these sounds and learn to live with it.

Set Up Traps

Mouse traps are often effective for killing mice, but if you prefer not to kill the mice, you could look for systems that trap them inside of killing them. If you choose this type of trap, make sure you check it often. If it has trapped a mouse, you will need to remove the mouse and let it go.

Getting rid of mice is never easy, especially if they have been in your house for a long time. Mice multiply rapidly, but using these methods may help. If not, you may want to order some pest control products and supplies to assist you with this big task. Click here for more information.