When it comes to powders, granules, sprays and stuff you can buy at Home Depot or online, in my 15+ years as a wildlife removal professional, I have seen it all: attics filled with strobing lights, blaring radios, ultrasonic sound machines,
natural remedies like peppermint, and every
type of over-the-counter repellent, from coyote urine flakes, to ammonia, to the end-all-be-all el cheapo scam, mothballs. I once went into an attic in which a desperate old lady had dumped close to 100 lbs. of mothballs
in her attic. The mice didn't care! Here's the problem with repellents in general: once a mouse lives in your attic, and has a nest of babies there, that's it. That's the only option for survival. There is no
device, no repellent that will make them leave. Go ahead and buy a mouse repellent at Home Depot, or a mouse deterrent device online - waste your time. But they have zero demonstrated effectiveness.
However, if you want to keep mice out of your attic, there's a GREAT repellent - home repair products! Heavy-gague steel mesh, metal flashing, and other repair materials which are resistant to mouse chewing. Inspect
the house to find the entry holes, and seal them shut. 100% guaranteed repellent! But if you already have mice in your attic, there's no product or device that will make them leave. Luckily, the problem is just as
easy to solve with repairs and exclusion doors as it is with a applying a repellent. Do it the right way and get your mouse problem solved. Learn more about proper mouse prevention with
home repairs, and following that, the correct methods for mouse trapping to get rid of them for good.
A gimmick meant to take your money, but worst of all, waste your time. These won't solve the problem, which will only get worse while you wait.
These products are sold everywhere, and emit high-frequency sound. They are so fraudulent the FTC has issued a warning about them as a consumer product.
Buy some proper materials and seal shut the entry holes, with professional grade repairs, and that's the most effective repellent you can buy!
The scent of mice that have already lived in your attic will attract new mice. The phermones in the feces, urine, etc. Cleaning is good repellent.
Mothballs: 0/5 STARS Mothballs or mothball flakes, sometimes mixed with coyote urine or other ingredients, is the most common repellent - cheap to make. But zero effectiveness on mouse
behavior. And a known environmental toxin and carcinogen to boot! Wow! That's my mothball mouse repellent review.
Ammonia: 0/5 STARS Ammonia has a strong odor, like mothballs. But in an attic, which is ventilated, the smell just kind of wafts away. Mice aren't going to leave the attic and go outside
to die just because of a smell that may not even reach their nose! C'mon.
Strobing Lights: 0/5 STARS These flashing light machines for mice are commonly sold by enthusiastic marketers, but I've been in attics with several of these installed, and the mice
don't care. They can easily go do dark areas, down in eaves and soffits, or behind beams and insulation. Or maybe they just don't care about flashing lights at all. They don't work. That's my flashing light mouse repellent review.
Sound Machines: 0/5 STARS Same as with the lights or the odor, they are able to go to places in the attic where the effect is less, and/or they just don't care. A mouse is not going
to let her young die just because of a sound or light or smell! That's my sound machine mouse repellent review - but you don't have to take my word for it. Look up what the FTC has to say about these fraudulent devices.
Peppermint: 0/5 STARS I like the fact that this is a natural mouse repellent, that is homemade and toxin-free, but unfortunately, it just doesn't work. In fact, I have succesfully used peppermint and
spearmint leaves as mouse bait to catch them! They are attracted to it, if anything!
Home Repairs: 5/5 STARS Bravo! The winner! Just find the entry holes the mice are using to get into your house, seal them shut with metal repairs, and you have a 100% effective, PERMANENT mouse
repellent solution.
As a homeowner, you know the damage that mice can cause to your property. At the very least, they will leave behind droppings and urine, making your home dirtier and carrying a risk of disease. More than likely, they will also shred up random items like insulation to create nesting material and maybe even gnaw on wires or other similar items for the same purpose. To avoid all these issues and the potential cleanup involved, you should take steps to keep mice away from your home. There are numerous products available on the market, some of which work better than others.
Store Bought Repellents
A quick search online or at your local store will show you a range of products that claim to repel mice and possibly other wildlife or rodents as well. These come in varying forms but are most commonly sprays that you apply in a given area. They theoretically keep the mice and other pests away, but any wildlife removal expert will tell you that they are just a waste of money. These products almost never work and if they do, it is simply a coincidence. To make matters worse, they frequently contain strong chemicals that put you or your family at risk or damage the environment. Simply put, you shouldn’t count on a store bought repellent keeping mice away; they will do more harm than good.
Home Remedies
Since store bought mice repellents don’t work, you may be wondering about the ones you will find listed on home remedy websites. Unfortunately, these are also typically ineffective, only working by coincidence. Despite this, you will find an incredible range of suggestions that include truly natural remedies you probably already have like peppermint or peppermint oil and hot peppers to more interesting options like human hair, toilet cakes, and predator urine. Some websites will also suggest ammonia or mothballs. While none of these will work, the last two are the worst since they also contain strong substances that can be harmful to people.
Constant Reapplication
Keep in mind that even if your home remedy or store bought repellent did happen to work you would have to constantly reapply it so the smell remained strong. In reality, no mouse is going to leave the guaranteed safety of your home to go outside and risk almost certain death at the hands of predators or starvation.
Using Pets
Many people think having a pet is a sure way to keep mice away; after all, cats were domesticated to catch rats and mice. The truth, however, is that this method won’t always be effective. Yes, some cats will love hunting mice and do a good enough job to keep them all away. Most, however, simply won’t do anything and the mice won’t care. Remember that cats have come a long way from their mouse-hunting ancestors. In fact, every wildlife removal expert will tell you that they have visited numerous homes with mouse infestations and at least one cat or dog in residence.
Electronic Sound Or Light Machines
If none of the above options work, you may be tempted to shell out your money on an electronic sound machine. These sound machines claim to emit a sound at a high-pitched frequency that only mice and other wildlife will hear. The idea is that they will get so annoyed that they will just leave. In reality, the mice will get used to the sound and stay in the security of your home. To make matters worse, some people can actually hear the sounds emitted by these machines so you may annoy yourself or your neighbors. There are also machines that flash bright lights that make the mice feel exposed, but they won’t produce any better results. Of course, these machines are not only ineffective, but expensive as well, making them a very poor choice.
What Actually Works
So now that you know what won’t keep mice away from your home, you may be wondering if anything really does work. The answer is yes; home repairs are the solution. Instead of relying on deterrents or repellents, just take the time to make sure there is no way that mice can get into your house. If there aren’t any gaps by your windows, doors, vents, pipes, roof eaves, shingles, or other areas, the mice won’t find an entry point. Every once in a while, inspect your home or hire someone to do it for you, making sure that there are no gaps at all since mice can squeeze through very tiny holes.
You should also discourage the mice by taking away any potential food source they would see in your home. Stop leaving leftovers out on your kitchen counters and clean up your crumbs or spilled food right away. Opt for a sealed garbage can so the mice won’t smell or have access to food remnants in there. Don’t forget to keep an eye on your pet food as well as mice see this as an easy meal.
Do mouse repellents work? NO! Luckily, the problem is easy to solve with repairs and exclusion, which is a permanent solution - and the only effective one, unlike a applying a repellent. Do it the right way and get your mouse problem solved.