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

6 Home Remedies That Repel Rodents | PURCOR Pest Solutions? ›

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.

What is the best homemade rodent repellent? ›

Plants As Natural Mouse Repellents
  • Lavender. Lavender is one of the best natural mice repellent due to its strong smell. ...
  • Mint. Fresh mint has a strong smell. ...
  • Daffodils. Plant bright yellow daffodils to keep mice and rats away. ...
  • Vinegar. Vinegar has multiple applications, and is a strong mice repellent. ...
  • Garlic. ...
  • Cayenne Pepper.
Jun 26, 2023

What keeps rats away permanently in DIY? ›

Use natural deterrents like peppermint oil, ammonia, or vinegar, as rats dislike strong smells. Keep your garden well-maintained, as overgrown vegetation can provide shelter for rats.

What essential oils do rodents hate? ›

Peppermint essential oil is a popular choice for natural mouse repellents. Its strong smell is distasteful to mice, helping to keep them away from your home. Add a few drops of oil to a spray bottle filled with water and spray it around areas where mice frequent.

What does aluminum foil do to rats? ›

Since rats hate very strong smells, they are repulsed by these remedies which are easily available to all. The article by Apartment Guide (2020) also tells how rats hate the sound of aluminum foil and hence making balls of aluminum foil and spreading it out throughout the house keeps them away.

What smell do rodents hate the most? ›

Scents That Will Keep Mice Away
  • Peppermint Oil. Many natural rodent repellents contain peppermint oil because the strong scent can disorient rodents. ...
  • Chili Oil or Powder. Chili is another strong scent that can befuddle mice into leaving your space. ...
  • Eucalyptus. ...
  • Vinegar. ...
  • Cinnamon. ...
  • Citronella. ...
  • Chemical Scents. ...
  • Bleach.
Jan 6, 2023

What smell do all rodents hate? ›

Peppermint. Prepare to turn your rat problem into a minty-fresh solution! Rats may have a perceptive sense of smell, but they can't stand the refreshing scent of peppermint. This natural and aromatic repellent works wonders in deterring these unwanted pests.

What home remedy gets rid of rats fast? ›

All you need to do is, put on disposable gloves and combine 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar or powdered chocolate and mix together. Add 1 cup of baking soda and blend the mixture very well. The sugar or chocolate will attract the rats and the baking soda will soon kill them after they have been consumed.

How do you make homemade rat repellent? ›

For a simple, but effective repellent, you can use a combination of crushed pepper and vinegar. Mix the two ingredients together and spread it around the perimeter of your garden. This will create an unpleasant smell and taste that will deter rats from entering the garden.

What repels mice immediately? ›

Mice are very averse to strong smells, so these can be used to keep them away from your home and property. Try things like ammonia, bleach, moth balls, or essential oils like peppermint, clove, tea tree, rosemary or cinnamon.

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

Mice can enter through extremely small spaces, so even the smallest crack or hole should get a dose of peppermint oil. The scent of peppermint oil needs to stay strong in order to keep mice away. So make sure you're reapplying a few times a week to keep mice away.

What repels rodents naturally? ›

Mice absolutely detest the smell of peppermint. Cotton balls dabbed with peppermint oil can work well to repel mice, as can dried mint sachets. Just place oil-soaked cotton or mint-scented sachets in problem areas, refreshing as often as needed.

Does vinegar stop rats? ›

White vinegar: rats are especially un-fond of white vinegar – which is good news as it is a very common household ingredient. You can dampen some cotton wool balls with white vinegar or simply add some to a spray bottle with water as mentioned above. And it's not just the smell; the taste repels rats as well.

How can I deter rats in my yard? ›

To prevent rats from living in your yard, you must deny them access to shelter. Keep your yard nicely trimmed and remove any piles of wood, brush, debris, compost piles, dense shrubbery, ground covers, and ivy as this will attract rats over time.

What can rats not chew through? ›

Four Things Rats Cannot Chew Through

Any materials with greater strength than their incisors are too difficult for them to chew on or through. Examples of hard materials include: Steel, like sinks, ovens, refrigerators, steel beams, steel wiring in ductwork, and fencing. Iron to reinforce concrete and other structures.

Does Pine Sol really keep mice away? ›

As will most cleaners, Pine-Sol contains properties that may deter rodents and other types of pests; however, this is not a viable solution as a pest control measure.

How does vinegar keep mice away? ›

The best answer to that question would be no.

Vinegar works by masking smells and oils which will deter mice and rats from entering an area or chewing on any material. However, it needs to be used with other methods since vinegar by itself will not keep rodents away from your home.

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